Re: Bootstrapping a cooperative conlang

In a message dated 11/17/2007 9:01:00 PM Central Standard Time,
fiziwig@YAHOO.COM writes:


> On the other hand, my original idea as to set up a collaborative environment
> within which people (native to Earth) who do not necessarily share the same
> (human) language or culture could collaborate on a (present-day,
> earth-centric,
> human) conlang project. Given that original purpose I think it is relatively
> safe to assume that speakers of French, Japanese, and Bengali have almost all
> had exposure to a mouse. Under these conditions, even a culture that worships
> and reveres mice would recognize the image of a mouse, such an image being
> necessarily free of cultural bias. (Unless, of course, the mouse worshiping
> culture has only ever seen mice dressed in silk robes, in which case the
> Mousarian priests and their followers would be excused from participating in
> the project. ;)
>

I imagine just about everybody recognizes a mouse.  But what do they
recognize when they see it?
On the one hand, they may see it as a particular instance of soweli (Toki
Pona), which also includes bears, elephants, dogs, and maybe seals and bats, or
they may see it as a particular instance of one of these Yiklamu terms:
akaz+noun=cactus_mouse/0 Peromyscus_eremicus/0=burrowing mouse of desert
areas of southwestern U.S.
alut+noun=vole/0 field_mouse/1=any of various small mouselike rodents of the
family Cricetidae esp. of genus Microtus having a stout short-tailed body and
inconspicuous ears and inhabiting fields or meadows
atliq+noun=flying_mouse/0=tiny flying phalanger
bamiq+noun=bat/0 chiropteran/0=nocturnal mouselike mammal with forelimbs
modified to form membranous wings and anatomical adaptations for echolocation by
which they navigate
civno+noun=silky_pocket_mouse/0 Perognathus_flavus/0=small pale yellowish
soft-furred rodent of southwestern U.S. and Mexico
culil+noun=New_World_mouse/0=
dipom+noun=pouched_mouse/0 marsupial_mouse/0 marsupial_rat/0=any of numerous
small sharp-nosed insectivorous marsupials superficially resembling mice or
rats
ecliq+noun=mouse-eared_bat/0=
edmaq+noun=field_mouse/2 fieldmouse/0=any nocturnal Old World mouse of the
genus Apodemus inhabing woods and fields and gardens
eftoq+noun=mousetrap/0=a trap for catching mice
ejwoq+noun=pika/0 mouse_hare/0 rock_rabbit/1 coney/2 cony/2=small short-eared
burrowing mammal of rocky uplands of Asia and western N America
eyas+noun=sea_mouse/0=any of several large worms having a broad flattened
body with a mat of coarse hairs covering the back
fazop+noun=house_mouse/0 Mus_musculus/0=brownish-gray Old World mouse now a
common household pest worldwide
fitab+noun=forget-me-not/0 mouse_ear/2 Myosotis_scorpiodes/0=small perennial
herb having bright blue or white flowers
goplu+noun=hispid_pocket_mouse/0 Perognathus_hispidus/0=large stiff-haired
rodent of shortgrass prairies of U.S.
icmuq+noun=Mexican_pocket_mouse/0 Liomys_irroratus/0=large pocket mouse of
Mexico
ildeq+noun=mouse/0=any of numerous small rodents typically resembling
diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender
usu. hairless tails
jigno+noun=shrew/0 shrewmouse/0=small mouselike long-snouted mammal related
to moles
jilgo+noun=Cerastium/0 genus_Cerastium/0=mouse-eared chickweed
lanja+noun=mouse-ear_hawkweed/0 Pilosella_officinarum/0
Hieracium_pilocella/0=European hawkweed having soft hairy leaves; sometimes placed in genus
Hieracium
layug+noun=meadow_jumping_mouse/0 Zapus_hudsonius/0=widely distributed in
northeastern and central U.S. and Canada
lofni+noun=American_harvest_mouse/0 harvest_mouse/2=any of several small
grayish New World mice inhabiting e.g. grain fields
mapmu+noun=plains_pocket_mouse/0 Perognathus_flavescens/0=small rodent of
open areas of U.S. plains states
mewik+noun=white-footed_mouse/0 vesper_mouse/0 Peromyscus_leucopus/0=American
