X-Git-Url: https://git.donarmstrong.com/?a=blobdiff_plain;ds=sidebyside;f=current%2Fr%2Fenable%2FENABLE.DOC;fp=current%2Fr%2Fenable%2FENABLE.DOC;h=0000000000000000000000000000000000000000;hb=7b14ba883fb1046508c44be37b4c6ba5da5feacf;hp=246cfa8ae53e5bb3281d0c64338a873fcc615ebe;hpb=b72d489091bf51f14f63db9bec15fe71fa52a395;p=deb_pkgs%2Fscowl.git diff --git a/current/r/enable/ENABLE.DOC b/current/r/enable/ENABLE.DOC deleted file mode 100644 index 246cfa8..0000000 --- a/current/r/enable/ENABLE.DOC +++ /dev/null @@ -1,134 +0,0 @@ - THE ENABLE LIST: AN INTRODUCTION - ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ - - -Mendel has asked me to write a few words on my perspectives on the -production and validation of the ENABLE list. So here they are. Note that my -contribution to this work began at the point at which the words of more than -eight letters (for which MW10 was the only source) were added to the list. -Thus the emphasis on MW10 in what follows. I should also note that my -comments apply specifically to the ENABLE list with the "signature words" -removed. While I understand the reasons for the inclusion of signature words -(and indeed, contributed to their selection), I consider the list without -signatures to be the base or primary version. It is certainly the only form -of the list subject to objective evaluation. - -The most important thing to understand about the ENABLE list is what sort of -thing it is. Do not criticise the list on the grounds of common sense, -linguistic erudition, or references other than MW10. ENABLE is not a work of -scholarship: rather, it is a work of scriptural exegesis. Its perspective is -that the god Merweb (also called Mahweh) has given us a holy book referred -to as MW10, which its devotees are required to take literally. Like all -useful holy books, it is upon occasion obscure, incomplete and at odds with -what we call mundane reality. Our job is to extract from this book a subset -of its lexicon, according to certain rules, without going beyond the bounds -of legitimate interpretation. Because it pleased Him to do so, Merweb failed -to include in His revelation certain information necessary for this task, -namely, consistent information about inflections and, for certain sets of -words, parts of speech. In order to obtain this information, it has been -necessary to consult with other interpreters of the tradition, such as the -Hasbro CD-ROM, and, in extremis, the holy writings of other Peoples of the -Book, notably the scriptures of the gods Ahweb, Rahweb and Webnew. Such -consultations have been performed with care; when the letter of MW10 was -inadequate, we at least attempted to remain true to its spirit and discover -that which Merweb would have revealed to us, had He not in His wisdom -decided to challenge us with a Mystery or two. - -There was also an issue here which does not occur with most Scriptures, -which is that the revelation of Merweb is a continuing revelation. Since it -is impossible for any mortal to accurately prophesy the future revelations -of a divinity, of necessity we have had to be content with using the most -current available texts. We have especially taken note of the new TWL98 -revelation; as the most recent addition to the canon, its contents and its -implications have great importance, and have significantly affected the -final version of ENABLE. (Note that sinners such as ourselves have not been -allowed to see the actual text of TWL98, lest it consume us utterly. We are -relying on second-hand reports of its contents, which appear adequate for -our purposes.) As Merweb continues to refine His Word(s), the ENABLE list -will gradually become less and less reliable. We are forced to accept this -limitation, but are cheered by the expectation that ENABLE will be succeeded -by another more worthy (and more wordy) compilation before it becomes -entirely useless. - -To give a simple example of the literalism required in the compilation of -ENABLE, MW10 states that "oxymora" is the only acceptable plural of -"oxymoron". Other traditions disagree, and the compilers of this list -themselves would not be caught dead saying "oxymora"; nevertheless, the -burden of literalism mandates that "oxymorons" not be accepted, even though -no one can doubt that it is the plural most commonly used by unbelievers. -(For the record, it should be noted that, even though their work is perhaps -most valuable for those whose faith in the