Re: I have an opinion!
| From: | Yoon Ha Lee <yl112@...> |
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| Date: | Tuesday, April 3, 2001, 1:27 |
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On Mon, 2 Apr 2001, David Peterson wrote:
> In a message dated 4/2/01 3:51:39 PM, fortytwo@GDN.NET writes:
>
> << If "conlang", "auxlang", SciFi, CompSci, PoliSci, etc., count as
> abbreviations, then so does e-mail. And, if e-mail isn't an
> abbreviation, then neither is conlang, etc. >>
>
> No one person can say whether a conjunction has become accepted; it depends
> on what most English speakers think. Most English speakers do NOT have
> "conlang", "auxlang", "compsci", "polisci", and many not "scifi". Nearly
> everyone has "e-mail", and it's already become a verb. Just because some
> condensions were formed the same way doesn't mean they have equal billing,
> says I.
True--but if you're in a particular subgroup--in this case, what I would
call conlangers--why not use the "jargon"? When I post to this list,
it's with the expectation that the majority of the people understand
conlang and auxlang. I grant you compsci and polisci might be less
applicable, but I think I've only mainly used the former in discussions
with other people who are in or near compsci...and as a SF/F writer, I
use SF/F instead of the clunkier "science fiction and fantasy" with the
expectation that my "target audience," other scifi readers and writers,
will know what I mean. <shrug> I would guess that this list represents
but poorly "most English speakers" anyway....
YHL