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#65925 04/17/02 05:05 PM
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tsuwm Offline OP
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I am, once again (in the spirit of the Spirit of the Board), going to attempt the impossible. I am going to try to describe what we thought [that's the elitest "we" for those following along at home] we had here at one time and would like to find our way, somehow, back to.

I am, for the moment, going to call it the magisterium -- as I work my way through this, and it may take several posts, I hope to find a less loaded term. For the moment please allow me to define it thusly:

our magisterium of words was a domain where a form of teaching held the appropriate tools for meaningful discourse and resolution, concerning our shared language. In a sense we were elitist, coming in with all kinds of expertise in various areas, offering up what we knew, or thought we knew, about our common (and sometimes not so common) language, offered up from the point(s) of view of our jobs, our avocations, our heritage, our tastes, or just the ways in which we live our lives from day to day.

We were not without our foibles, even early on. The pedantic tone that sometimes arose turned folks away, I know, but we made it quite clear that we didn't want to be just another "chatty" forum -- as has been mentioned here at some length, those are rife in Networld. (All of this we tried to capture to some extent in our FAQs, but who reads that stuff.. and we couldn't capture it very well anyway.)

Now, just to close out this first post on the magisterium, I want to emphasize one thing. This magisterium should NOT be confused in any way with "majesty", which comes from an entirely different root. The distinction I want to make, and this is the real reason I chose the word, is that what we were (are?) about is the teaching of each other all of the useful and/or interesting things we know, or can find out, about this language that we profess to love.

questions?

#65926 04/17/02 05:29 PM
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...about this language that we profess to love.



If a professional professes something, what does an amateur do to the same something?


#65927 04/17/02 05:34 PM
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tsuwm Offline OP
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Could I ask you to expand on that question a bit, in the spirit of the magisterium?

()

#65928 04/17/02 05:37 PM
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what does an amateur do to the same something?

Loves it.


#65929 04/17/02 06:03 PM
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Loves it.

Preeeeeecisely!



The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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I am, once again (in the spirit of the Spirit of the Board), going to attempt the impossible.

I, for one, am mighty proud to be with a group of people who attempt the impossible.

First distinctive feature of AWAD word lovers:

They attempt the impossible; it's their spirit to do so.

Beaming respect,
WhynotWonder!


#65931 04/17/02 07:40 PM
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#65932 04/17/02 08:07 PM
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ewein, I am sure nobody would want to separate newbies from oldies (ugh, now that I'm forty, oldie is not a word I like can we use more experienced )

I love getting new input from new people. New voices bring in diversity that I'd really miss if we separated. Plus that is not really what we are about. Our new members are as valuable as the more experienced ones.

Correct me if I'm wrong but what I think is happening is that we will talk to the new people just like we'd talk to old friends "you're in the wrong category for that subject" "take it to miscellany".

If tsuwm, ASp, Mav or anybody else wrote me that, I wouldn't feel upset at all. I'd probably do a "raspberry" emoticon to tease em, add "oops, ya I know" and move the thread to the right category. But I can see how it could be misconstrued.

Maybe we should just keep in mind that new folks don't know us so well and speak with them accordingly. I'm certainly willing to keep that in mind.

But to separate folks...that would be sad. The love of words should bring us together.


#65933 04/17/02 08:10 PM
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tsuwm's point, ewein, is that we are really all "amateurs" here. We bring what we have to the party. And as he said, we've stuck pretty much to the format - this forum is about language, the similarities and variances across cultures. the words, the grammar, the semantics. And although we often veer off into other subjects, there's always, in the past, been that underlying relationship.

Even if it were possible, and I am certain it is not, to somehow "divide" the board, what's the point? How would you demarcate? Who would make the decision about who should graduate from newbie to something more, um, less newbie?

The people on this board are mostly not language professionals, although there are a couple of exceptions who seem to have left town for the winter of our discount tent. We share a love of language, in some cases an obsession with it. You're only as new here as you feel. The board assigns "titles" based on the number of posts. If it were based on the quality, well, there'd be a lot fewer carpal tunnels!

Get out of I&A and have a look in the other categories. That's what this board is all about!



The idiot also known as Capfka ...
#65934 04/17/02 08:23 PM
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actually two people have made a huge effort--
Jo (jmh) and Max. and many others have contributed.

In the I & A thread, any number of old-timer, keep bringing up Jo's Helpful hints thread.. culled from various old threads, its filled with useful info.. especially for beginners..
it has lots of information we have gleaned over the 2 years.

cool tricks with color, how to avoid common mistakes, some of the term we use like Yart..

Max-- (please be aware, us old timers, never say his name with out, getting down on bended knee, and crossing our hand over our hearts..) has a web page with improved instructions, zillions of links to every on line dictionary, and reference book you could image.

he has illustrated instructions for such neat tricks as how to make ¿ or ©or what ever your heart desires..

you don't seem to be a computer neophyte, but many here were... but with help, all become techno-comp's -- if not quite full fledged nerds!

Jackie started out only knowing how to use the keys that the keyboard has in common with a typewriter..Function keys? Print Screen? Arrows? to her, they were keyboard clutter.-- now, she could probly teach a course Computer Skills 101.. maybe even 102, too

as for rules about what to post.. there are even links to favorite (old timer's!) threads..

in days past, we used to tell people Post it in the loan words from German thread... (that thread was broken, and while it would let you post, you post never became visible..)
and truth be told, happy fun post, out of place are dealt with much nicer than [rants]
[rant] is an other old timer tool

we all lose it once in while.. and when we do, we try to warn people, --don't pay too much attention, i am letting off steam.. [/rant]-- a really bad rant might sit, with many reader, and no responce for a long time.. and eventually, it moves down, and away.. and no ones gets to excited.. but enough.. read Max's info or the stuff in I & A






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