Re: Martian conlangs?

----- Original Message -----
From: "Isaac A. Penzev" <isaacp@...>


> Katva Sally Caves:
>
> > As opposed to the "male"
> > invented language of Nicolas Marr whom she despises, I.e., "analytical"
> and
> > idiotic.
>
> Dear Sally! I'm deeply intrigued! What kind of language did the old geek
> Marr invent?
I mis-spoke.  It's not the male *language* that she accuses Marr of
inventing, it's his linguistic *theory* that she says basically ruined
Russian linguistics and set it back by a century.  Her words:  "...when the
fantasy of the primitive language was banished forever, so it seemed, to the
dungeons of the pre-scientific era, at precisely this time the Georgian
Nicolas Marr was laying the foundations of a theory which, with Stalin's
support, was forty years later to become one of the most sinister scientific
impostures of all time."  Now the confusion is that she calls inventors of
language "logophiles," a term of contempt that she also uses for Marr.  It's
clear that while the book purports to be about invented languages, mostly of
the IAL type, the thrust of the book is to discredit the hated Marr for his
romantic linguistic theories.  In her introduction to this chapter ('The
Emperor's New Clothes') she talks about two case histories, Marr and Smith,
who will illustrate the "male and female approaches to linguistic creation,
the conscious and the unconscious poles, the opposition between the
intellect and the emotions..."  This brings me to Andreas' question.

By the way, I've heard that Charles Peirce invented a language.  I've heard
that Leibniz did.  I've heard that Bruno did, and a certain Wolfson (whom
Schnapp names a "schizophrenic.")  Any light to be shed on these inventors?

Sally Caves
scaves@frontiernet.net
Eskkoat ol ai sendran, rohsan nuehra celyil takrem bomai nakuo.
"My shadow follows me, putting strange, new roses into the world."

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