From nobody@digitalkingdom.org Tue Jan 24 07:35:46 2006 Received: with ECARTIS (v1.0.0; list lojban-list); Tue, 24 Jan 2006 07:35:47 -0800 (PST) Received: from nobody by chain.digitalkingdom.org with local (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1F1QCc-0005kE-SG for lojban-list-real@lojban.org; Tue, 24 Jan 2006 07:35:27 -0800 Received: from web81306.mail.mud.yahoo.com ([68.142.199.122]) by chain.digitalkingdom.org with smtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1F1QCb-0005k4-0C for lojban-list@lojban.org; Tue, 24 Jan 2006 07:35:26 -0800 Received: (qmail 30908 invoked by uid 60001); 24 Jan 2006 15:35:23 -0000 DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=s1024; d=sbcglobal.net; h=Message-ID:Received:Date:From:Subject:To:In-Reply-To:MIME-Version:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding; b=VGfes4akj1shb9zI195XVEfG1WDVgQJ/gHv5FW8zt3HSht5dZXsIRUUeYWoVIKcK+fxRqzCHmAS0oMngJcKoIOky2guuHhBZd6Yv1Tp6SyN9hK7kNm23aHFo1FPp0a+qHE9UL5xqJyTCSzGaf6AaDYzvQTfG/nhiKctwgimmSrc= ; Message-ID: <20060124153523.30906.qmail@web81306.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Received: from [70.230.158.161] by web81306.mail.mud.yahoo.com via HTTP; Tue, 24 Jan 2006 07:35:23 PST Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 07:35:23 -0800 (PST) From: John E Clifford Subject: [lojban] Re: Fwd: Conlangs Symposium @ Cal To: lojban-list@lojban.org In-Reply-To: <646661980601211610s5caaacbfnec8e7180b6ce6b38@mail.gmail.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Spam-Score: 0.1 (/) X-archive-position: 11065 X-ecartis-version: Ecartis v1.0.0 Sender: lojban-list-bounce@lojban.org Errors-to: lojban-list-bounce@lojban.org X-original-sender: clifford-j@sbcglobal.net Precedence: bulk Reply-to: lojban-list@lojban.org X-list: lojban-list -- Sai Emrys wrote: > Sound like something y'all would be interested > in? > > - Sai > > ----- > > Hello, everyone. > > I am planning a constructed languages symposium > / conference on campus > for late April / early May, on behalf of the > newly-created UCB student > group, the Language Creation Society (LCS). It > will probably be in a > fairly 'traditional' format - speakers on > various topics, panel > discussions, chats over canapés, etc. > > For those of you who don't know: constructed > languages - or 'conlangs' > - are languages that are intentionally created. > People do this for a > wide variety of reasons and in an even wider > variety of ways; > Esperanto, Klingon, and Elvish > (Quenya/Sindarin) are the most famous > examples. I am teaching a DE-Cal about conlangs > this semester, for the > second time. If that's not clear enough or you > find your mind boggling > (in a good way, I hope), look it up on > Wikipedia or email me w/ your > questions. > > The range of topics for this conference will be > anything directly > related to language design & creation, and > created languages. For > example: sociological issues about conlangers; > how to spread a > conlang; creating new vocabulary in a 'good' > way (fill in what that > means); creating linguistically-interesting > languages to test or > demonstrate some theorie(s); creating unusual > languages (e.g. signed > or written mode only); philosophical > perspectives; etc. This is by no > means intended as a specific list of topics - > just some suggestions. > > There are only two restrictions: it has to be > related to conlanging > (or adapted to fit the forum - eg to reuse a > talk originally given to > linguists or sociologists or Xists), and no > proselytizing (i.e. no > teaching of any *particular* language except > for using it as an > example of how to [not?] do X [like make a > auxlang, or a women's lang, > or whatever else of interest to the general > conlanger]). > > Aside from that no-proselytization part, I do > not see any particular > need to discriminate against auxlangers. > > It is likely that I will have some funding > available for event costs - > and possibly even for honoraria (i.e. to pay > someone to come out > here). I don't know yet how much that would be, > but if that's a > significant consideration for you (and you > think you have something > cool to talk about), let me know. > > So, what does this mean for you? > > > First: Would you like to be a speaker? Think > you have an interesting > topic to talk about? Know someone who does? > TELL ME! I'm definitely > open to suggestions. (And FWIW they need not be > strictly from any > particular perspective - e.g. if your 'thing' > is linguistics, or > computers, or sociology, or cog psych... as > long as it would be of > interest to attendees, have at it.) > > For those of you who are into more traditional > branches of linguistics > or psychology, please consider that there are > actually many topics > that very directly