CHAT: On the term 'engelang'

I consider "Engelang" the best term for the following reasons.
(i) "Engineered language" is the clearest phrasal description of the
category.
(ii) It is the de facto term, given that when I first defined the
category, "Engelang" was the term suggested.
(iii) The (dormant) list devoted to engelangs is called Engelang.
(iv) "Conlang" is itself not a satisfactory term in itself, for not
only would "invented language" be a better phrasal description than
"constructed language", but also "conlang" is susceptible to too
many other erroneous etymologizations. But the common noun _conlang_
came from the name of this list.

Lars:
> > Date:         Sun, 12 May 2002 22:48:32 -0400
> > From: Steg Belsky <draqonfayir@...>
> >
> > How come it's "engelang" and not "englang"?  I like the three-letter
> > prefix, to be parallel with CONlang, ARTlang, AUXlang, LOGlang, etc.
>
> Well, engineered has /EndZ-/. Englang would tend to get /EN-/ (besides
> being visually close to England).
Just so. EngLang is my profession, and engelangs are my (horrible
word, but a better escapes me now) hobby.

> But it puzzles me why it isn't engilang. -nge- occurs with several
> different pronunciations --- singer, stronger, angel --- but -ngi- is
> much less ambiguous.
Two reasons. (a) It's what got suggested, "engineered language"
indubitably being the best uncompressed description of the category
in question. (b) It conforms to the disyllabic pattern of other
names for conlang taxa.

somebody else wrote:
> It's obvious that engelang didn't catch on as a term -- I see
> through Google only one web site referring to it.
I think the term did not catch on because Conlang list is dominated
by artlangers and there is very little interest in engelangs. The
Engelang list was advertised on Conlang, but attracted little
interest, confirming my impression that it is very much a minority
interest within the general conlang community. Individual engelangs
do attract interest, but not the study of engelangs as a genus.

--And.

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