woodland mouse with white feet and underparts
ogab+noun=wood_mouse/0=any of various New World woodland mice
palgu+noun=pygmy_mouse/0 Baiomys_taylori/0=very small dark grayish brown
mouse resembling a house mouse; of Texas and Mexico
pewab+noun=Mighty_mouse/0=
pilci+noun=mouse/0=a hand-operated device that moves the cursor on a computer
screen
pisit+noun=mouse_nest/0 mouse's_nest/0=where mice bear and raise their young
semom+noun=red-backed_mouse/0 redback_vole/0=any of several voles of
mountainous regions of Eurasia and America
sismu+noun=European_wood_mouse/0 Apodemus_sylvaticus/0=nocturnal
yellowish-brown mouse inhabiting woods and fields and gardens
tagoq+noun=dormouse/0=small furry-tailed squirrel-like Old World rodent that
becomes torpid in cold weather
towuq+noun=jerboa/0=mouselike jumping rodent
umoc+noun=church_mouse/0=
upim+noun=jumping_mouse/0=any of zeveral primitive mouselike rodents with
long hind legs and no cheek pouches; of woodlands of Eurasia and N America
usyaq+noun=tufted_titmouse/0 Parus_bicolor/0=crested titmouse of eastern and
midwestern U.S.
utyoq+noun=meadow_vole/0 meadow_mouse/0 Microtus_pennsylvaticus/0=widely
distributed in grasslands of northern U.S. and Canada
vuviq+noun=titmouse/0 tit/0=small insectivorous birds
wabje+noun=hazel_mouse/0 Muscardinus_avellanarius/0=
wadic+noun=Alpine_mouse-ear/0 Arctic_mouse-ear/0
Cerastium_alpinum/0=widespread in Arctic and on mts in Europe
wegma+noun=Heteromyidae/0 family_Heteromyidae/0=small New World burrowing
mouselike rodents with fur-lined cheek pouches and hind limbs and tail adapted to
leaping; adapted to desert conditions: pocket mice; kangaroo mice; kangaroo
rats
wenja+noun=mouser/0=a cat proficient at mousing
wevgu+noun=loir/0 Glis_glis/0=large European dormouse
winuv+noun=mouse-ear_chickweed/0 mouse_eared_chickweed/0 mouse_ear/1
clammy_chickweed/0 chickweed/2=any of various plants related to the common chickweed
wiwef+noun=mouse-tooth_forceps/0=a type of forceps
wiwen+noun=pine_vole/0 pine_mouse/0 Pitymys_pinetorum/0=short-tailed
glossy-furred burrowing vole of the eastern U.S.
woban+noun=cotton_mouse/0 Peromyscus_gossypinus/0=large dark mouse of
southeastern U.S.
womfu+noun=rat/0=any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger
than a mouse
wucam+noun=chevrotain/0 mouse_deer/0=very small hornless deerlike ruminant of
tropical Asia and west Africa
wulze+noun=grasshopper_mouse/0=insectivorous mouse of western N America
yadiv+noun=field_chickweed/0 field_mouse-ear/0 Cerastium_arvense/0=densely
tufted perennial chickweed of N temperate zone
yafev+noun=blue_tit/0 tomtit/0 Parus_caeruleus/0=widely distributed European
titmouse with bright cobalt blue wings and tail and crown of the head
yediq+noun=Minnie_mouse/0=
yezon+noun=kangaroo_mouse/1=leaping rodent of Australian desert areas
yiwij+noun=deer_mouse/0 Peromyscus_maniculatus/0=brownish New World mouse;
most widely distributed member of the genus
yobab+noun=Mickey_mouse/0=
yomwo+noun=harvest_mouse/1 Micromyx_minutus/0=small reddish-brown Eurasian
mouse inhabiting e.g. cornfields
yowom+noun=Desmodus_rotundus/0=mouse-sized bat of tropical C and S America
having sharp incisor and canine teeth; feeds on the blood of birds and mammals
yozyo+noun=verdin/0 Auriparus_flaviceps/0=very small yellow-headed titmouse
of Western N America
yukli+noun=kangaroo_mouse/0 dwarf_pocket_rat/0=small silky-haired pouched
rodent; similar to but smaller than kangaroo rats
zigve+noun=click/0 mouse_click/0=depression of a button on a computer mouse:
"a click on the right button for example"
zuwod+noun=pocket_mouse/0=any of various small nocturnal burrowing desert
rodents with cheek pouches and long hind legs and tail

On the other hand, how many people can tell a mouse from a shrew?  (The
little critter keeps sneaking into my kitchen!)

stevo   </HTML>

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