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1:41 AM
@Alenanno I was Elsewhere!
 
 
2 hours later…
3:50 AM
0
Q: How do I find "early adopters" for a constructed language?

blundersEven with the volume of constructed languages that exist, I've never seen formal analysis documenting the successive approaches one or more constructed languages took in an effort to really engage and convert "early adopters" for a constructed language. By engage, I mean finding users of the la...

 
 
3 hours later…
6:23 AM
@DavidWallace As you see, it's the name of that website. I'm not aware of other different usages of the word in your nice country!
 
7:02 AM
@Gigili Well, now you are!
 
7:57 AM
@DavidWallace Not really, simply because I don't need to.
 
8:16 AM
I don't care because I'll never be there.
Means I didn't read your message carefully.
 
8:57 AM
@Gigili You might one day.
Mar 30 at 12:30, by Gigili
@OtavioMacedo Ich komme mit.
 
9:22 AM
@DavidWallace I'm not a serious person.
 
I kind of noticed. How are you, anyway?
 
Good catch, BTW.
Can't complain, you?
 
Yes, I know, you'll be a good catch for someone some day. And yes, I'm well, but exhausted. Spent this afternoon helping some friends move house - straight across the street from their old place.
 
Umm, not a genius move.
 
Necessary. Their landlord wanted to sell the house, so they were kicked out. There was an identical house vacant across the street. So it suited. And it meant that they didn't need to hire a truck or anything to move with.
 
9:33 AM
What a genius move.
We'll move to another place in a month.
 
You and your parents?
 
Yes.
 
Umm, let's talk later. I can't really now. Will you still be online in about 90 minutes?
 
I hope so.
 
10:26 AM
@Cerberus LIES!
@Gigili Aren't you signing up to this?
 
No?
 
@Gigili How come?
 
I'm not interested.
 
@Gigili I see.
You @Cerberus? You're not interested?
@Gigili I thought you weren't interested?
You changed your mind?
 
I'm already here all the time anyway!
 
10:37 AM
@Gigili Any particular other place?
 
@Cerberus You're right lol :D But seeing more people there would bring more people to sign up... ... I guess.
:D
@Cerberus Nevermind anyway... I'll keep your time in mind. :)
 
Same as yours, silly!
 
@Cerberus Lmao regardless! :D
 
@Alenanno but part of the point is just swanning in and out when we feel like it - I wouldn't want to commit to being here at any particular time.
 
@DavidWallace If we're organizing a chat event, the thing is different. Certainly, anyone can join, even those who didn't register! This thing is just for me to see what's the best time for everyone.
It's just for me to organize it better.
 
10:39 AM
1 hour ago, by Gigili
@DavidWallace I'm not a serious person.
 
@Gigili :P
 
@DavidWallace What do you mean?
 
brb
 
Sounds nice.
I approve.
Is it better than your current neighbourhood?
 
Much better.
 
10:48 AM
So you said, in a month?
 
@Cerberus I want to see the "CERBERUS APPROVED" sign now.
 
@Alenanno Does it say woof woof woof?
 
@DavidWallace The original version... We forced @Cerberus to translate it for us.
 
@DavidWallace Uhum, we'll be there by next month, I think.
 
@Gigili Good luck with the moving :)
 
10:53 AM
Thank you.
 
@Gigili Will you be just as close to your University?
 
@DavidWallace Which university?
 
The one that you've been attending up till now.
 
@DavidWallace I don't need to go there anymore?
 
@Gigili Are you asking me or telling me?
 
10:57 AM
@DavidWallace It's indeed so, no need to measure. It's clearly visible.
@DavidWallace I'm wondering how you still don't know while telling you.
 
Well, you told me that you had finished there, and were going to do your doctorate elsewhere. Then you told me that you weren't going to go to the place where you had planned to do your doctorate after all. So I assumed that that meant that you would do it at the same Uni where you had done your masters; but I acknowledge that I have no particular reason to so assume. In which case, I would be curious to know whether your new residence would be closer or further.
 
@Cerberus LOL
You should change that and write "DAWG" xD
 
You have my permission to do so.
 
lol
 
11:05 AM
@DavidWallace I didn't know you're going to announce my plans here.
 
Yay!
I really like the geography around Auckland.
 
I don't think I did. I pointed out why I don't know what your plans are. They keep changing.
And you seem to resent me for not knowing.
 
But look how much more beautiful Bing is!
 
Weird how the coastline looks like a slightly different shape.
 
@Cerberus Do you remember where and if we decided about the Planned/Constructed languages being off topic?
 
11:13 AM
@Alenanno Ummm hmm actually, I forgot.
I think we did discuss it?
 
