The Creation of alt.language.artificial

the creation of alt.language.artificial

Here are some 'net documents pertaining to the creation of the newsgroup alt.language.artificial, dedicated to artificial languages. Note: in the messages below, I have converted the > symbol to ) because > is reserved for HTML and its presence in the text might confuse some browser programs.

If you are interested in this topic, you are invited to join the discussion in alt.language.artificial. If your Internet service provider does not carry this newsgroup, ask the system administrator to add it.

From: hrick@magicnet.net (Richard K Harrison)

Newsgroups: alt.config

Subject: proposal: alt.language.artificial

Date: 9 Sep 1996

Greetings.  I'm writing to request that someone create the newsgroup

alt.language.artificial ... The purpose of the newsgroup will be to

provide a forum for messages in and about artificial languages other

than those which have their own newsgroups/mailing lists (i.e. other than

Esperanto, Klingon and Lojban).

From: Rick Harrison (71174.2735@CompuServe.COM)

Newsgroups: alt.config

Subject: alt.language.artificial

Date: 11 Sep 1996

I posted this article from another ISP, but apparently it did not propagate.

So excuse me for repeating myself if you have already seen this.

I propose the creation of a newsgroup called alt.language.artificial for

the purpose of discussions in and about invented languages, especially

those languages which do not already have newsgroups or mailing lists

for their supporters.  This newsgroup could also handle discussions of

language design in general.  (There is a mailing list called "conlang" for

the latter purpose, but the large amount of barely-relevant traffic in

conlang -- more than a megabyte per month -- has made it less useful in

recent months.  In any event, the existence of conlang-list does not

negate the need for alt.language.artificial, just as the existence of

linguist-list does not negate the need for sci.lang)

There is already a newsgroup called alt.language.urdu.poetry, so adding

alt.language.artificial will not inflate the top-level hierarchy of alt.

groups.

I am not able to send newgroup messages from my ISPs, so I am asking

for help from those who are able to do so.                                 

---

Rick Harrison (momentarily at 71174.2735@compuserve.com)


Subject:      Re: alt.language.artificial

From:         phil@vision25.demon.co.uk (Phil Hunt)

Date:         1996/09/12

Newsgroups:   alt.config,sci.lang



[crossposted to sci.lang]



In article: <516TQ5$4M1$1@MHADG.PRODUCTION.COMPUSERVE.COM>  Rick

Harrison <71174.2735@COMPUSERVE.COM> writes:

) I propose the creation of a newsgroup called alt.language.artificial



I think this is a good idea. I prefer the name alt.language.constructed,

on the grounds that some people might consider it perjorative to

call a conlang "artificial".



) There is already a newsgroup called alt.language.urdu.poetry, so

) adding alt.language.artificial will not inflate the top-level

) hierarchy of alt. groups.



I agree; the alt.language.* hierarchy is a good place for it.



) I am not able to send newgroup messages from my ISPs, so I am asking

) for help from those who are able to do so.



I'm not sure whether I am able to do so; I will find out.



--

Phil Hunt

Newsgroups: alt.config

From: Shawn C Knight (shawn+@andrew.cmu.edu)

Subject: alt.language.artificial

Date: Thu, 12 Sep 1996 13:56:38 -0400

Rick Harrison <71174.2735@COMPUSERVE.COM> writes:

) I propose the creation of a newsgroup called alt.language.artificial for

) the purpose of discussions in and about invented languages, especially

) those languages which do not already have newsgroups or mailing lists

) for their supporters.  This newsgroup could also handle discussions of

) language design in general.  (There is a mailing list called "conlang" for

) the latter purpose, but the large amount of barely-relevant traffic in

) conlang -- more than a megabyte per month -- has made it less useful in

) recent months.  In any event, the existence of conlang-list does not

) negate the need for alt.language.artificial, just as the existence of

) linguist-list does not negate the need for sci.lang)

I wholeheartedly support alt.language.artificial ... I think it'll be

a lot more useful than a lot of alt.groups out there. (Granted, that

last isn't saying much.)

A lot of folks out there, I suspect, have a keen interest in

"artificial" languages, and we'd love to have a forum in which to

discuss this, one of the most challenging of hobbies.

I vote yes, for what it's worth ... Someone should newgroup it soon if

there isn't substantial opposition.

-shawn

Shawn C. Knight shawn+@andrew.cmu.edu https://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/shawn/

Subject:      Re: proposal: alt.language.artificial

From:         MORRILL@news.delphi.com (MORRILL@DELPHI.COM)

Date:         1996/09/12

Newsgroups:   alt.config

hrick@magicnet.net (Richard K Harrison) writes:

)Greetings.  I'm writing to request that someone create the newsgroup

)alt.language.artificial ... The purpose of the newsgroup will be to

)provide a forum for messages in and about artificial languages other

)than those which have their own newsgroups/mailing lists (i.e. other than

)Esperanto, Klingon and Lojban).

Yeah, I'd like to see this one.  You might want to mention in the charter

that computer languages should be excluded from the newsgroup.

Subject:      Re: alt.language.artificial

From:         hrick@magicnet.net (Richard K Harrison)

Date:         1996/09/13

Newsgroups:   alt.config,sci.lang

Phil Hunt (phil@vision25.demon.co.uk) wrote:

: [crossposted to sci.lang]

: I think this is a good idea. I prefer the name alt.language.constructed,

: on the grounds that some people might consider it perjorative to

: call a conlang "artificial".

