From rlpowell@digitalkingdom.org Sun Apr 25 12:39:37 2010 Received: with ECARTIS (v1.0.0; list llg-board); Sun, 25 Apr 2010 12:39:37 -0700 (PDT) Received: from rlpowell by chain.digitalkingdom.org with local (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1O67g0-0004HM-Eh for llg-board@lojban.org; Sun, 25 Apr 2010 12:39:37 -0700 Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 12:39:36 -0700 From: Robin Lee Powell To: llg-board@lojban.org Subject: [llg-board] [matt.mattarn@gmail.com: Re: [eric_4001@hotmail.com: lojban]] Message-ID: <20100425193936.GW20112@digitalkingdom.org> Mail-Followup-To: llg-board@lojban.org MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by Ecartis User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.20 (2009-06-14) X-archive-position: 662 X-ecartis-version: Ecartis v1.0.0 Sender: llg-board-bounce@lojban.org Errors-to: llg-board-bounce@lojban.org X-original-sender: rlpowell@digitalkingdom.org Precedence: bulk Reply-to: llg-board@lojban.org X-list: llg-board Matt is *deeply* poor; he's actually using food stamps to eat at this point. I move we give him $5 per CLL he ships, and $3 per *shipment* on other items he might ship (which is currently nothing, but who knows?). -Robin ----- Forwarded message from Matt Arnold ----- Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 12:40:35 -0400 From: Matt Arnold To: Arnt Richard Johansen , Robin Lee Powell Subject: Re: [eric_4001@hotmail.com: lojban] Arnt, Robin, Now that I've resigned, I can't make any promises to Eric of bumper stickers and buttons. I could easily design really nice ones, but I'm reluctant to stock and ship out more Lojban merch, unless the LLG starts paying me $1.00 per book and $0.25 per non-book shipment. -Matt Eric, Thanks for writing. I'm glad you enjoy Lojban. There are some Lojbanists whose goal is to use it an international auxiliary language. English already succeeded in the purposes of an auxlang. For most of us, Lojban a hobby. A few of us think Lojban might have a practical application some day. Many Lojbanists think that will never happen, and they are happy with that. Personally, if everyone spoke Lojban, I would stop speaking it, because it would no longer be a secret geek code. But the LLG welcomes Lojbanists to have a variety of goals for the language. I think a radio ad would not be an efficient use of money. Lojban is only attractive to a rare few. The general population would hate it, and they don't want any of the benefits that we could offer them. Only ultra-geeks want what Lojban offers. Bumper stickers and buttons would be a lot of fun. It's easy to make them through CafePress. Go ahead! Thanks again for writing. Please let us know what we can do for you. -Matt On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 5:31 PM, Arnt Richard Johansen wrote: > ----- Forwarded message from Eric Ouellet ----- > > From: Eric Ouellet > Subject: lojban > To: > Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:20:05 -0400 > > > Logical Language Group, > > > My name is Eric Ouellet, I am sixteen years old and I reside in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. I have been learning lojban for a few months and I think that it is an absolutely amazing conception. I enjoy languages in general (I speak English and French and am also learning Spanish) however lojban is easily my favourite language. Not only is it logical and unambiguous, eliminating the need to memorize myriads of exceptions, but it is genuinely fun to study and to learn. I take greate pleasure from studying lojban and hope to become proficient before long. > > > > There is no doubt that lojban is a wonderful language and that the Logical Language Group provides many useful ressources for learning the language, however the problem lies in the fact that so few people know about lojban. It is probable that, of a thousand given people, not one will have heard of lojban. The majority of people who would be interested in learning lojban haven't done so simply because they don't know about it. I realize that the LLG's plan is to allow the lojbanic community to expand through the use of the internet, however I think that it is unrealistic that this will occur, or if it does, it will do so very slowly. I think that there are ways that lojban can reach the world more quickly. > > > > Even if a lojban speaker is able to "recruit" a friend or two to learn lojban as well, there is still a sense of isolation as the lojban community is so widely dispersed. As a result, the lojban learner may feel that the language is impractical and that their efforts are for naught. My suggestion for the Logical Language Group is, rather than trying to bring lojban to the entire world at once, to focus their efforts on one relatively small town at a time. I suggest putting out a radio advertisement to a single town (it should be relatively inexpensive as long as it is not an overly large city) introducing the Logical Language Group and stating that you have created an artificial language free of ambiguities and that anyone is welcome to go to the website to learn more about lojban or to learn to speak it. Of those who hear the radio ad there will undoubtedly be many who simply won't care, but there will be countless others who will be intrigued and will want to learn more. In this way word of mouth will ca rry lojban to the other inhabitants of the town and lojban learners will have the benefit of other lojban learners nearby. Hopefully any sales of materials or donations from this town will offset the cost of the commercial, and, if lojban becomes popular enough, a deal could be set up with local shops to sell lojban materials so as to make them more readily available to those who wish to learn the language. > > > > I realize that promoting lojban is not an easy task, but I really believe that the world needs lojban. I will try my best to make lojban known to my community. One possibility so as to allow lojban users to promote the language and to allow them to connect with others nearby is for the LLG to make lojbanic insignia such as bumper stickers or buttons available to anyone who orders them in exchange for a donation to the Logical Language Group. > > > > Lojban is a very captivating language and, once word of it is out, is likely to sell itself. I think it possible, if not unrealistic, for lojban to become an auxilary international language in sixty years if it is promoted enough. > > > > > > Regards, > > > > Eric Ouellet > > ----- End forwarded message ----- -- http://singinst.org/ : Our last, best hope for a fantastic future. Lojban (http://www.lojban.org/): The language in which "this parrot is dead" is "ti poi spitaki cu morsi", but "this sentence is false" is "na nei". My personal page: http://www.digitalkingdom.org/rlp/