Dragaera

OT: Subjectivity vs. Objectivity (was: bois...)

Joshua Kronengold mneme at io.com
Fri Aug 16 08:30:35 PDT 2002

Caliann the Elf writes:
> Steven Brust wrote: 
>>We have a third choice: attempting to influence, so that the changes that 
>>take place help to make the language more useful, flexible, and 
>>powerful. I don't think simplicity vs complexity is the issue--the exact 
>>details, and how they effect language, are the issue.

>Wow, why didn't you tell me in all this time you wished to be French?
>They use that sort of control over their language.  

No -- the French government attempts to use that sort of control over
the French language.

By contrast, -all- of us use the kind of influence Steve is describing
with our language -- and about everything else we are participatory
in creating; simply by what words we chose to create, learn, adapt, use, and
ignore. 
<clashes silver bracelets together, reminiscent of a certain
Janet Kagan novel that everyone should read>



-- 
     Joshua Kronengold (mneme at io.com) "I've been teaching |\      _,,,--,,_  ,)
--^--him...to live, to breathe, to walk, to sample the   /,`.-'`'   -,  ;-;;'  
  /\\joy on each road, and the sorrow at each turning.   |,4-  ) )-,_ ) /\     
/-\\\I'm sorry if I kept him out too late"--Vlad Taltos '---''(_/--' (_/-'