perfection of the Merwebian -revelation is unshakable, the compilers of the ENABLE list consider -themselves students of comparative religion, and profess no faith in -Merwebian dogma themselves.) - -Here is another example of the difficulties of interpreting MW10, in this -case an issue on which the interpreters were unable to agree. Consider the -word "omphaloskepsis". Meditate on it in the lotus position. An important -and unique revelation of Merweb is that all singular nouns have plurals -(even words like "contraoctave" and "ogham" which would seem to admit of -*no* sensible plural). What, then, is the Merwebian plural of -"omphaloskepsis"? MW10 does not show a plural, but Merweb answers many such -questions indirectly, as described in the "Inflected Forms" portion of the -MW10 Explanatory Notes. "omphaloskepsis" ends in -sis, so perhaps the -statement that the plural of -sis is -ses applies. However, "omphaloskepsis" -also ends in "skepsis", which is itself listed in MW10, without an explicit -plural. Now the secondary sources come into play. "skepsis" is listed in -OSPD (the Omnibus Scriptures of Pedantic Deities), a syncretistic work -combining the revelations of Merweb with those of the other deities listed -above, as well as the ancient and almost forgotten god Funkwag. OSPD states, -without equivocation, that the only plural of "skepsis" is "skepsises", -implying the similar form "omphaloskepsises". Other consultations were made: -the Hasbro compilation accepts the form "omphaloskepses", and does not speak -to "omphaloskepsises", since this hexadecagrammaton is outside the -boundaries to which that compendium is restricted. The ENABLE compilers were -unable to agree on the resolution of this conundrum. Mendel holds that -Merweb could hardly have been so silly as to imply the existence of -"omphaloskepsises", while I myself hold that if Merweb had wished us to -accept "omphaloskepses", He would have so annotated either the entry for -"omphaloskepsis" or the OSPD entry for "skepsis", lest He otherwise violate -His own commandments and lead His disciples into confusion. Because the -ENABLE list is intended to be used in circumstances where allowing each -believer his or her own interpretation is infeasible, it was necessary to -make a decision (and therefore, let all know that the plural *is* -"omphaloskepses"); however, users of ENABLE should be aware that such -choices were made, and we can only pray that the God was with us and -moved us to choose correctly. - -Finally, I note that whenever Scriptural literalism is discussed some -smart aleck is likely to bring up an error so egregious as to seemingly cast -doubt on any reliance whatever on the authority of the work in question. For -instance, a liberal Christian may challenge his Fundamentalist brethren by -bringing up the passage in I Kings which implies that the value of pi is 3. -I will bring up a similar case here, in order to illustrate how such -objections may be disposed of. In its list of words beginning with the -prefix co-, MW10 includes the apparently nonsensical word "coresidenttial". -Does Merweb actually expect us to believe in this word, especially when the -implied "residenttial" is not listed? Of course not. This is a human error -in reducing the ineffable revelation to printed form, and of no more -substance than the 17th century Bible which omitted the word "not" from the -Seventh Commandment. We know better than to think that adultery is a moral -requirement, and similarly, we know better than to attempt to play -"coresidenttial" in a serious game of Scrabble (tm), no matter how great the -temptation. (Some of us have been known, admittedly, to play it in our -hearts, where it always falls on a triple-word score.) - -In short, our faith in the essential truth of the Merwebian corpus allows us -to detect and overcome the insignificant errors which have occasionally -crept in due to the God's necessary use of fallible man to bring His -revelation to the world. Like previous interpreters of the tradition, we -have no doubt that we have occasionally stumbled ourselves, but we also feel -sure that any such missteps will be discovered in their turn, and all to the -greater glory of Merweb and the marvelous language of which He is still the -foremost avatar. - - -ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ - -Scrabble is a trademark of the Milton Bradley Co., Inc. Forever and ever. -Amen. - - - - ----Alan Beale