@Cerberus Yes! But I see no trace in Meta... keeps looking
 
@DavidWallace I thought I had the right to decide on what to do in my future.
 
Yes, but you shouldn't make resentful comments when the people around you can't keep track of your decisions.
 
Okay.
 
Would you like me to ask a moderator to remove the comment in which I said too much about your plans?
 
11:15 AM
@Alenanno Wasn't it here in chat?
 
@Cerberus It was? That sucks...
 
@Alenanno It can be linked to in the event of an emergency.
 
No, I don't care.
 
How do I post a picture here, that isn't on the web?
@Gigili OK, but please accept my apologies anyway?
 
@DavidWallace On the right of "SEND" button
there is a "UPLOAD" one
 
11:17 AM
D'oh, I'll learn to read now.
 
@DavidWallace Or install Zizorz.
 
@Cerberus sigh I'll check the transcript
 
Oh, yay!
@Alenanno But why do you need it?
I saw a question come by about constructed languages...
 
@DavidWallace No harm was done.
 
Pointing to a list you created the same day that contains no explaination is the same as your comment above without a link; meaning the link adds no value, and is confusing. Why is the question off-topic? Thanks! — blunders 18 mins ago
Which is not true. I didn't create the ON/OFF topic list today
I moved it today yes, but it was in the FAQ all the time.
 
11:20 AM
Oh, that is annoying.
 
@Cerberus Auckland is far too big anyway.
 
The point is... Linguistics studies natural languages, so the rest is unavoidably off topic for us.
 
But a discussion of why linguistics only covers natural languages might not be.
Why does the wikipedia page about Tehran have four photos captioned "Panoramic view from Tehran", when the views are clearly of Tehran, not from Tehran?
 
@DavidWallace That would be here, though. :)
 
You mean it has already been discussed? Are you pulling a @RegDwight? Or do you just mean that it could be discussed?
 
11:26 AM
@DavidWallace I mean that a discussion would be here in chat, not in a question. If you can word it so it doesn't sound like a discussion, then it's better in a question.
By the way, planned languages are like that: they are mostly regular and you know why. What is there to study? Natural languages work on a whole different level.
 
@Alenanno I can think of some questions about constructed languages that could be on topic, as long as they about the way language works in actual humans; for example, "why did Esperanto become more popular in Switzerland—did it have anything to do with the fact that they speak German, French, and Italian there?".
 
Is that formally undecidable?
 
It may be a better fit for History, but I'd want to allow it.
 
@Cerberus That seems borderline, but I get what you mean... Instead, you cannot ask "Where did the X ending in Esperanto come from?"... I mean, the answer would be "because the creator said so" :P
 
@Alenanno Yeah, I think I agree, but mostly because I find constructed languages intensely boring, hehe.
 
11:29 AM
@Cerberus Ahah :D Well, I'd like to learn Klingon and Sindarin.
 
@Cerberus both boring and pointless.
 
Okay, I may make an exception to Tolkien's languages, because they are actually beautiful.
@DavidWallace Yeah.
 
@Cerberus A chacun son gout.
 
À chacun sa folie.
 
This is a song by Enya in Sindarin, if I'm not mistaken
 
11:32 AM
Haha.
 
@Cerberus Of all reactions, that is the one I expected the least... :D
 
Well, it is a bit silly.
 
How? :|
 
From wikipedia - "The word Sindarin is itself a Quenya form. The only known Sindarin word for this language is Eglathrin. It was probably only used in the First Age". People waste server space telling us this?
 
I don't know.
I mean, I like Tolkien's lore very much, but I'm not sure about modern songs.
 
11:35 AM
@Cerberus Enya, modern songs? You're talking about her like she's a pop artist! :D
 
For starters, those instruments don't sound historically accurate.
 
@Cerberus Which ones?
 
I hear some (probably synthesized) strings.
 
"Old Sindarin also had a spirant m or nasal v (IPA: [ṽ]), which was transcribed as mh (though always pronounced [v] in later Sindarin)." - Please give me back the time time I spent reading that!
 
@Cerberus I think she uses something like that...
 
11:36 AM
Although I guess perhaps magical elven music might have sounded like anything.
@DavidWallace Still, it can be fun in context.
 
@DavidWallace You don't have to read it, if you don't want.
 
The tricephalic one has an odd sense of fun.
 
Not fun as in humour, but as in enjoyable.
I liked reading the appendices to LotR.
 
@Alenanno grazie mille
 
@DavidWallace prego
:P
I better go now... It's time to eat!
 
11:43 AM
See you then.
 
Actually... I still need to wait for the water to boil
 
You know that the Dog and I are going to tear up the room again, as soon as you've gone.
 
