Presentation on Language Creation

Hi All,

The linguistics undergraduates in my linguistics department at Berkeley
(including me) are putting together a symposium for October 26th.   We're
going to have 5 of our professors speaking, 4 of our graduate students, one
student who just graduated last year and isn't in graduate school yet, and
me.   The topics could be about anything, so I'm doing mine on language
creation.   My intent is to get the idea out there, and to dispell any of the
myths and misconceptions the linguistics community may have.   As such, I
have some questions:

1.) What are some of the myths you perceive that irk you?   I could come up
with a bunch, but then that would be just me, and I'm only one language
creator, so I want to get ideas from different people.

2.) Does anyone have any information on or any links to information on the
history of language creation--specifically, information on NON-Auxlangs from
way in the past?   I found a bunch of information on Auxlangs, but very
little on non, aside from the Voynich manuscript.   Is there anything out
there?

3.) Concerning non-Auxlangs, again, what's of note?   There's Marc Okrand,
Tolkien, maybe the Blade movies can get a mention, maybe Magma, the new Star
Trek, or Star Trek in general, but what else?   How well, for example, is
Amman Iar known?   Are there any a priori conlangs created just for fun that
have gotten any attention whatsoever aside from the ones mentioned?   I mean,
I know a bunch of the conlangs of people on this list, and there are a bunch
I like, but I can't go through them all, and, if their situation is anything
like the situations of mine, then they don't exist, for the most part,
outside of me and my computer.

That's pretty much it; anything else I've got a handle on.   You can e-mail
me offlist, if you'd like, so as not to clog up CONLANG, though most of this
is on topic, I'd say.

Thanks in advance!

-David

"imDeziZejDekp2wilDez ZejDekkinel..."
"You can celebrate anything you want..."
               -John Lennon

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