Re: CHAT: History of Conlang List

Kristian:
> The chat thread on the earlier conlang archives made me wonder about
> the first days of the list's existence. Who started the list? Who
> was s/he? What was s/he? What were his/her intentions? Who were the
> first subscribers? What were the first subscribers? How did they
> come to know about the list? What was the first discussion? What was
> the first message? Who was the first one to write a message? What
> was it about? Etc. etc. etc...
I'm fairly sure I have posted a message on this topic within the last
couple of years, so I will reply only briefly here. [After writing
the message below, I'm even more certain that there was a whole
thread on this topic.]

The list was both initiated and set-up by John Ross, then a PhD
student in (astro)physics somewhere in the USA. It then passed to
Lars Mathieson, and then to David Durand (bless all three).

John posted to sci.lang and to Tolklang asking if anyone was
interested in invented languages. A small group of us (four or
five, including me & Rick Harrison) emailed each other privately and
then decided to set up Conlang. Of people who subscribed to that
from the outset, I think only me, John Cowan & Lojbab remain
subscribed. (In fact, it's one of the reasons I stay subscribed even
when the traffic overwhelms my available time.)

Early subscribers were interested in Auxlangs and Loglangs. I was the
only artlanger, and very isolated and somewhat embattled.

I don't remember the first message, alas. I used to have complete
archives of early and embryonic Conlang, but someone deleted them.

By the way, I think all the people named in this message deserve an
entry in the Encyclopaedia of Conlanging.

--And.