Re: Malat (Was: New Language)

Laurie Gerholz wrote:

> 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.
Well, my personal opinion is that there is no real point in making languages close to
natlangs... what's wrong with just using that natlang? If you're going to create a
work of art, be original... make up some wierd rules for the language, have fun with
it. If you're going to create an auxiliary language, don't stick to one natural
language's rules/constructs; they often omit some concepts that are easily expressed
in other natlangs. If you combine all of the concepts logically, then it will be a
worthy project. If you make an international auxiliary language that copies only a
few of them, why not just use one of those languages itself instead of making up a
new one?

> 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.
Well, i guess i don't have much fun myself when i'm copying natlangs, so i wouldn't
consider it a worthy project...

> > 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.
"No man is an island."
--
-Time is what keeps everything from happening at once.

-Garrett Jones aka Alkaline
Rising Sun - C&C2: Tiberian Sun - http://www.cnc2.com/
Malat - http://www.metro.net/3jones/malat/