@DavidWallace Then I'll ban you both and unban when I come back... :D
 
@blunders: The underlying reason is probably that this is not part of the academic field of linguistics. And why is that? Because linguistics is about the way language works as a natural phenomenon, as perceived externally. So a constructed language is more about how an individual person would like to design an artistic project. That said, questions like why did Esperanto become more popular in x than in y? might be on topic, though perhaps they would be a better fit for History.SE. Questions about "how do I find x" are only on topic if they ask for resources about linguistics. — Cerberus 1 min ago
 
@Cerberus Eheheh thanks for your help Cerb!
@blunders This for example. If there is a constructed languages with native speakers, then we could think of allowing it. — Alenanno 9 secs ago
 
11:50 AM
@Alenanno Ah good find!
 
@Cerberus I don't like to sound like the ogre lol
 
Well, I don't like the way you treated him.
 
@Gigili Where?
 
There.
 
@Gigili Show me where exactly.
And his claim about the users not being forced to read the FAQ is true, but then you deal with the consequences.
 
11:54 AM
@Alenanno The question you're talking about.
 
@Alenanno Huh?
Oh, I get it.
 
@Cerberus Like the bad guy, I mean.
@Gigili Are you being not serious like earlier?
 
@Alenanno Yeah, we say boeman ("boo man") in Dutch.
Is ogre the English idiom?
 
@Cerberus ogre is a type of creature
Shrek is an ogre
for example...
 
I know what an ogre is.
I have slain many!
 
11:57 AM
Ahahaha
Nice
But some are good
like Shrek and Fiona
 
@Alenanno Actually, it's the rare time that I'm deadly serious.
 
@Gigili Then point me to where I've been rude or something.
 
I didn't say you were rude, I said I don't like the way you treated him.
 
@Gigili What should I have done?
 
Can you maybe get rid of the "constructed language" tag? Its presence suggests that constructed language questions are acceptable. And yet, of the 5 questions that bear this tag, 4 have been closed, and the other is asking something unrelated to constructed languages. So maybe the tag has to go.
 
12:00 PM
@DavidWallace Uhm... I think I thought about this before, but I don't know why I didn't do it... let me check!
 
Also, you still haven't done anything about the other inappropriate tag that we discussed recently.
 
@DavidWallace I was waiting for more feedback (I commented under your answer). Don't worry, I have it in mind...
1
A: Tag for language spoken in former Yugoslavia

Mark BeadlesWe don't have to solve this, the international community has standard for this. ISO 639-3 calls this a macrolanguage, named "hbs": The individual languages within this macrolanguage are: Bosnian [bos] Croatian [hrv] Serbian [srp] I suggest that we have tags "croatian" "serbian" "bosn...

 
@Alenanno Not now that he's insisting on his reasons. And you recommended to post a question on meta.
 
@DavidWallace It would be nice to have your insight too!
I'm going to cook
later everyone!
 
Yes, Mark's answer is excellent. But I wonder how many people would know what hbs means?
I've just been reading the wikipedia page on macrolanguages. I wonder why Hindi/Urdu isn't included. It would seem to me like the archetype.
You could make a tag former-yugoslav-language
 
12:10 PM
Aaaand ... I'm off.
 
@Gigili Good night.
Sorry again for any offence caused by my earlier remarks.
And good night @Alenanno and @Cerberus too. I'm off.
 
12:35 PM
Night!
0
A: Tag for language spoken in former Yugoslavia

CerberusI propose that we follow Wikipedia and use serbo-croatian, unless some other consensual term exists among linguistics. But I don't think there is any such term; I think linguists normally classify the language as Serbo-Croatian: On the one hand, offending people needlessly is not what we want....

 
1:08 PM
0
Q: Why was this questions closed, "How do I find early adopters for a constructed language?"

blundersThis question was closed, and comments related to why have been ported to meta. Please see the comments below the question for additional information, but for further questions/answers/comment on related to if this question is on or off topic, please use this page on meta, not the page for the qu...

 
1:41 PM
0
Q: What is a native speaker, and at what point does someone become a native speaker?

blundersMost often I hear that only birth languages, those languages first learned, are native languages to the speaker. Seems like a pretty lazy way to define if a speaker is a native speaker, since to speak a language you've got to speak it, and speaking a language has no direct reference to how well y...

 
 
2 hours later…
3:32 PM
0
Q: What's the difference between a form of a language and a dialect of a language?

PacerierI was wondering what's the difference between a form of a language and a dialect of a language? For example, Wikipedia states that British English is a form of English and not a dialect of English. Another page states that "Standard Singapore English" is not a dialect, but a form of English. It...

 
 
4 hours later…
7:50 PM
0
Q: How do I measuring the efficiency of reading and writing in a written language?

blundersHow do I standardize a comparison between the efficiency of reading and writing in from one written language to another?

 

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