Proposal: A separate antedatings list

[Cohen, Gerald Leonard]

Fwiw, I agree with Jesse's analysis below. Ads-l is an organic thing, and splitting it up would lessen the breadth of ads-l discussion (a great strength, not a drawback!) without necessarily transfering its vigor to the other lists.
 
The members who contribute vigorously deserve our gratitude and encouragement. While various other lists languish with only occasional contributions, ads-l is thriving. The amount of valuable scholarly/lexicographical information is enormous, and one of the main thrusts of my research efforts is to polish and publish the most valuable ads-l material that has been appearing over the years (with due credit, of course).  There's no way I can keep up with it all, but the effort is continuing anyway and has given me a profound appreciation of ads-l and its contributors.
 
Of course, with some 450 ads-l members, not everyone will have an interest in every posting. We deal here with a sort of smorgasbord, with members free to pick and choose. Pressing the delete button or setting up filters is a small price to pay for the great breadth of information/insight/observations this list has to offer.  Also, IIRC, the ads-l charter speaks of the study of English in all its varieties and aspects, i.e., the American Dialect Society studies much more than dialectal features of English..
 
Gerald Cohen
 
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Original message from Jesse Sheidlower, Sun 11/4/2007 8:00 AM:

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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