Re: On nerds and dreamers

Quoting Jörg Rhiemeier <joerg_rhiemeier@...>:

> Hallo!
>
> The survey question whether one considers conlanging a "nerdy" activity
> caused me to think about nerds and dreamers.
>
> A "nerd", as I understand the word, is someone who is single-mindedly
> pursuing one special field.  This type is especially common in the
> computer trade, and I learned to know many nerds when I was studying
> computer science in university.  These people do almost nothing
> without computers.  Their hobbies are computer programming, computer
> games, computer this and computer that.  At most, they play chess,
> or role-playing games, but the latter without actually role-playing,
> reducing the game to dice-rolling and rules-lawyering.  Some nerds
> conlang, but their conlangs are mostly loglangs, engelangs or other
> non-naturalist projects, often inspired by computer programming
> languages more than by human languages.  And there is almost never
> a conculture attached.
>
> Another personality type who is frequently mistaken for a nerd is
> the "dreamer".  Unlike the nerd, who isn't really all that imaginative,
> the dreamer is a very imaginative person.  Dreamers like to play
> with imaginary worlds of some kind.  Some have discovered computers
> as tools for their imagination, but that is far not necessary.
> Dreamers often play role-playing games, but unlike nerds, they
> actually role-play.  Many dreamers are conlangers, and their conlangs
> are often naturalist and usually quite fanciful and accompanied
> by elaborate conculture.  A nerd could never build something like
> Quenya or Tsolyani; it takes a dreamer to do that.
These categories exist, but I wouldn't call the first type "nerd", but
"(computer) geek".

"Nerd", for me, carries two principial connotations; i) technical or theoretical
interests (often combined with a lack of interest in "normal" things like
sports), and ii) lack of social skills. It does not imply having a single
overriding interest or fascination; someone who is passionately into both
computers and IE ablaut patterns is more nerdy than someone who is merely
obsessed with computers (assuming the same degree of social incompetency!).

I suppose I'm a dreamer by your definition, but it's not a word I self-identify
with. It's got connotations of uselessness and disconnect from reality, neither
of which I wish to think is characteristic of me.

                                                      Andreas