Re: Malat (Was: New Language)

Garrett wrote:
>
> Thanks :) Here's my philosophy on the whole deal: If your language is not
> unique... then why make it at all?
Each of our conlangs are unique. No one comes up with exactly the same
combination of phonemes, syntax, semantics etc. etc.

I agree with you about "if it's not unique, then why do it?" But I think
I can rest assured that mine will be unique. Even if two conlangers work
off of the same material (like those who like to create fictional
extensions or future evolutions of existing natlangs) they will produce
distinct products. Everyone is working off of their own unique
combination of personal aesthetics, goals and linguistic experience. The
results can't help but be different.

Here's another parallel to my painting. A hundred other artists may have
already painted some famous piece of landscape. Will I try it too? Of
course. A work from me will embody my unique perspective, and the unique
incident in time at which I make it. My work will be just as worthwhile
as those done by those hundred other painters.

> My language is very unique compared to any
> other conlangs/natlangs that I know, so I consider my project worthy to last.
> That's the reason I'm not wasting my time on a euroclone or "international
> auxiliary language" or stuff like that. Those may be fun for some people... but
> since esperanto is so popular, what's the point?
You certainly have a right to define your own personal goals in this
activity. But as far as I'm concerned, the only thing that makes a
conlang "worthy to last" is whether the creator is enjoying working with
it.

> Artlangs are cool and all (I'm
> going to learn Klingon sometime), but most don't have a user base to
> communicate to in the language.
>
I'm an artlanger. (Bet you guessed that already! :->) I work on my
conlangs as prompted by personal creativity, and now by the exchange of
linguistic ideas that I get to share in on this list. It's not relevant
to me whether my conlangs have a user base or not. But you have to work
with those threads which you find interesting.

Laurie
---
Laurie Gerholz
milo@winternet.com
http://www.winternet.com/~milo/conlangs.html