Well, I personally would prefer "alt.language.planned", and I imagine

Jeffrey Henning would prefer "alt.language.model".  I proposed

"artificial" because the phrase "artificial language" is the most widely

used term for these tongues, and is the phrase people are likely to use

when they go to search engines looking for this kind of data.  So I feel

we should use a name that will make it easy for people to find the

newsgroup.  I don't know how many people are aware of the new, improved

and politically correct term "constructed language."  You can find the

phrase "artificial language" in some dictionaries, and Andrew Large's book

is entitled "The Artificial Language Movement"... I think "constructed

language" is rather new and obscure at this point.

: ) I am not able to send newgroup messages from my ISPs, so I am asking

: ) for help from those who are able to do so.

:

: I'm not sure whether I am able to do so; I will find out.

I think some of the "regulars" in alt.config will help us out, after

the necessary period of discussion has elapsed.


Newsgroups: alt.config,sci.lang

From: phil@vision25.demon.co.uk (Phil Hunt)

Subject: alt.language.artificial

Date: Fri, 13 Sep 1996 16:24:50 +0100

Reply-To: phil@vision25.demon.co.uk



In article: <51AL7G$I8E@COMET2.MAGICNET.NET>  hrick@magicnet.net

(Richard K Harrison) writes:

)

) Phil Hunt (phil@vision25.demon.co.uk) wrote:

) : [crossposted to sci.lang]

)

) : I think this is a good idea. I prefer the name

) : alt.language.constructed,

) : on the grounds that some people might consider it perjorative to

) : call a conlang "artificial".

)

) Well, I personally would prefer "alt.language.planned", and I imagine

) Jeffrey Henning would prefer "alt.language.model".  I proposed

) "artificial" because the phrase "artificial language" is the most

) widely

) used term for these tongues, and is the phrase people are likely to

) use

) when they go to search engines looking for this kind of data.  So I

) feel

) we should use a name that will make it easy for people to find the

) newsgroup.



This is a good point; alt.language.artificial is perhaps a better

name after all.



--

Phil Hunt

Subject:      Re: proposal: alt.language.artificial

From:         hmiller@io.com (Herman Miller)

Date:         1996/09/13

Newsgroups:   alt.config

In article <512AO6$PE1@COMET3.MAGICNET.NET>, hrick@magicnet.net (Richard K Harrison) wrote:

)Greetings.  I'm writing to request that someone create the newsgroup

)alt.language.artificial ... The purpose of the newsgroup will be to

)provide a forum for messages in and about artificial languages other

)than those which have their own newsgroups/mailing lists (i.e. other than

)Esperanto, Klingon and Lojban).

This is a good idea; the mailing list has been getting so many messages per

day lately that I have a hard time keeping up.  With a newsgroup, I could just

follow the threads I'm interested in reading; it would be easier to find old

posts in Deja News than the conlang archives or my saved mail, and many people

who don't already know about the mailing list would be able to join the

discussions.  (I thought that was what alt.lang.design was intended for when

it was created, not knowing that alt.lang.* dealt with computer languages

rather than languages spoken by people.)

alien/fairy/furry art-->> +--------------------

                          |"You have passed a law that will get less respect

Thryomanes (Herman Miller)| than the 55 m.p.h. speed limit dead bang in the

    (hmiller@io.com)      | middle of the First Amendment." - Steve Russell

Subject:      Re: alt.language.artificial

From:         spynx@sierra.net (Jack Durst)

Date:         1996/09/15

Newsgroups:   alt.config

Shawn C Knight (shawn+@andrew.cmu.edu) wrote:

: Rick Harrison <71174.2735@COMPUSERVE.COM> writes:

: ) I propose the creation of a newsgroup called alt.language.artificial for

: ) the purpose of discussions in and about invented languages, especially

: ) those languages which do not already have newsgroups or mailing lists

: ) for their supporters.  This newsgroup could also handle discussions of

: ) language design in general.  (There is a mailing list called "conlang" for

: ) the latter purpose, but the large amount of barely-relevant traffic in

: ) conlang -- more than a megabyte per month -- has made it less useful in

: ) recent months.  In any event, the existence of conlang-list does not

: ) negate the need for alt.language.artificial, just as the existence of

: ) linguist-list does not negate the need for sci.lang)

I also agree that we need an alt.language.artificial.* hierarchy.  The

CONLANG list is just not enough to handle the traffic.  If there is a lot

posted there, we can always expand

Sincerely,

        jack Durst

Spynx@sierra.net

[this posting written in Net English]

From: Lux_Lucre@mindlink.bc.ca (Lux Lucre)

Newsgroups: alt.config

Subject: cmsg newgroup alt.language.artificial

Date: Mon, 16 Sep 96 08:25:34 GMT

For your newsgroups file:

alt.language.artificial        Discussion and samples of invented languages.

CHARTER: This unmoderated newsgroup is a forum for discussion of  constructed 

human languages including their history, technical and  esthetic design 

considerations, practical applications, announcements of  new publications and 

web pages, bibliographic data, specimen texts, and  other relevant 

information.  

alt.language.artificial is not the appropriate place for discussing computer 

programming languages, the state of linguistics today, or  detailed 

descriptions of natural languages; please take those topics to  the 

appropriate newsgroups. 

THE NEED: The need for alt.language.artificial is demonstrated by frequent 

discussions of the topic in not-quite-appropriate newsgroups, and by the high 

volume of traffic in the "conlang" mailing list; some people have had to 

unsubscribe from the list due to mailbox overload.  The existence of over 30 

web sites devoted to the topic also indicates widespread interest.

HISTORY: I proposed this group in alt.config on 9 September 1996.  Seven 

messages supporting the proposal were posted and (as far as I know) no  

objections were posted in alt.config.  One person expressed misgivings in the 

conlang list, but several others indicated that they favor the  creation of 

the newsgroup.  Therefore I humbly request that you honor this  newgroup 

message.  -- Rick Harrison (hrick@magicnet.net)

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