"X. Rayburn" <none@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:180920072303200774%none@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> In article <9ut0f3dre360adtkf0d78ek68vb1m4i3v4@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>, Padraic Brown
> <elemtilas@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 18 Sep 2007 17:37:30 -0400, "X. Rayburn" <none@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>
>> >http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070918/ap_on_re_us/endangered_languages
>> >
>> >Here is a thought that crosses my mind sometimes: Maybe it would be
>> >more honorable to use one's linguistic skills to help keep one of
these
>> >endangered languages alive, rather than making up half-baked languages
>> >that no one will ever speak.
>>
>> Curious:
>>
>> Have you _ever_ entered a music oriented newsgroup and similarly
>> dismissively enjoined piano or clarinet players to "more honourably"
>> use their musical skills to learn and preserve ancient and fading
>> musics from around the world?
>
> My remarks are not anti-glossopoeic. I am a conlanger. (I post here
> under a pseudonym so that I can explore controversial topics without
> having peoples opinions of my conlangs be colored by any philosphical
> differences that are uncovered here.)
>
> Can you honestly say you have never had doubts about the worthwhileness
> of conlanging? Never said to yourself something like, "my tendency to
> make lists of things could better be used in managing an investment
> portfolio or screening potential anti-cancer drugs"?? I often have such
> doubts. Likewise, when I consider lending support to efforts to keep
> Volapük or Ido alive, I think to myself, why not Lakota or Muskogee
> instead.
I can, in fact, honestly say that. For a very good reason: managing an
investment portfolio would be *frickin'* *boring*. Conlanging is fun, and
I
do it for fun. Screening anti-cancer drugs might be interesting, but if I
were to do that, I'd still do conlanging, too.
> Is no one else man enough to admit having such questions?
-l.
------------------------------------
My inbox is a sacred shrine, none shall enter that are not worthy.
|
