LCK Book

chris_notts · Post by **chris_notts** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 3:43 pm

Viktor77 wrote:Has anyone proposed an ebook version of the LCK? I'd love a version for my iBook app or Kindle app.

Still looking for a use for your iPad?

Post by **zompist** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 4:05 pm

Ooh, it's on Amazon France too.

Er, sent sous 1 à 2 mois? That's pretty lame. Someday the French office will be able to afford its own laser printer.

Rodlox · Post by **Rodlox** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 5:01 pm

bricka wrote:But seriously, it's an awesome book, even if it continually reminds me that every one of my conlangs is shit and needs much more work. Maybe it's a subtle hint that my work is done and it's time for me to shuffle off this mortal coil?

*coughcough* hey, if I can use this book to improve, so can you.

the difference is you have far less to improve than I do.

Miiil · Post by **Miiil** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 1:55 am

I have a copy!!

And I'm in Australia...

What script is the wirting on the back in?

I'm reading the book all through at the moment, then I'll use it. I'm up to pg.147.

[edit]

Oh, look, I'm Per now...

Jipí · Post by **Jipí** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 2:44 am

hwhatting wrote:(it is available on amazon.de, for 13.99 Euros).

I miiiight get it then.

amazon.de wrote:Gewöhnlich versandfertig in 2 bis 4 Wochen.

This is the only worrying part. Seems like their German office can't afford a laser printer either...

alice · Post by **alice** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 8:22 am

Rodlox wrote:
bricka wrote:But seriously, it's an awesome book, even if it continually reminds me that every one of my conlangs is shit and needs much more work. Maybe it's a subtle hint that my work is done and it's time for me to shuffle off this mortal coil?
*coughcough* hey, if I can use this book to improve, so can you.

the difference is you have far less to improve than I do.

In the sense that infinity is "far less than" ten times infinity, maybe

Viktor77 · Post by **Viktor77** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 8:25 am

chris_notts wrote:
Viktor77 wrote:Has anyone proposed an ebook version of the LCK? I'd love a version for my iBook app or Kindle app.
Still looking for a use for your iPad?

No, but it would be an awesome addition to my iPad.

hwhatting · Post by **hwhatting** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 9:55 am

zompist wrote: Er, sent sous 1 à 2 mois? That's pretty lame. Someday the French office will be able to afford its own laser printer.

Mais non, they have a beautiful secretary who types every ordered book by hand from the file...

amazon.de wrote:Gewöhnlich versandfertig in 2 bis 4 Wochen.
This is the only worrying part. Seems like their German office can't afford a laser printer either...

Nein, nein, alles Handarbeit!

Yiuel Raumbesrairc · Post by **Yiuel Raumbesrairc** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 11:00 am

Canada as well. 15$! Pas cher pantoute!

Torco · Post by **Torco** » Mon Jun 14, 2010 3:04 pm

yay I found it on Ebay... it's available from some aussie bookstore which ships to Chile

so I should get it... sometime this year u_u

Yiuel Raumbesrairc · Post by **Yiuel Raumbesrairc** » Mon Jun 14, 2010 3:11 pm

Torco wrote:yay I found it on Ebay... it's available from some aussie bookstore which ships to Chile

so I should get it... sometime this year u_u

You should've asked, I could have got it for you. It's even easier now as it's available through the CA website.

Torco · Post by **Torco** » Mon Jun 14, 2010 3:41 pm

Yiuel wrote:
Torco wrote:yay I found it on Ebay... it's available from some aussie bookstore which ships to Chile

so I should get it... sometime this year u_u
You should've asked, I could have got it for you. It's even easier now as it's available through the CA website.

Yeah, I should have. dang xD

Still, 23usd? that's way below the average price of books around here. I'm surprised at how inexpensive it is.

Glenn · Post by **Glenn** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 3:39 pm

I just received my copy of the LCK (as a birthday present from my wife) and look forward to reading it.

p@,
Glenn

Risla · Post by **Risla** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 4:37 am

I am temporarily coming out of lurkerdom to say that I just ordered a copy from the Barnes and Noble website. I am very much looking forward to getting it.