relate; for example: > > * language revitalization (all conlangs start > with only 1-2 L2 > speakers; how do you address the issue of > keeping the language alive > past its creator(s)?) > > * language engineering (you want good, natural > vocabulary with rich > and unique meanings [not just glosses]) > > * cognitive psychology / cognitive linguistics > (mini-conlangs are used > in research into language acquisition, language > processing, etc.) > > * language universals / typology (can you > create a conlang that breaks > a universal? What are the real, hard limits of > what languages are > capable of, or the rules they must follow?) > > * metaphor, frames, knowledge structure, & > Sapir-Whorf (what are > commonly overlooked aspects of language design > that are carried over > from L1 assumptions? What happens if you > intentionally create > languages to encode particular ways of looking > at the world? How much > can an unusual language affect thinking - > longterm, shortterm, and for > L1 speakers if any exist?) > > ... etc. I'm sure you can think of more. > > I know that many of you are experts in your > respective fields (or keen > observers thereof at least); though conlanging > may sound a bit odd at > first, I think you'll see that we are > interested in many of the same > issues - so that paper you just wrote for some > other conference or > journal may well apply here as well. > > > Second: Do you have suggestions for the > conference? Anything from > pragmatics of running the thing (I'll have some > help from the Office > of Student Life people, but nevertheless I've > not done this before), > to whom to invite, to what to talk about, to > what format to use, to > when to hold it... whatever to help it be a > worthwhile (and attended) > event, let me know. > > > Third: Come! I'll be sending more info as it > becomes available to > those who have emailed me their prereg form > (attached). Anyone > interested in conlanging for whatever reason is > welcome to attend. > > If it sounds like something you're interested > in but may or may not > attend, send it to me anyway and tell me about > your situation. I would > like to get as many interested (and > interesting!) people as possible, > and the time I need to start planning the > details of budget, > scheduling, etc., is right now.... so the more > (and more quickly) I > know, the better. > > > Lastly: Tell others! Not everyone reads this > forum, and I know there > are plenty of 'closeted' conlangers out there, > some of whom you know. > So, spread the word. This isn't (alas) a topic > that has a ready avenue > for advertising, given that it's still somewhat > taboo for academics to > take seriously and etc... Feel free to copy > this email to any forum > you like. (Just please send me a link to your > posting when you do.) > > That's all for now. > > See you in a few months! > > - Sai > > P.S. One question I'd like to ask you all > (under promise of anonymity > - I know that some of you are closeted about > it): === message truncated ===> Conlangs Symposium @ UCB - Pre-Registration > Form > > Please answer these questions, and EMAIL ME at > conlangs@saizai.com with the subject line: > Conlangs PreReg > (for ease of sorting). > > I don't yet know if our budget will require us > to have a door fee or not (I hope not). There > are also a few questions for format / content > suggestions. > > Please send me this if there is ANY > plausibility that you will be attending. > > All of these questions are approximate; I'm not > asking you to commit to anything, just to give > me a sense of what I'm dealing with. > > Thanks! > > - Sai IF this is for real and IF he manages to actually get it up and running, LLG is obliged to get a delegation to it. Not to do so would, I fear, knock us out of the class of serious conlangers. So we will need people to at least staff an information table and, hopefully, also someone to give a talk or two. From the general view of conlangers (as I understand them) Lojban's most intersting features are its parser and its adaptation to gaming. Hapily, RLP, proabably the most knowledgeable about those features is also one of the surprisingly few Lojbanists in the Bay Area. So he ought to be encouraged to take tis meeting on. Perhaps some of the LA based members can join in and back him up. For the main base of Lojbanists -- NY and DC, I think -- the trip to Berkeley may be prohibitive, but might be worth the while if you can make it. Us Midwesterners are somewhere in between, but again a few might help make Lojban's presence felt. To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to lojban-list-request@lojban.org with the subject unsubscribe, or go to http://www.lojban.org/lsg2/, or if you're really stuck, send mail to secretary@lojban.org for help.