Random Thoughts...or...What's on Your Mind?

[scotpens]

Esperanto was created in the late 19th century with the hope that it would become a global auxiliary language. Today, it's spoken by an estimated 2 million people (out of a world population of ~7.5 billion). It's highly unlikely that Esperanto will ever be anything more than a hobby for geeks.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

It's perhaps a little too artificial. Natural langueges develop and get their corners sanded off by use. Any living language is always a bit like a song: it flows easily and smoothly. Artificial languages tend to jolt which makes speaking them a little uncomfortable. I think that is why they don't get used much.

 

[oberth]

at admiralspalast they show twok and afterwards there's a chat with shatner on march 12th - i guess i shall pass

 

[Discofan]

It's perhaps a little too artificial. Natural langueges develop and get their corners sanded off by use. Any living language is always a bit like a song: it flows easily and smoothly. Artificial languages tend to jolt which makes speaking them a little uncomfortable. I think that is why they don't get used much.

I beg to differ. Natural languages are often filled with idiosyncrasies, things that don't make sense, often not even to the natives, not to mention their pronunciation that often includes a phoneme or two that's very difficult to master for people that haven't been trained from early childhood. Esperanto has been designed by an expert, one might even say a linguistic genius to be as smooth and practical as it need to be while avoiding the aforementioned idiosyncrasies. It may not be the ideal language to write poetry or sophisticated literature (but how many people are really interested in that nowadays?) but it's perfect for popular literature and any kind of practical exchange between people with common interests. The problem is that people are not easy to nudge out of their prejudices and/or their natural laziness. Maybe if jeopardy or some other idiotic TV game included questions about Esperanto people would start to develop an interest for that language.

 

[oberth]

I beg to differ ...

who wants to speak a language designed by vulcans?

 

[Discofan]

who wants to speak a language designed by vulcans?

Are you recovering from an alcoholic binge?

 

[scotpens]

who wants to speak a language designed by vulcans?

And spoken (badly, according to serious Esperantists) by starship captains.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Are you recovering from an alcoholic binge?

This is completely uncalled for and not acceptable. Infraction for trolling. Comments to PM.

 

[Discofan]

Blue is my favorite color.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

Dunno about other languages, but in German we have a lot of phrases about this particular colour.
being blue (blau sein) = being drunk
making blue (blau machen) = playing truant
blue monday (blauer montag) = people calling in sick on Mondays if they really just need a day to recover from the weekend
into the blue (ins Blaue) = make a trip to a completely random place
blue letter(blauer Brief) = a complaint or a message that you get fired
blue miracle (blaues Wunder) = a very big (and mostly unpleasant) surprise
green and blue (grün und blau) = badly bruised.

With the English language we have in common the expression blue-eyed /blauäugig (this might perhaps go back to a Saxon root both languages have in common) and we adopted the bluestocking /Blaustrumpf from GB.

 

[Discofan]

In French we have:

"peur bleue" = being scared to death...

"Le grand bleu" = The ocean

"Fleur bleue" = being naive

"Col Bleu" = Blue collar

...Plus many others

 

[Gary Mitchell]

My favorite is chicken cordon bleu.

 

[Discofan]

How about:

"Bleu, bleu, le ciel de Provence
Blanc, blanc, blanc, le goéland
Le bateau blanc qui danse
Blond, blond, le soleil de plomb
Et dans tes yeux
Mon reve en bleu - bleu - bleu"

 

[Worf factor9]

My favorite is chicken cordon bleu.

Add swiss cheese and ham.

But you'll have to "pluck it"

 

[Discofan]

"Plus bleu que le bleu de tes yeux,
Je ne vois rien de mieux,
Même le bleu des cieux."

 

[sevenstars]

I am still reflecting on the fact that I saw two blue chickens today, after a lifetime of not seeing any.
Not sure what that means.

 

[sevenstars]

And... now I have ads from the USDA inviting me to know the signs of poultry disease.

 

[Discofan]

And... now I have ads from the USDA inviting me to know the signs of poultry disease.

You mean like chicken pox?

 

[Worf factor9]

I am still reflecting on the fact that I saw two blue chickens today, after a lifetime of not seeing any.
Not sure what that means.

It means that you are blessed, but I shall not promise you upon which way you shall travel.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I am still reflecting on the fact that I saw two blue chickens today, after a lifetime of not seeing any.
Not sure what that means.

It's poultry in motion!