activeselective | Re: Freezing the basic grammar

• Autor: activeselective
• Tema: Re: Freezing the basic grammar
• Data: 2006-04-30 12:05
• Mesaje: 2125 (a supra, presedente, seguente)

== STABILITY =
> ... I support some kind of public statement that the grammar
> is not expected to change significantly.

I am puzzled. Why may we say that? How can we say that? Where's the
proof of this conclusion?

Don't confuse "stable" for "passive".
Stable means that the playground doesn't need to be changed in order
to support the high number of diverse activities done upon it. Doing
those activities proves the ground to be stable. Passive means that
there is no activity and therefore no change.

In the current circumstances of a only handfull of texts and
passivity, I interpret this no-change-statement as: "We haven't been
writing anything lately, we're not planning any texts either, or
maybe never. Don't expect it. So don't expect grammar to be put to
the test. To us grammar was just a set of first rules and we're not
making it a living language. So don't expect LFN to change."

What we really need is activity, written texts, proof of the
stability. We need at least 200 substancial articles of any kind. We
hardly have 30 now. When a language is not used, how can its
stability be detected? Only the /intention/ of having a stable
language is what remains. What's the use of publicly anouncing an
intention?

== WHO WAS FIRST? CHICKEN OR EGG? =
> The way to gain new users, especially users who are not already
> in the conlang community, is to have a compelling reason to
> learn a new language. The most compelling reason I can think of
> would be that there would be material available to read. ...
>
> So, to gain lots of users, you must convince someone to create
> lots of material. Those authors will be reluctant to write large
> amounts of text if they believe the language will change in ways
> that their work will become unreadable in the future.

No. We are here already. We ourselves are the authors! We have to
create, not wait for some future author to be first convinced of
stability and then to write the articles for us.

What we create will never "become unreadable". That is really an
exageration gone over the top and off this planet. What you had in
mind? LFN turning into Traditional Chinese or English? If LFN
changes, the texts remain very readable. Work is never lost.

Active authors know this. They know that texts can be upgraded
easily and changes are small. They know their text will remain alive
and remain readable in an active community. (especially in the wiki-
infrastructure where everyone can join in writing, editing and
updating texts) Editing and updating not a single author's
responsibility, but a growing community's activity.

We attract if "there would be material available to read", very
true. We need more material. Any kind of material. So people can
find out how nice it is to read and write LFN, experience its
simplicity and universality, see that it is alive.

ActiveSelective