On Sun, 3 Oct 2004 11:51:18 -0700, Mark Williamson <node.ue(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Also, one major difference between Solresol/Frater and
languages such
as Catalan, Occitan, Alsatian (now transformed into the Alemannic
wikipedia), Breton, etc which already have Wikipedias is this:
Solresol and Frater are "constructed languages" with no native
speakers. They are not "minority languages" like these other
languages, they are in a different category completely. There are 0
people who can read or write Solresol or Frater better than any
natural language.
While I generally see your point, I would advise against being too
hasty on this point: I'm told, much to my surprise, that a few people
are actually brought up speaking Esperanto as a first language; and on
the other side, many "minority languages" will be *so* minority that
most - if not, in some cases, all - users of the language will
actually more often use, and thus be more proficient in, another, more
mainstream language. This is true, for instance, of languages that are
being "saved from extinction" by enthusiasts, and which may therefore
be insufficient for any speaker, however proficient, to use as their
*primary* tongue.
So the distinction may not be so clear cut as you make out: there are
"constructed languages" for which there are "native" speakers, and
there are probably "minority languages" which are nobody's "mother
tongue".
Which all rather strengthens calls to take each proposed language on
its own terms.
--
Rowan Collins BSc
[IMSoP]