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Re: Lunatic Survey

From:Sheets, Jeff <jsheets@...>
Date:Friday, September 25, 1998, 19:10
> THE SURVEY: > > 1) To what extent is your conlang an "intensely peersonal" > pursuit--one that you don't often reveal to people other than > conlangers? >
Highly personal. I don't tend to welcome others into this, and my own parents don't even know about it. I usually expect people to think differently of me, were I to tell them, but it isn't a matter of social standing. They just don't seem to belong with my languages.
> 2) If so, to what extent do you feel that the listserv > "Conlang" > has given you a _raison d'etre_ for > > a) pursuing your invented language > b) making it public? >
Conlang has given me help in that I see I am not anywhere near alone in this. It has let me see that others out there, from very expansive backgrounds, share my feeling of enthusiasm for personal conlangs. My feelings on publicly "coming out" are the same. It isn't something I feel others would understand.
> 3) How many of you, in mentioning your conlang to an > acquaintance, received a belittling reply? Condescension? > Disapproval? >
I have, but since then, the person has accepted this facet of me.
> 4) How many of you are: > > c) out of school altogether and supporting yourselves? > > 4a) What is your profession, or your desired profession? >
Out of school, and I work for a Power Company in central Illinois as a Network Administrator. Since I was seven years old, and had the chance to play computer games, I have wanted to design and implement, and lets not forget sell, numerous games.
> 5) How many of you have invented a language because > > b) you are interested in world-building > > i) for fiction > ii) for role-playing and other social > activities > iii) just for your own amusement? >
I'd say these apply to me more than a) did.
> 5) How many of you take the time to learn another's conlang? >
My language learning skills aren't extremely good, but that's because I don't learn or try to much anymore. Therefore I look at grammars for concepts, not for translations.
> 6) How many of you are women? >
100% absolutely Male. I think. Yeah. Male. Definitely. Last time I checked. Not that I do often, or anything.... :)
> 7) Who is lurking period? [these questions I don't expect > public answers to--if any answers--but I ask it anyway > to see what happens] >
I usually lurk. I don't remember when I started subscribing.
> 8) Which of you would give me permission to (or object to) my > mentioning your conlang and webpage (if any) at a convention, in an > academic article? I'll protect names if so desired [as though this is > writing pornography!-- now there's something] >
It'd be fine by me. I guess I should find something interesting to say, huh? How about, "nu sol bot vid. sol bot nama un du. sad i sol bot un du deg pen du nal deg nal nal un. sol bot un du, dad kar e lok fin." It is a spontaneous excerpt from a language designed to facillitate multi cultural space pilots in communication. Kind of an Interstellar Auxilliary Language. I will be using it probably in a computer game I am working on. "New starship sighted. Starship named contact 8. Bearing to Starship 8 is 320 degrees by 1 degree. Starship 8, give your cargo and destination." In case you're wondering, it uses base 6 rather than base ten. Most of the words are based on English. Some Latin.
> 9) For how many of you is "exoticness" in your invented > language > and absolute must? How many of you pursue more familiar models... and > why to both? >
This depends on the language. Once I tried to make a language for giant spiders. I might try it again.
> 9) FINALLY: what is the appeal of an invented language for > you? > Wherein is its "sexiness"? Its spirituality? its sensuality? What > keeps > you at it? How does it benefit you? Does it harm you? heal you? >
It lets me be creative in a most unique fashion.
> Many thanks. >
er... Many welcomes. :)
> Sally >
Jeff
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > Sally Caves > scaves@frontiernet.net > http://www.frontiernet.net/~scaves/teonaht.html > > Mr. Book: "Shut it down!" > _Dark City_ >
I LOVE that movie!
> Christof: "Cue the sun!" > _The Truman Show_ > > Tehwo tsema brondi laz obil hea nomai pendo > "Summer like a white sword hangs over the land." > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > Clearly obsolete now... >