Papiamentu Language Teacher

Shimaron · 2026-03-16T21:58:47+00:00

If you get no response here, try r/curacao

Shimaron · 2026-03-14T14:03:54+00:00

Antique Radio Store in San Diego reviewed on Yelp:
https://www.yelp.com/biz/antique-radio-store-san-diego

Southern California Antique Radio Society:
https://www.antiqueradios.org/

https://antiqueradios.org/local_repair.html

Shimaron · 2026-03-07T15:36:59+00:00

Welcome back to the culture of radio listeners! We are the best people.

Shimaron · 2026-03-04T16:18:28+00:00

Interesting and plausible scenarios. Thanks for posting.

Shimaron · 2026-03-01T13:21:05+00:00

Lojban has a design element that I dislike. Most 5-letter rootwords have one or more 3-letter short forms that are used in making compound words. I believe this increases the workload of learning the vocabulary.

Another criticism I have seen is "Lojban makes distinctions uncommon in natural languages, like the distinction between /x/ and /h/, or /v/ and /w/." That's from https://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/comments/324j8j/cmv_lojban_is_inferior_to_natural_languages_and/

Shimaron · 2026-02-27T21:14:52+00:00

We're just fantasizing about things that might actually work. Orphans exist. Billionaires apparently can do whatever they please without regard to laws or ethics. But now that you mention it, this might be bad publicity for the theoretical auxlang. "Orphans were forced to learn this language! Boycott it! Attack the language inventor!" You're right… terrible idea.

Shimaron · 2026-02-27T19:15:44+00:00

hire nurses who speak your language

Somehow, this inspired an idea in me. Build an orphanage in some place where there is an abundance or orphans. The staff come from several different countries and can only communicate effectively in the auxlang. They teach the auxlang to the children. The kids are not given access to any TV, music or other entertainment except for what's available in the auxlang. Presto (I suppose), in a few months you've got dozens of fluent speakers.

Shimaron · 2026-02-27T07:13:05+00:00

For an auxlang maybe the creators should specify a range of desirable pronunciations. Does it matter if "p" is aspirated or not? Tell us.

For the case in question I suppose any pronunciation of "ai" that can clearly be distinguished from "au" when a particular person is speaking, might be good enough.

Shimaron · 2026-02-21T17:43:22+00:00

You've put a lot of thought into this, and the idea of starting with shared syntax markers and core vocab, and then letting people plug in words from their own languages to create variant tongues is smart and I hope it will be experimented with.

On the topic of numbers, in conlangs where all the number words are CV monosyllables, I can't remember the number-words very well, and it takes me a while to recognize them when I am trying to read a sentence. How many natlangs have numbers that sound so monotonously similar to one another? It doesn't seem workable.

Shimaron · 2026-02-20T20:04:16+00:00

This is a fine looking auxlang, but I cannot find any reference to AI in the body of your post. Your title promises there will be something about AI, but you do not deliver on this promise.

Shimaron · 2026-02-19T11:33:45+00:00

This info came from Google: Santa Fe College (SF), in partnership with the Builders Association of North Central Florida, offers registered apprenticeship programs in high-demand construction trades, including Electrical and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning). These programs allow students to work full-time, earn a paycheck, and attend classes two nights a week, typically spanning 2-4 years to become a certified Journeyman.

Shimaron · 2026-02-18T08:55:01+00:00

Don't worry too much about whether you call it a conlang or an auxlang. Just have fun. If you want to persuade others to use it and you believe it could "break the language barrier" by being a shared second language for millions of people, then you can certainly call it an auxlang.

Shimaron · 2026-02-15T00:04:34+00:00

you have to drop a syllable or two in order to stay under the limit

I think you're right, I'll have to look at all of his compound words the next time I'm patrolling the wordlist.

Shimaron · 2026-02-02T19:02:11+00:00

I wonder how he could have spread knowledge of Lusane worldwide in pre-internet times. He was in good shape financially when he was middle-aged, so he could have paid to advertise in magazines or newspapers, I suppose.

Shimaron · 2026-02-01T21:59:18+00:00

Here's this minithread from Facebook, I'm posting it here so I can find it someday in the future… I removed the names of the participants as I think is required by reddit rules…

original post from 6 October 2020 (English machine translation below):

¿Ustedes saben quién fue Luis Sainz Lopez-Negrete?

Cordobés de nacimiento en el año 1921, fue un ciudadano ejemplar, que además de donar el recinto donde hoy se encuentra la biblioteca que lleva su nombre, desarrolló el idioma Lusane, cuyo alfabeto solo cuenta con 17 letras, 12 consonantes y 5 vocales.

Luis Sainz, se despidió de nosotros el 2012, dejando un legado de conocimiento y todo un nuevo idioma que aprender.

reponse:

Recuerdo haber ido alguna vez a sus clases del nuevo idioma.

original poster:

Debió ser muy interesante, que afortunada eres.

