Proposal: A separate antedatings list

[Shapiro, Fred]

I think I would probably not post frequently to an antedaters' list, I might just e-mail Jesse with antedatings.

I feel badly that some esteemed linguists are leaving ADS-L, although these are people who did not participate actively in the list.  Laurence Urdang, although an esteemed lexicographer, was one of the OT posters himself rather than a linguist who may have been turned off by OT postings.

It is true that ADS-L was undoubtedly originally envisioned as a list focused on dialectology and sociolinguistics rather than on historical lexicography or minor food terms.  I suggest again the solution I have suggested in the past, namely that the antedaters and OT posters, including myself, exercise more self-restraint than they have been doing.  This is a potentially wonderful list bringing together talented professional linguists and talented amateur language buffs, and it would be a shame to kill it off because of some people's stubborn insistence on overposting (again, I include myself in this category, although I believe my signal-to-noise ratio is better than some others').

Fred Shapiro


________________________________________
From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Jesse Sheidlower [jester at PANIX.COM]
Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2007 9:00 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Proposal: A separate antedatings list

On Sun, Nov 04, 2007 at 08:44:03AM -0400, Dennis Preston wrote:
> I agree with Lynne. Doesn't the DSNA have a list (if not, it should)
> in which matters lexicographical could be discussed? (Dialect
> lexicographers might want to get both.)

Yes, it does. But it is not really used.

The thing that splitters seem not to realize is that to split
the list does not mean that ADS-L will magically be more to
their taste, subject-wise. It means a significant disruption,
even under the best of circumstances (by "the best of
circumstances" I mean a situation in which everyone who
currently posts antedatings to ADS-L starts posting to the new
list, and everyone who cares about these posts will subscribe
to the new list).

But the circumstances will not be the best. I've already heard
from at least one regular poster who has expressed a strong
lack of interest in moving to a new list. Maybe the splitters
just don't care, but I for one think it would be a bad thing.
Let's remember that such posts are on-topic for the ADS; it's
not like people are regularly discussing woodworking
techniques and arguing that a lot of people like the subject
here so let's just let it slide.

A mailing list, forum, etc. is an organic thing. The DSNA is a
terrific organization, with a great journal, a wonderful
conference that produces loads of great papers and much
cameraderie, and is devoted to a subject of significant
interest. But its list has very little traffic. Why? Who
knows? That's just the way that it is. My expectation is that
carving pieces out of ADS-L (even if successful) will result
merely in these pieces being much more badly discussed, in
whatever place they end up, and ADS-L less interesting.

Jesse Sheidlower

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org