Aurora Rossa · Post by **Aurora Rossa** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 10:44 am

I do wonder what significance the discussion of pragmatics has from a purely conlanging perspective. Do languages really differ that much on whether the speakers take turns or speak for purposes other than pure communication? Or was he pointing the way to creating a truly alien language by pointing out all the linguistic and para-linguistic structures we take for granted?

Post by **zompist** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 4:06 pm

Cultures do differ in turn-taking behavior and in other aspects of pragmatics; some of this is discussed in the book.

Pragmatics is also one of my favorite parts of linguistics, one I wasn't able to do justice to in the online LCK.

Bristel · Post by **Bristel** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 3:14 am

Oh god, I've been reading through it willy-nilly, soaking in as much as I can...

It is a really well written book, I love it.

It is hard for me to pay attention and read through front to back, but I do love finding tidbits of knowledge that I didn't know, and the humor and ease of which it seems to flow.

The part on language families and Kebreni are my favorite chapters right now.

Kebreni is really a beautiful language, and I enjoy reading the grammar as if it were some sort of poetry. Which I suppose in some way, conlangs are poems of a sort...

Jetboy · Post by **Jetboy** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 7:26 am

I got my copy a couple days ago, and it's pretty great. I haven't had time to read much of it yet, but the phonology section was really helpful, especially the vowels; I'm starting to feel that I actually know which IPA symbols stand for what now.

hwhatting · Post by **hwhatting** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 8:37 am

hwhatting wrote:I put it on my amazon wish list (it is available on amazon.de, for 13.99 Euros). As I won't be in Germany for months, there is no sense in ordering now.

My family is going to Germany for a couple of weeks and my daughter wanted something from amazon, so I added the LCK to that order. So I'll get to read it when they come back.

Torco · Post by **Torco** » Thu Jul 08, 2010 1:11 pm

NIIIIIIIIIIIIICE

I literally just got my copy of the LCK book [thanks, Eric, for the internet dollars which allowed me to purchase it]. I'm browsing through it as I write. It kind of reminds me of a manual for a household appliance, for whatever reason, instead of a book book.

From what I gather at first browse, it's nicely written and sprinkled with humour. A nice read, overall.

hwhatting · Post by **hwhatting** » Fri Jul 09, 2010 11:49 am

Torco wrote:It kind of reminds me of a manual for a household appliance, for whatever reason, instead of a book book.

Based on the manuals for appliances I know, this doesn't sound like a recommendation.
I hope zomp didn't run it through Chinese via Google translate to give it an "appliance manual" feel.

Přemysl · Post by **Přemysl** » Fri Jul 09, 2010 12:35 pm

zompist wrote:Pragmatics is also one of my favorite parts of linguistics, one I wasn't able to do justice to in the online LCK.

Wait, what? I bought the book, so I am not complaining about content. But something feels very wrong about that sentence (which could just be me parsing it wrong). The online LCK has the advantage of being able to be altered any time you want it. You could add anything from a thousand page treatise to "Pragmatics are cool, go read!"

Torco · Post by **Torco** » Fri Jul 09, 2010 3:22 pm

hwhatting wrote:
Torco wrote:It kind of reminds me of a manual for a household appliance, for whatever reason, instead of a book book.
Based on the manuals for appliances I know, this doesn't sound like a recommendation.
I hope zomp didn't run it through Chinese via Google translate to give it an "appliance manual" feel.

lol, no, it's just the very soft cardboard on the covers.

Post by **zompist** » Fri Jul 09, 2010 4:09 pm

Prmysl wrote:
zompist wrote:Pragmatics is also one of my favorite parts of linguistics, one I wasn't able to do justice to in the online LCK.
Wait, what? I bought the book, so I am not complaining about content. But something feels very wrong about that sentence (which could just be me parsing it wrong). The online LCK has the advantage of being able to be altered any time you want it. You could add anything from a thousand page treatise to "Pragmatics are cool, go read!"

As indicated by the past tense, I was talking about what was actually in the online LCK written ten years ago, not what is physically possible.

Torco · Post by **Torco** » Fri Jul 09, 2010 5:50 pm

On that topic, I just finished reading the semantics chapter and I'm halfway through pragmatics [a very pleasant read, I must say] and they strike me more as introductions than as guidelines for conlanging. Basically, I'm saying they don't much address the questions of "oh, okay, nice, now how do I apply that to conlanging?"

of course, they will probably only be read by conlangers who can figure that out anyway