[Foundation-l] Fwd: Tokipona

[Michael Bimmler]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kurt Leesmeister <danrike at gmail.com>
Date: Jan 21, 2008 9:33 AM
Subject: Tokipona
To: foundation-l-owner at lists.wikimedia.org


Thank you very much for the information. But I would like to say a few
words about it.
I can imagine that you didn't make the decision that the
tokipona-wikipedia should be closed or not even be opened. But I
disagree with Andrew Whitworth.
Constructed languages belong to the pool of languages summarized in
wikipedia. It is true that some languages might not be necessary but
who should decide this? Languages like volapük, esperanto or ido are
constructed languages and nobody can say that their importance is
limited to a few people. The volapük-wikipedia summarizes more than
100.000 articles, esperante nearly 95.000 articles, ido reached the
15.000 article-limit. Does this mean that a constructed language is
neglegable? I don't think so. Andrew Whitworth mentioned that a
language like tokipona doesn't help to improve communication between
people. Its true that there is nobody who exclusively speaks tokipona
but who does exclusevely speak esperanto or volapük? This is not only
limited to constructed languages? Who does exclusevely speak latin?
Presumably the antient Romans had been the last. Is this a reason why
a Latin wikipedia shouldn't exist? Fortunaletely this criterium wasn't
used.
Tokipona was constructed for one reason. It should be as simple as
possible. This should help even those people without skills for
learning languages to find a new medium to communicate with others. A
wikipedia in tokipona would be a great step in this direction.
The reason why there are wikipedias for constructed languages should
be the reason to open the tokipona-wikipedia. Equality for constructed
languages should be a principle that should be followed. John Lennons
"Give peace a chance" should be modified to "Give tokipona a chance"!
I can imagine that you can't decide whether a tokipona-wikipedia will
be reopended or not but I hope you can forward my mail to a forum that
can re-think the decision.

I will be pleased hearing from you.

Kurt


Although (like the others below suggest), the Tokipona wikis probably
aren't going to be re-opened, you can still contribute to the Tokipona
Wikia: < http://tokipona.wikia.com/wiki/lipu_lawa >.
On Jan 18, 2008 12:04 PM, Andrew Whitworth <wknight8111 at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Jan 18, 2008 11:40 AM, Ian A Holton < poeloq at gmail.com > wrote:
> > As I wrote about yesterday on the WikiEN-l, is it really necessary to
> > have languages that are not primary languages of at least a decent sized
> > group of people. Toki Pona is a contructed language that isn't going to
> > enable more to people to edit or read Wikipedia.
>
> I agree with this. New language projects should be created as a way to
> faciliate the sharing of information. Small constructed languages
> represent little more then code or encryption, and those by definition
> are barriers to communications. It would be different if, for some
> people, Toki Pona was their natural, primary, or only spoken language.
> In that case, toki pona would be the only method of communication for
> this hypothetical group of people, and creating a project for them
> would help to facilitate the sharing of information.
>
> I see no benefit in creating a project which only a small group of
> people edit and nobody outside that group can read.
>
> --Andrew Whitworth
>
>
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