George Boeree | Re: [LFN] Is the lingua-franca-nova.net Site Moribund?

• Autor: George Boeree (“cgboeree”)
• Tema: Re: [LFN] Is the lingua-franca-nova.net Site Moribund?
• Data: 2010-05-11 11:29
• Mesaje: 3141 (a supra, presedente, seguente)

On May 10, 2010, at 9:50 PM, Paul Bartlett wrote:

> Despite the fact that I have had some differences in the past,
> I do genuinely think well of LFN, even if I have not mastered it. (But
> I can read it with almost no difficulty.) Given the juggernaut of
> English, I think that few conIALs have much likelihood of success.
> Esperanto is far, far, far in the lead, with Ido and IALA Interlingua
> distant seconds/thirds. Lingua Franca Nova has a lot going for it (and
> I mean that sincerely in terms of the quality of the language), but it
> does have the issue of dispersal (see my essay on "Thoughts on IAL
> Success"). Outside the circle of aficionados, are LFNers talking to
> anyone but themselves and a few other auxlangers?
>
Sadly, I agree with you. And not just in regards to LFN's chances at
success, but Esperanto's and Interlingua's as well. Despite nay-
sayers, English seems destined to remain the go-to IAL for many more
decades, not because everyone loves Anglo-American culture, but
simply because it has become entrenched internationally. Outside of
the ridiculously irrational spelling, English is not too difficult
and a rather amusing (yes, I mean that) language, with its odd idioms
and constantly evolving slang.

Elefenistes just talk to each other, and not even much of that. But
that is true of every IAL. Quite a few seem to learn it because they
find it entertaining (as many do with Esperanto) - never to actually
go on to use it even with other Elefenistes. It was one of my goals
to make it "pretty" - something no other IAL seems to have tried to
do - and that seems to have hit a chord with people.

Nevertheless, should, say, the European Union seek an IAL, I actually
think LFN has a real chance.  It is the first well-developed language
since the 1950s to gain some real interest and has the advantage of
relating to more modern sensibilities. Esperanto really does seem
Victorian, if you think about it. Even Interlingua, with its latinate
vocabulary, feels old and out-of-tune with the modern spirit.

I would like to see a single language - artificial or natural -
selected as the world's IAL. There is no down-side that I can see.
But it seems that translation technology may still advance to a
degree that there will no longer be a motivating force for choosing
an IAL. C'est la vie. In the meantime, I continue to enjoy LFN and
the friends I have made along the way.

Best,
George

I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of
what I am saying. — Oscar Wilde



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