[conlang_learners] Now or in September?

[Padraic Brown]

--- On Mon, 7/13/09, Olivier Simon <cafaristeir at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Of course, there is always a problem of subjectivity.
> A certain conlang can appear difficult for some people and
> easy for others. And some conlangs can have a lot of
> material on-line but be unpracticable for simpe
> communication 
> (for example, recently, on a French forum, there were
> people boasting that there are whole novels translated into
> "their" conlang, but the same people are unable to
> provide a few translations of short phrases like "I
> would like to eat bread and cheese, but no
> butter"...)

Perhaps the focus should be on those listed langauges that have sufficient materials and documentation to learn. The criteria then become more objective.

> If the vote is due to take place in one month or even
> a few weeks, this would let some time to start
> experimentations "in vivo" and "ex
> ante". One or two voluntaries could be chosen at random
> to learn, or to begin to learn one of the proposed
> conlangs, and later to deliver their opinion. (this
> system might work at least with conlangs whose creator is
> available, like Jim for gjâ-zym-byn, Padraig for Talarian,
> or me for Sambahsa)...
> This may be the least subjective system (?)

A sort of mini-course? It would allow a group of people to test a language and decide, learners and creator together, if that language's documentation is sufficient to the task. Based on that assessment, the creator could either withdraw or sally forth depending.

That should probably be done during July and August when general discussion is going on. This way, the victims...er, volunteers!... can participate in the general discussion as well.

Padraic

> Olivier
> http://sambahsa.pbworks.com/
> 
> 
> --- On Mon, 7/13/09, Jim Henry
> <jimhenry1973 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> From: Jim Henry <jimhenry1973 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [conlang_learners] Now or in September?
> To: conlang_learners at conlang.org
> Date: Monday, July 13, 2009, 8:18 AM
> 
> 
> On Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 10:11 PM,
> James Montgomery<dreamripple at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > I would ask if someone who's been keeping track
> (ashamedly I have a habit of deleting emails), could color
> code the "too incomplete" or "too
> complex"/ "not-at-this-time" a different
> color on the shortlist. That may take care of a bit of a
> preliminary vote for us (if we're doing that) and help
> narrow the possibilities for the "finalists".
> 
> The problem with that is that "too incomplete" or
> other such judgments
> are generally one person's opinion, sometimes two or
> more people's
> opinion, contradicted by at least one other person's
> opinion
> (otherwise the conlang wouldn't have been nominated).
> 
> Does anyone have a suggestion for a non-prejudicial way to
> tabulate
> these preliminary
>  judgements?   Maybe on the Talk: page of
> the
> "Learners shortlist" wiki page, with signed
> expressions of opinion
> about specific languages' suitability for the project?
> 
> -- 
> Jim Henry
> http://www.pobox.com/~jimhenry/
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