Dragaera

language (was: Sethra Lavode...)

Starshadw at aol.com Starshadw at aol.com
Thu Aug 15 11:32:23 PDT 2002

I, too, unfortunately do not have the time to get entangled into this 
fascinating discussion, but two quotes sprang to mind:

Quote #1

"When *I* use a word, " Humpty Dumpty said in a rathe scornful tone, "it 
means just what I choose it to mean -neither more nor less."

"The question is," said Alive, "whether you *can* make words mean so many 
different things."

"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master - that's all."

~~~Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass

Quote #2

"If one man says whore and another hears hoar, of what use it it?  Speech, no 
matter how eloquent, is not communication.  If one man draws a star and 
another sees a cross, of what use is it?  Pictures, even if they contain 
color, even if they move, are not communication.  If a man caresses a woman 
and the woman feels the blade of a knife, of what use is it?  Touch, no 
matter how deeply felt, is not communication.  For a communication to happen, 
the construct in one mind must be duplicated by another mind." (Foeti 
pno-Kaiel, creche teacher of the maran-Kaiel)

~~Donald Kingsbury, Courtship Rite