Re: Lunatic Survey

Sally Caves wrote:

> 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?
Well, for me it's pretty much just a hobby.  I don't have any intentions ofproselytizing
it like some conlangs, but on the other hand I am also interested
when others express interest in my conlang.  Apprarently, several people
are out there studying my poorly written pages, hoping to derive some
wisdom therefrom.  Oh well.

I don't really ever talk about my conlanging to others, not so much because
it's personal, but just because so many people would not understand when
I would try to explain it.  A good deal would think it's stupid, others would
kinda look at me and think I a little kooky, so I'd rather not have to deal with
that (at least that's my experience; I'm sure it's not the same for everybody).

>         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
I think it's a great forum for discussing languages and linguistics in general,and is not
so cliqueish and alienating as <sci.lang> is (those sci.langers
tend to be rather selfaware of how much they know about linguistics, if
you know what I mean ;-)  )

>                 b) making it public?
For me, I would say that, as I said, it's not really a public thing for me, noris
exclusively private.  Sometimes I post stuff that I think the list would
find of interest in general, but most of my stuff I just keep on my page.

>         3)  How many of you, in mentioning your conlang to an
> acquaintance, received a belittling reply?  Condescension?  Disapproval?
As I said, quite a few.  But I haven't mentioned it to many because of this,so I might get
different replies if I told others.  If I do mention it, it's because
someone else brings constructed languages up themselves.

>         4)  How many of you are:
>
>                 a) high school students or younger?
>                 b) undergraduates?
>                 c) graduates?
>                 c) out of school altogether and supporting yourselves?
>                 d) Not in school, never went?
I started way back in 10th grade. I'm now a sophomore or senior undergraduate,depending on
how you look at it (years here or hours).

>         4a) What is your profession, or your desired profession?
Well, it's kinda up in the air right now.  Right now I'm pursuing aquadruple major (I got
a lot of AP credit, so I have time to burn)
in Linguistics, Economics, History and Classics.  (The last is technically
called Ancient History).   I'm also thinking about going on to get
a Masters degree in international business or economics, and also
(of course) a degree in linguistics, probably followed by a PhD in the
same (what can I say? I love school!).

>         5)  How many of you have invented a language because
>
>                 a) you are solely interested in language experiments
>                    and linguistics?
>
>                         i) for personal experiments...
>                         ii) because you like participating in the
>                         development of an auxiliary language and its
>                         socio-political effects?
A little from column A, a little from column B, as GrampaSimpson said.  I would like to
find out what possible distinctions
are made in languages, and how they interact, and then combine
these into a language of my own.  I generally don't participate
in making auxiliary languages, although some have said that my
conlang has a lot of feature of them (which I suppose it does,
incidentally almost).

>                 b) you are interested in world-building
>
>                         i) for fiction
>                         ii) for role-playing and other social activities
>                         iii) just for your own amusement?
My one project, Degaspregos, I have never really tried to imbue withsociocultural
aspects.  It's more of philosophical language, as I said in my
li'l prolog on my page.

I've been thinking though recently about a hypothetical language of
intercultural contact between the Viking Norse explorers and
the Inuit and/or the Natives of North America in Vinland.  I thought
I'd probably make it based highly on one of the native languages, probably
with a polysynthetic structure, large stop consonant system, probably with
ejective consonants, but with a large infusion of Norse
lexis and maybe a few grammatical forms here and there (depending
on what I find).  Like my present project, I think that will require a lot
of research.  I'm planning to take Old English sometime, so that might
end up being an influence.

>         5) How many of you take the time to learn another's conlang?
I have not, unfortunately, had the time to invest in such a luxury (I barelyhave the time
to answer posts and work on my own conlang as it is), but
I would be interested in trying that sometime, maybe during the winter break
when I have lots of free time.  I was really interested in Brad Coons'
Feorran project a while back.  I may try that one, if he has sufficient materials
for it.

>         6) How many of you are women?
Not I. :)

>         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 generally don't lurk on thing of which I'm active; I usually eithercontribute or don't
have anything to do with it.

>         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]
Fine with me.   I wouldn't mind mentioning of my name either, but ifyou do, I'd like to
know (not that you would have to ask permission
anyways, but that I'd be interested).

>         9) For how many of you is "exoticness" in your invented language
> an absolute must?  How many of you pursue more familiar models... and
> why to both?
I think my language's a little on the nonexotic side, because since it'sbased on PIE, it
will be nature have features that resemble our own languages
(or many of us, anyways).

>         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?
I think I'm a classicist at heart, and have always loved ancient history, so
I find interest in the connection to the philosophical underpinnings in certain
languages, and in the pure philological fun of it.  It's fun to examine PIE
noun and verb morphology!  As for harm, well, I think it does quite a lot
of damage to my studying, but, well, that's a given. :)



=======================================================
Tom Wier <artabanos@...>
ICQ#: 4315704   AIM: Deuterotom
Website: <http://www.angelfire.com/tx/eclectorium/>
"Cogito ergo sum, sed credo ergo ero."

We look at [the Tao], and do not see it;
  Its name is the Invisible.
                 - Lao Tsu, _Tao Te Ching_

Nature is wont to hide herself.
                 - Herakleitos
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