Re: deseret conlangcon '99!

On Tue, 20 Jul 1999, Irina Rempt-Drijfhout wrote:

> In my perception a "con" is much too grand a word for only four
> people meeting for half an afternoon and an evening (as we did); the
> only con I've been to (not counting the Advocacy Gathering, which was
> more like a roleplaying party) had a Programme and Guests of Honour
> and a Dealing Room. That's what a con is. I'd never heard of "boink"
> in this sense before Fabian used it; I *had* heard of it in the
> American sense (also without the 'i').
>
        I think the term "conlangcon" was coined (by Mark Line, if I
remember correctly) with the intent to have a proper "convention," with
all the qualities and accoutrements you mention.  That, of course,
proved to be impossible, so it was decided to have a bunch of regional
(and smaller) conlangcons instead, using the term with tongue in cheek.
Even though the word "conlangcon" probably isn't accurate, it's survived
probably because it sounds so cool. :)

> On alt.fan.pratchett, any informal but publicly announced meeting is
> a "meet"; for a "con" you have to register in advance, not just say
> that you're probably coming.
>
        "Meet" for me, at least, carries a connotation of competition
(as in "track meet," "debate meet") -- a "conlang meet" sounds like
something where we'd get together and bash each other on the head with
our grammars. :)

Later,
Adam
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