Re: Presenting a language?

Patrick Dunn wrote:
>
> On Sun, 11 Jun 2000, Robert Hailman wrote:
>
> > Patrick Dunn wrote:
> > >
> > > Woof!  A language in ten minutes.
> > >
> > > As a teacher, I'd say throw up the assignment and I can give you clearer
> > > advice.  AFter all, if your teacher wants a *complete* description fo the
> > > project (unlikely, I'd guess, since he/she allowed you to do a language
> > > knowing that he/she would only provide ten minutes for the presentation)
> > > I'd advise different things than if your teacher wants a synopsis.
> > >
> > To clarify, this is for my "Independent Enrichment Study", where we are
> > allowed to do whatever we want provided we have something to show for it
> > at the end of the year. Part of our mark is for a presentation (three
> > marks out of thirty-five), and the project is worth a quarter of the
> > year in my Gifted Interdisciplinary Studies course. The rest of the
> > marks, for my project specifically, are based on a detailed outline of
> > the language, more a grammar reference guide than a textbook; and from
> > that, a few marks for the consistency and completeness of the grammar.
> > Some marks to prove that the languages works, I'm going to provide some
> > written examples and an explanation of them with my grammar outline.
> > Also some marks for some criteria that are only known by the creator of
> > the Independent Enrichment Study program, who is no longer at the
> > school. Most teachers give very high marks for these, because the
> > critera are unknown. The presentation is more to tell the other students
> > what I've been doing for the project rather than tell the teacher,
> > because he knows.
>
> The criteria are a mystery?  Oy vey.  I'm glad I teach college.  None of
> *my* grading criteria are 33 degree masonic secrets.
There are mystery criteria, but the students get to decide how much out
of the 35 marks they will affect the final grade. My teacher has my
evaluation sheet, so I can't tell you how much I made them worth. Not
very much. I think one of them is "Enhancement of Communication Skills",
but the written portion isn't included, and the presentation isn't
included, and there was no test of what our communication skills were
beforehand.

>
> > I was thinking of doing something like that. I'm going to explain what a
> > conlang is, why I did one, and then provide examples of the language and
> > how it works. I'm also going to talk to my German teacher, and ask her
> > how she'd present German to monolingual English speakers in 10 minutes.
>
> Good plan!  If you have any musical talent, you might do a song in your
> language, too.  You could also make a little phrasebook to hand out, like
> those Berlitz things.  Just some ideas.  (I wish I'd had such a cool
> assignment in school!)
>
Nope, no singing for me. A phrasebook is a good idea, but I don't if
I'll have the time to compile one. It really is a cool assignment, and I
might get to continue with it next year, becase one of my friends wants
to learn the language, and teaching a language is a project in itself.

> > I might run into trouble with the velar fricatives, because some people
> > in the class won't know how to make them, but other than that I'm aware
> > that 10 minutes isn't enough to describe a language that's taken since
> > February to make.
>
> Tell them to make a /k/ sound, then drop their tongue very slowly until
> the air hisses out.
>
That'd how you do it? Wow! I taught myself from listening to other
people, and then the IPA-Help program validated what I was doing.

> > I'm not sure he understands the full scope of the project, but I know
> > he's learned other languages in the past, so he should have some
> > appreciation for how much is involved in a language.
>
> I'm surprised he thought it was even possible.  :)  I remember being told
> as a child that no one could ever invent an entire language.  Of course,
> having had a problem with authority my whole life, I immediately tried!
> and failed, but that didn't stop me.
I've been showing him what I've had done all along, but he is in doubt,
he constantly asks me if I'm sure I'll be able to finish. I'm wrapping
it up today, except the vocabulary which must expand!

--
Robert