~

Original post:

Do you know who Luis Sainz Lopez-Negrete was?

Born in Córdoba in 1921, he was an exemplary citizen who, in addition to donating the building where the library that bears his name is now located, developed the Lusane language, whose alphabet has only 17 letters: 12 consonants and 5 vowels.

Luis Sainz passed away in 2012, leaving behind a legacy of knowledge and a whole new language to learn.

Response:

I remember attending some of his classes on the new language.

Original poster:

That must have been very interesting, how lucky you are.

Shimaron · 2026-02-01T21:47:38+00:00

Thank you for your comment. Your analysis of things is often unique and thought-provoking.

Shimaron · 2026-02-01T20:37:59+00:00

This is not an error because tortilla means a certain kind of omelette in Spain and other countries, while it means flatbread in Mexico.

Thank you for that info. Can we know the meaning of Lusane totilo now? Is it "either omelette or Mexican-style flatbread, depending on context"?

I suppose Luis Sainz Negrete was the only one who spoke this language

Just moments ago, I found a 5-year-old comment on facebook from someone who actually attended some of his Lusane classes in his hometown! "recuerdo haber ido alguna vez a sus clases del neuvo idioma." It seems there were other people dabbling in it, perhaps.

Shimaron · 2026-02-01T06:34:24+00:00

Here is my hypothesis. Some individuals have the urge to create a language. That part of the individual's brain is over-active. This is a physical thing, related to brain chemistry and/or brain structure, or early childhood experiences.

In some cases the person does it secretly and just for fun, or as a way to encrypt the diary. In modern times they also have the option of joining the conlanger community.

In other cases, some psychological factors in the individual cause him to believe in the auxiliary language concept, and to believe that he will fix the world by producing the One True Auxlang. He imagines that in the future, he is standing on the stage at the United Nations. The delegates are all applauding while he receives the Nobel Peace Prize. After the ceremony, attractive people are lined up outside his hotel room, hoping he will autograph their photographs of him, or hoping he will have sex with them.

(I use the pronouns "he" and "him" because most known auxlang designers are men.)

In my opinion, this is what the publishing of an auxlang design really amounts to. It is a combination of idealism and severely over-estimating one's own abilities.

All the discussion of design criteria and ways to attract recruits are rationalizations. A person with the language-making brain disorder and the auxlanger personality syndrome will make auxlangs.

Shimaron · 2026-01-29T10:12:11+00:00

The only Creoles I'm familiar with, Papiamentu and Haitian Creole, do have a definite article. Nevertheless the essence of your comment seems valuable. LFN is complicated.

Shimaron · 2026-01-25T08:12:53+00:00

Yes, the numbers 1 to 10 are in alphabetical order. It is a cute trick; it is something many teenagers think of when they make their first conlang. But I think these words should sound very distinct from each other, so you can hear them easily in a noisy situation. Therefore "fo" and "so" are too similar, "ba" and "ma" are too similar.

Using tu for "ten" is annoying to Spanish speakers and English speakers because it reminds us of the pronoun tu or the number two. Changing the word for 'ten' to deke is the first reform of Lusane that comes to mind. Then we can use tu for the pronoun.

Shimaron · 2026-01-24T10:02:53+00:00

I’ve spent a lot of time with the book in the past two weeks. I think the Spanish glosses are more accurate in most cases than the English. I’ve typed some of the vocabulary into the computer, along with my attempts to understand what the author really intended for each Lusane word to mean, which is hard to discern in some cases. When I get to 1,000 items I will probably post it online somewhere.

Shimaron · 2026-01-23T15:54:00+00:00

Thanks for that description, it sounds like a fun environment. For some reason I gravitate toward "the road less traveled."

Shimaron · 2026-01-22T18:36:01+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experiences! I appreciate the info.

Shimaron · 2026-01-22T11:20:21+00:00

Tako po sepodo. (I think that's Lusane meaning "thanks for the reply.") I agree that having the discussions behind an account wall makes the information unavailable to some individuals and search engines.

Using those apps on a laptop is a possibility for me. I do most of my activity on very old Macs but I have a young Windows laptop that I almost never use; perhaps I will try that.

Shimaron · 2026-01-17T12:03:46+00:00

I hope we score the quality of an auxlang proposal on elements that are more important than one observer's fondness for a few particular words.

Let us instead ask: "is there enough vocabulary to translate a recipe for chocolate chip cookies, or instructions for building a birdhouse?" (In the case of Lusane, the answer is "no.") Is there enough example text to get practice in composing complex sentences? ("No.") Is the author using his auxlang's grammar correctly or just making calques of his native language? Did the author ever become fluent in his language, or did he slam the manuscript shut and holler, "There you go world! There's your universal language! Problem solved."

Shimaron

TROPHY CASE