User:Thefam/Vanfemek

If you're looking for our actual research on the Vanfemek, that's probably here, unless we haven't gotten around to compiling it yet. This is just my personal thoughts that come to mind after observing who does and doesn't stay with the tribe.

It seems to me that there is a strong bias in certain places towards the idea that for a conlang to be good it has to either be naturalistic or be systematically testing some idea. I haven't seen much of various conlanging communities, so I can't really confirm this, but it seems plausible and fits with what I have seen, especially with regards to criticism of Sajem Tan.

The most common statement I've heard of what makes a conlang good or bad is whether it achieves its goals. I agree with this. The problem above seems to result from the failure to realize that there are other reasonable goals besides naturalism and systematic experimentation.

My view of Sajem Tan's goal is that we have set out to hang out, be friends, make a language, and have fun. Ideally we'll eventually have all four of those things work together in that we can have fun chatting with each other in Sajem Tan, but that point seems to still be a ways away. In the meantime, I will continue to defend the idea that Sajem Tan's primary purpose is to be something that we, the tribemembers, find fun and enjoyable. Does that mean having a phonology and orthography that strike almost everyone as bizarre? Maybe. Does that mean having a word for "cookie" that's 14 syllables long? Apparently. Does that mean being able to say "Your support of gynecology is causing my emotions to go all over the place."[1] in fewer syllables than "cookie"? Indeed it does.

Our language is ridiculous and wonderful and I love it that way. May any reform proposals that fail to grasp this be cast into Shitukmunfemek Xataxym.

Thefam (talk) 17:50, 9 September 2018 (UTC)

[1] Dovmeh gynolmthnuteh dehvmeh kexekah zimsho.