Re: LUNATIC again

Lojbab wrote:

> We forgive the TV addict, or the football addict,because they
> have chosen avocations that someone is TRYING to get them to choose
- they are
> succumbing to societal conformance.
We even forgive the obsessive Guiness Book of World Records fanatics (for
spending their lives trying to eat more bananas in fifteen minutes than
the current champion), because at least we can watch it on TV and be
grossed out by it.  But to be a consumer of a conlang, you have to learn
it.  And people for the most part, especially in America, don't like
learning languages for fun.

> I'll stop here, as I would rather not go where this is leading, into a
> long sociological diatribe founded only on my in this case uneducated
> prejudices against modern societal norms.  I am merely trying to get
> linguists to respect me.  YOu are trying something harder - to get modern
> society to respect you %^).
Hmmm, I don't even know if that's quite true, either.  I think I'm trying
to have fun, and do something I think is intellectually and spiritually
invigorating.  I am in the process of thinking about an academic article
on the Maligned Art, and getting certain academics, who are more open to
issues of philosophy and fantasy, to be interested in this endeavor is
admittedly easier than getting most linguists interested in it.  It's from
that angle that I'm likely to approach the topic, but it's a hard one.
Especially since I am more than just an observer, but have a passionate
interest in this project.  The trick is not to VALIDATE the project but to
expose why it is interesting philosophically, and satisfying creatively.
As to your query, yes, there is a FAQ section of the Conlang Home Page,
and you'll find lot's of new conlangers much more savvy about the pitfalls
of invention, the code vs. language argument, and so forth.  As for the
term "invented," I take your point, that the participle imposes a sense of
completion that is not warranted.  Hence, my system (set out in prior
post) should be revised to read as follows:

                                LANGUAGE

                natural languages      artificial languages

and everything in between!

I'm sorry I've reacted so vehemently to this thread, but there is another
dimension to your arguments that I didn't want you to ignore, and that is
that we're here to dream the dream... let's not rain on anybody's parade
and tell them, in addition to what they already know... that not only is
what we do arcane and misunderstood by most of the world, but that some
conlangers think some of us are doing it badly.  That takes the stuffing
out of the bird, doesn't it?  Just being on the list, and seeing what
people are up to helps everyone grow in what is fast becoming a strange
and fascinating art that has been aided by electronic communication.
Tolkien and Lewis had the "Inklings," but I had nobody until I joined this
list.  Suddenly, what I had been doing for years in isolation had validity
and encouragement.  All of us bring a peculiar combination of joy and
guilt to this pursuit.  So let's not turn the volume up on the latter.

Well that's it for now.  I have to give this thread a rest.  See you
later, and I'll undoubtedly look more into Lojban to see what it's all
about.  I've made some initial forays.

All the best,
Sally

Oh... I got the "duck" joke; my response was supposed to be a joke, too,
but failed miserably.  Dour context drowned humor.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sally Caves

Li fetil'aiba, dam hoja-le uen.
volwin ly, vul inua aiba bronib.

This leaf, the wind takes her.
She's old, and born this year.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++