Re: [lojban] Re: "point"?

[Robin Lee Powell <rlpowell@digitalkingdom.org>]

On Tue, Dec 13, 2005 at 10:28:01PM -0500, Matt Arnold wrote:
> On 12/13/05, Robin Lee Powell <rlpowell@digitalkingdom.org> wrote:
> > I'd rather throw my hands up in the air and say "We can't use
> > Lojban to talk about computers ever, sorry." than use "vorme"
> > for "web link".
> >
> > That *may* be a slight exagerration, but it doesn't feel so
> > right now.
> 
> 
> That is a definite difference in philosophy. 

Yep, but maybe not as much as you think.

> When that happens, how will it depart from the rigidly
> standardized baseline of the experts? 

Not a clue.  :-)

> Well, this goal is happening now, and there are some quarters in
> which the fulfillment of this purpose is not welcomed.

Really?  Like who?

> {vorme} to mean "web link" feels right to the non-expert. It's a
> spandrel. It's the sloppy stop-gap measure so typical of natural
> evolution. It's Lojban slang. It's out of the control of the
> grammarians who know better. 

Actually, it's not me in my guise as grammarian that cares; it's me
as a computer professional.

Conflicts between professionals and non-pros over vocabulary exist
in *every* language; I certainly expect them here.

> Conflicts like this arise when experts feel that the language
> isn't ready for the transition yet; that it hasn't had a chance to
> be thoroughly canonized.

Erm.  Seperate issue.  There are aspects of the language that need
to be tweaked/fixed, but vocabulary is orthogonal.  Vocabulary in
Lojban is designed to be extendable and expansible.  It's expected
that different people will you different words for different things.

The fact that I don't like some people's words for some things is
pretty much entirely unrelated to the un-finished-ness of the
language, IMO.

> In this way Lojban is like a kite which is in glorious flight
> before its maker has got it tied to the frame really tightly and
> some of its streamers are on crooked.

Heh.

-Robin

-- 
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