Re: imagining language(s)

At 7:14 pm -0400 6/5/00, John Cowan wrote:
>Raymond Brown scripsit:
>
>> What scope for imaginary languages here  :)
>
>And this from the fella who said he thought imaginary history was too
>difficult.
It runs riot too easily for me.

If I'm constructing an imaginary language I feel constrained to discipline
myself so that it developes in consistent way following known phonological
& morphological patterns.  Most importantly, I guess, is that I find
spending time on the minutiae of linguistic change interesting.

But with imaginary history, I lack the same self-discipline; I run riot
with the broad sweeps and don't have the patience to fill in the details.

Ray.

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A mind which thinks at its own expense
will always interfere with language.
                   [J.G. Hamann 1760]
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