Perspective On Conlangs!

[bloodyrosemccoy]

A tl;dr Q&A in the NY Times about conlangs

Not a very satisfactory “panel” there—Okrent’s not a conlanger but a sort of outside ethnographer, and Frommer’s a little tangled up in Na’vi right now. It’s most interesting to me as a sort of snapshot of how folks who never thought much about conlanging approach it.* I kind of like reminding myself that not everyone takes for granted the things I do.


*In a lot of cases, with an almost entertaining veiled hostility. Count how many of the questions subtly note that there are a lot of better ways a conlanger could be spending their time! It’s made me decide to start asking vaguely insulting questions about hobbies I don’t share! “Couldn’t you spend that time you use playing football to volunteer at a soup kitchen?” “Don’t you have enough quilts by now? Why make more?”** “Who’s going to look at this sketchbook, anyway?”

**Actually, somebody asked my mom this.

Comments

[chairman-wow.livejournal.com]

My mum and I have this conversation about once a month:

"Are you still drawing these days?"
"Yup"
"But you're still not doing anything with it, are you?"
(I know she means well, but nrrrgh.)


Oh, though while we're on the topic, I thought I'd thank you for introducing me to conlanging as a thing with a name! (As opposed to a vague hobby I had in middle-school.) I am doing some again these days, but I'm too embarrassed to show anyone (yet). So thanks. :)

[rikchik.livejournal.com]

When I see comments like that I wonder how much time the complainer spends watching TV.

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

I thought it wasn't bad. At the very least, Okrent isn't as focused on auxlangs, and defends conlanging-for-conlanging's-sake.

[kittikattie.livejournal.com]

“Who’s going to look at this sketchbook, anyway?”

THE PORN IS FOR A SELECT FEW THANK YOU the rest is on Deviantart where I can use my powers for evil.

Also need more work on conlang sometimes I forget exactly how to speak it.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_wastrel/]

“Couldn’t you spend that time you use playing football to volunteer at a soup kitchen?” “Don’t you have enough quilts by now? Why make more?”** “Who’s going to look at this sketchbook, anyway?”

I feel that way about everything I do.