Re: What to Call Non-Conlangers

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe" <joe@...>

> Sally Caves wrote:
>> Ah, but that's so dull!  We're all of us natlangers, too.  None of us
>> DON'T
>> speak a natural language.  The point was to put us in a special category,
(self-correction... that should be "DOESN'T)

Joe:
> Well, we are in a special category.  'Conlangers'.  'Natlangers' is
> simply the natural opposition to that.
There's nothing "natural" or even "simple" or logical about that opposition.
We all speak natural languages, just like the nonlangers/soolers, or what
have you do.  It's not as though we don't speak natural languages.  It's an
addition, actually; not an opposition, as we are included among the
natlangers, in the way that poets are included among all writers.

Bryan Parry wrote:

> How about "Clangers".
OOH!  Starting back in her chair. Are you referring to the (I think fairly
recent) psychiatric term "clanging," an employment of language based on
phonic connections rather than semantic ones--common example: "what do you
think of history?" "It's a mystery"--and often considered pathological if
that is one's only way of speaking or making connections?  "Tell me about
your dream about the horse?"  "I wouldn't endorse it."  Where does that term
come from?  "Clang, Clang, Clang went the trolley..." When I first read
about it, I was startled at its "phonic" connection to "conlangers."  Not
that that means anything.

As for Sean's remark, this is just light-hearted, ludic, and whimsical, and
shouldn't be taken too seriously.  What we do has already been established
as unusual, but part of all game-playing, I think; something that the
Ludicrous Survey reveals.  We're not putting ourselves above anybody...
heck.  Some nonlanger can come along and say "well I've just built the first
affordable and workable fuel-cell engine."  What would such an engineer call
non-engineers?

The point IS to be ludicrous, within reason, which comes from L. ludus,
which means "play," "game."  And in that sense we are totally normal, since
everybody plays.

Sally--whose vote is for "nonlangers" too.  :)

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