Re: What is it we are saying in our languages?

--- In conlang@yahoogroups.com, John Quijada <jq_ithkuil@...> wrote:

>As for Sally's other question as to how conlanging might be itself a
>message about language, I feel the most profound answer is probably
the
>simplest...Art.  Conlangers simply realize that language itself can
be
>used as an artistic medium, i.e., a way of recreating the world in a
>personally idealized subjective fashion where the nature of the
>creation itself offers its own aesthetic and intellectual pleasure
to
>enjoyed and subjective mysteries to be analyzed and dwelt upon.
Hear, hear!!

In my life-long love of languages, I eventually drifted to PIE &
became
fascinated by it.  I needed to know more about what it might have
been.  So my conlang (Senjecas) & my conworld were twin births,
conlang
being born a fraction of a moment before conworld.  So much is
supposition both in liguistics & in anthropology/archeology that it
was
easy to let my love of fantasy literature creep in to enflesh the
conworld.

But this is my conlang & my conworld, my "personally idealized
subjective" world, to use a psychobabble word, my happy place.  I
could
not agree more with John Quijada's quote above.

I joined this list thinking that I might receive some pointers on
conlanging & indeed I have.  And I've learned so much more, more
about
other natlangs, phonetics, writing systems, etc.  I have not yet done
any creative writing, but I have submitted some of my translations,
simply for any feedback there might be.  The "utility" of this
conlang for me is the many moments of relaxation it has afforded me
away from my real-life work & the ability to, not create, but re-
invent material that I find intellectually stimulating & esthetically
pleasing.

My thanks to all of you who have helped me to do this.

Charlie