Re: USAGE: (Mis)Naming a Language

"Also, what if someone created a language with a name like Teonaht, not knowing
that one already existed, and (with no disrespect to this imaginary person) was far better?"

:)  Off with their heads!!

I'd say that in the case of invented languages, the original inventor, i.e., whose
language has been in circulation longer on CONLANG, has dibs on the name,
regardless of whether it or the newly named language were better than the
other. That part's irrelevant. But If someone created a language that was much
better than mine and called it Teonaht, heh heh, I'd ask them to change the
name and join me in Teon!

The situation you describe is more of a bother because Kele is the name of a
natural language. Hoo boy. What a troubling coincidence. I'd say that you'd
have to capitulate to the status of the natural language and its name, which
has been around longer than you have been inventing. Since a scholar did
misunderstand you, you might be forced to modify the spelling. But what a pain.
I think I made the spelling of Teonaht deliberately eccentric so that it would
stand out as invented, unique... although I was not consciously aware at the
time of this particular problem you describe.

Which moves me to wonder whether there are any separate natural languages that share
the same name? There have to be, given how many there are and have been in the
world.
Sally




  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: David Peterson 
  To: CONLANG@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU 
  Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 3:43 PM
  Subject: (Mis)Naming a Language


  Hi all,

  I'm still offlist, but I thought I'd bring up something that happened
  to me.

  Yesterday I received an e-mail from a lecturer at CSU Sacramento
  (a.k.a., Sac State--the rivals of the UC Davis Aggies) asking about
  languages that have a drum register.  [In Africa, certain tone
  Bantu languages can be whistled or drummed, since they have
  rules about tonal phrasal patterns.  They can't communicate *completely*,
  but they can do a lot.]  Anyway, this professor specifically wanted
  some phrases from a language called Kele.  This is because,
  unbeknownst to me, there's a tone Bantu language called "Kele".
  Undoubtedly, he found me on the internet because of my
  language, which I called "Kele":

  http://dedalvs.free.fr/kele/

  I gave him some info on who he could talk to to get some info
  on the real Kele, but I'm a little put out that I unintentionally
  mislead someone.

  So, my question: Has something similar happened to anyone
  else?  And, do you think I should change the name of the
  language?  Would you, in this situation?  Also, what if someone
  created a language with a name like Teonaht, not knowing
  that one already existed, and (with no disrespect to this
  imaginary person) was far better?

  You don't have to reply offlist; I'll follow the thread via the
  archives.

  -David
  *******************************************************************
  "sunly eleSkarez ygralleryf ydZZixelje je ox2mejze."
  "No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn."

  -Jim Morrison

  http://dedalvs.free.fr/

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