Re: symbolproject.org Symbolic Characters Collaborative Creation project

On Mon, 26 Jan 2004, Steve Cooney wrote:

> Hello, group.
>
> I'm happy to announce the start of a new wiki at
> Symbolproject.org -- set up for the
> purpose of building an ideographic "collang"
> ("collaboratively constructed language.")  I'm
> primarily interested in redesigning and refactoring
> Chinese characters into less localized system with
> more universal concepts and syntax.  Others can chose
> to start their own projects, and go in their own
> artistic directions, if they like.
I've often thought of doing something similar myself, but my knowledge of
Chinese characters is simply not good enough. About the only auxlang-type
thing I'd be interested in.

> We are still in the early stages, so any new input in
> terms of process and structure is more than welcome.
> If you dont know what a wiki is, a simple Google
> search for "what is a wiki" will get you the necessary
> info.
There are better Wiki engines than the one you're using, you know. Where
better is defined as not forcing really UglyLinkNames. Or even worse,
NaMes. Also have the advantage that you could use ideographs as link
names. I guess you probably know that, I'm just whingeing.

>  The site is for the time being GNU licensed,
> but this is open for discussion.
I notice you're using the GNU Free Documentation Licence. I recommend a
free one; most people using the FDL will probably just use it thinking
it's free (because of the GPL) when in fact it isn't. I suggest either
using the GPL (which makes as much sense for documents as programs) or a
Creative Commons licence <http://creativecommons.org/>. See also
<http://home.twcny.rr.com/nerode/neroden/fdl.html>.



ObConlang: I've been playing around with having complicated dialectal
things in Modern Føtisk. For instance, the southern dialect's word for
group of people, _Kynif_ (as in Kynif F(oe)tislånd, somewhere in between
People of Føtland and Føtland in a way I don't think English has a word
for) is pronounced /sef/, whereas in the northern dialects it'd be /krif/
(following a stress shift, but the huge differences which could've
eventuated were mostly normalised by the standardising effects of the
dominence of the southern dialects). /krif/ is subsequently borrowed into
the southern dialects to mean 'north of Føtland' (and can refer both to
anything with a higher latitude than Føtland, or Scandinavia). Because of
the etymological basis for the orthography, /krif/ is originally spelt
<Kynif>, but this creates some problems, so eventually /krif/ comes to
have a slightly different spelling: <Kynifn>, where the -n comes from
_norf_ /mef/, 'north'. Just something a bit like Chinese characters except
with Roman letters. [Note: Might not become standard. Idea still
tentative, but I like it.]

--
Tristan

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