Newsgroups: sci.lang
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!fs7.ece.cmu.edu!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!math.ohio-state.edu!jussieu.fr!oleane!pipex!uknet!festival!edcogsci!iad
From: iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Ivan A Derzhanski)
Subject: Re: sci.lang.artificial
Message-ID: <D115zL.IxA@cogsci.ed.ac.uk>
Organization: Centre for Cognitive Science, Edinburgh, UK
References: <enkeli.787131866@proffa> <3cijm4$l49@mother.usf.edu> <3d16ha$343@gordon.enea.se>
Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 23:45:17 GMT
Lines: 36

In article <3d16ha$343@gordon.enea.se> sommar@enea.se (Erland Sommarskog) writes:
>Well, if you intend to talk about artificial languages in sci.lang
>on a regular basis that is a slap in the face of those like me who 
>are completely uninterested in the topic.

That won't do at all, Erland.  If a subject is sufficiently sci and
reasonably lang, it can be legitimately discussed here, even though
hardly anything will capture the attention of every single netter.
Get thee a killfile.

>Ivan opposed of a sci.lang.artificial on the grounds that the traffic 
>in sci.lang is not big enough to warrant a split and that the topic
>is not scientific enough.

To be precise, I said that if the topic is deemed scientific enough,
then there is no reason not to keep it here, and if it isn't, then the
new group should not bear a name starting with `sci.'.

>I don't agree on the traffic, [...]

Really?  My impression is that the sci.lang traffic is so low that if
it goes down any further, we'll have to write articles all the time
just to keep the group empty.  :-)

>As for scientificness, well some claim that sci.lang don't qualify,
>and maybe they are right. I subscribed to LINGUIST and left within
>a month. The simple layman I am, it wasn't much I understood there.

I read both, the List for business and sci.lang for entertainment,
and I dare say I'm not the only card-carrying linguist who does that.

-- 
`Release Jesus wi this mob hangin aroon?  Nae chance!'  (The Glasgow Gospel)
Ivan A Derzhanski (iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk, iad@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu)
* Centre for Cognitive Science,  2 Buccleuch Place,   Edinburgh EH8 9LW,  UK
* Cowan House E113, Pollock Halls, 18 Holyrood Pk Rd, Edinburgh EH16 5BD, UK
