Re: CHAT: Steg's wonderful .sig (and a question)

On Thu, 4 Nov 1999, Thomas R. Wier wrote:

> Boudewijn Rempt wrote:
>
> > On Wed, 3 Nov 1999, Daniel Seriff wrote:
> >
> > > Speaking of which, does anyone else run into this kind of attitude from
> > > your loved ones? Mind you, she doesn't think I should stop conlanging,
> > > she just lovingly teases me about my super-nerdy hobby. ;) (no offense
> > > if someone on the list doesn't yet realize just how nerdy we all are)
> >
> > I can honestly say I haven't ran into that kind of attitude ;-).
>
> You're lucky to live in such a tolerant society.  Sometimes the
> things I hear around here are just... shuddersome ;)
Well, the question was about 'loved ones' - and marrying with with
a conlanger tends to produce conlanging kids, and a happy conlanging
environment.

My parents never complained that I should learn a real language
(possibly because I already was learning a handful - knowing a phrase
or two in Limbu tends to silence the 'there are so many languages dying
and there's you inventing one' contingent), and were fascinated by my
attempts to create a world. They thought it was a weird kind of art -
but they were used to that, I've been making weird sculptures since
I was twelve.

>
> As for conlanging in particular, the reactions I've gotten
> have usually ranged from  "Eh. <total apathy>" to "What? You're
> not one of those _Esperantists_, are you? <worried look>"
> My family, to the extent they know of it, is supportive, but
> I never really talk with them about it.  Of my friends, only one
> ever shows any particular interest, and he does it more for
> political satire reasons than for anything else, and that
> halfheartedly.
>
I've met all kinds of reactions from the outside world. Interested,
but dismissive from my University teacher, hostile from the last
esperantist in Leyden, impressed from collegues at work, and the one
case were some told me I couldn't make languages because that was
impossible. But generally, people seem interested (unless you start
to tell them grammatical facts - they like to hear a phrase or two,
especially if the contents are off-colour). But there are a lot of
weird hobbies around in the Netherlands - comes of having far too
much spare time ;-).

Boudewijn Rempt  | http://denden.conlang.org/~bsarempt