Re: THEORY: The search for the perfect language (was: RE: THEORY: French ...

Joe Mondello wrote:
>
> In a message dated 6/8/99 9:04:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> fflores@ARNET.COM.AR writes:
>
> <<
>  Who has read it? I'd like to know -- I'm going to buy
>  it this week (so far). Is it technical, poetic, dense,
>  speculative, what?
>   >>
>
> I read it a long time ago, when i was on an Eco kick.  Eco seemed fairly
> neutral on the subject of Auxiliary languages, and the best and most
> informative parts of the book are certainly on the oldest conlangs
> (Hildegardis and Francis Bacon are in there, iirc).
Hildegard is regrettably not there.  For a discussion of Hildegard
in context with language invention, see Jeffrey Schnapp, _Exemplaria_,
1993, I believe.  Hildegard, as Eco says on page 3, along with other
mystical invented languages, cannot be a topic of his book, regretably.


most of the information
> on modern conlangs will probably be familiar to anyone who has looked into
> Esperanto, Volapu:k, Loglan/Lojban (are they in there? I dont remember.) etc.
> Personally, I would reccomend that you get it at the library as opposed to
> buying it, because I dont think from a Conlanging standpoint it is worth
> owning.
Oh Joe... that depends on whether Pablo is into collecting books on
language
at all.  Let him make that decision.  It is a wonderful collection of
arcane
materials, and a history of some peculiar philosophies and inventions.
You
can get it in paperback, Pablo, so didn't listen to Joe.  ;-)  I paid
nineteen
dollars for it.  A little expensive for a student, but as I said, if
Pablo
wants it... go for it.  It's not a waste of money, and very informative.

Sally