Post by Auburn on Dec 21, 2014 20:00:30 GMT
Hi, so most of you guys probably know, but for those who may come later:
An archive, a hub, a point of cohesion
The concept we had for this library is to make it a "hub" of learning, a sort of archive where learned neo-Sindarin authors can make their entries in a way that someone with only intermediate grammatical knowledge can follow along. This would provide all the info they need to understand the text, right in the text - essentially accelerating the process of learning.
In time, slowly an archive of existing and original translations would begin to consolidate, as the primary authors discuss the little peculiarities and differences they have in writing. It would form a sort of centerpoint where the edges are smoothed out, as variations in translation are understood and accepted as just that; variations. Having about as much variation as British English and American English - both being able to understand each other just about perfectly. I think this is normal, and something natural languages often have. Speakers would be aware of these different manners of saying things, and accept them, rather than being confounded by them - due to only knowing one way of speaking the language.
Of course it's not a free-for-all. The primary authors would be sure to have an established source for their writing approach. But all of Tolkien's revisions to his own ideas (which we know he had many of!) would have a valid place, and could be considered acceptable interpretations for now. And as more entries are written this way, the authors' writing styles can feed off each other and congeal.
Expansion, by generating works
It will also be a point where new documents can be created. A big lacking aspect of neo-Sindarin right now is that there are very few full-length documents in it. And this lack of literature is what makes it hard to learn. But as we set a cautious foundation with a few initial, full-length neo-Sindarin documents, these will act as reference points that can almost be "canonized", per se, and inform on how to write further documents. So essentially, the library - and the neo-Sindarin language - will be created as it expands. Newcomers can use the entries of the first authors to understand how to write their own original works in this language. And eventually they too become contributors.
An archive, a hub, a point of cohesion
The concept we had for this library is to make it a "hub" of learning, a sort of archive where learned neo-Sindarin authors can make their entries in a way that someone with only intermediate grammatical knowledge can follow along. This would provide all the info they need to understand the text, right in the text - essentially accelerating the process of learning.
In time, slowly an archive of existing and original translations would begin to consolidate, as the primary authors discuss the little peculiarities and differences they have in writing. It would form a sort of centerpoint where the edges are smoothed out, as variations in translation are understood and accepted as just that; variations. Having about as much variation as British English and American English - both being able to understand each other just about perfectly. I think this is normal, and something natural languages often have. Speakers would be aware of these different manners of saying things, and accept them, rather than being confounded by them - due to only knowing one way of speaking the language.
Of course it's not a free-for-all. The primary authors would be sure to have an established source for their writing approach. But all of Tolkien's revisions to his own ideas (which we know he had many of!) would have a valid place, and could be considered acceptable interpretations for now. And as more entries are written this way, the authors' writing styles can feed off each other and congeal.
Expansion, by generating works
It will also be a point where new documents can be created. A big lacking aspect of neo-Sindarin right now is that there are very few full-length documents in it. And this lack of literature is what makes it hard to learn. But as we set a cautious foundation with a few initial, full-length neo-Sindarin documents, these will act as reference points that can almost be "canonized", per se, and inform on how to write further documents. So essentially, the library - and the neo-Sindarin language - will be created as it expands. Newcomers can use the entries of the first authors to understand how to write their own original works in this language. And eventually they too become contributors.