Re: LUNATIC again

At 1:45 pm -0500 3/11/98, John Cowan wrote:
>Sally Caves wrote:
>
>>         In other words, what's at stake?  Why does AUXLANG have
>>         the reputation for flame wars, and CONLANG not?
[snip]

>Rightly or wrongly, the perception is that there is at most
>one slot for such a thing, so if "my" auxlang "succeeds", then
>by definition "your" auxlang "fails".  So far all have "failed".
I fnd myself in agreement on both these points.

[snip]
>>         Is it because people have to work together in AUXLANG
>>         and disputes naturally arise, whereas
>>         CONLANGERS can work in isolation...but they sacrifice
>>         team effort and involvement?
>
>No, I think not.  Lojban was preeminently a team effort, with the
>membership of the team fluctuating from time to time, and there
>were plenty of disputes, but rather few flamewars.
Indeed, not.  Folkspraak has been very much on & off a team effort.  And
there have been other examples of conlangs developed by teams.  And most of
the 'classical' conIALs were the results of the work of creative
individuals.

Disputes seem to arise on two fronts: those between reformers &
conservatives (this seems to bedevil some conIALs more than others) and
those between what are perceived as revival conIALs, for the reasons John
has given.

[snip]
>
>Anyway, I object to the use of "conlang" to
>exclude "auxlang"; there are auxlangs, artlangs, and some conlangs
>which are neither.  For example, Loglan/Lojban and L=E1adan are
>"experimental" conlangs, and there are also "pedagogical" conlangs,
>etc.
Yes, indeed.

And, as many know, I also object to the use of "auxlang" to exclude natural
languages.  Indeed, so far on this planet, natural languages have served
this purpose more successfully.  (I NOT saying I think this is ideal or
that a conIAL could not do so - merely stating the position so far as I see
it).  In other words, as I see it an Auxlang may be a conlang, a natlang or
a modified natlang; that's why I tend to use the abbreviations IAL, conIAL
and natIAL.

Ray.