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From: elna@netcom.com (Esperanto League N America)
Subject: Re: "Design" of an international auxiliary language is a futile task.
Message-ID: <elnaDwEnsy.qt@netcom.com>
Organization: Esperanto League for North America, Inc.
References: <320FF111.5F4D@gold.tc.umn.edu> <4uu4f7$n7i@acmey.gatech.edu> <3213DC2E.2D51@gold.tc.umn.edu> <32146aed.6613189@news.nando.net>
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 22:00:33 GMT
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Sender: elna@netcom2.netcom.com

dgary@nando.net (D Gary Grady) writes in a recent posting (reference <32146aed.6613189@news.nando.net>):
>
>I don't think very many Esperanto speakers consider the language to
>have an "optimal design," by the way, although I suppose pretending
>that they do makes it easier to dismiss them as nuts...
>
This is a misconception addressed in Eco's recent book "Search for the 
Perfect Language". Many new students of Esperanto seek to "improve" the
language with the intention of bringing it nearer to perfection. Many 
other language students create other IALs with an eye to bringing to 
fruition a project nearer to some imagined "optimal design".
But this is not the goal of Esperanto. Perfection is for angels; ease of
learning and suppleness of expression are the (realised) goals of Esperanto.

Design of an IAL is hardly "futile"; several such designs have been quite
successful! Now OTOH I will assert that design of a "perfect language" with
an "optimal design" is a futile task....


-- 
Miko SLOPER                   elna@netcom.com         USA  (510) 653 0998
Direktoro de la          ftp.netcom.com:/pub/el/elna   fax (510) 653 1468 
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