X-Git-Url: https://git.donarmstrong.com/?p=deb_pkgs%2Fscowl.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=r%2Fenable%2Fenable.doc;fp=r%2Fenable%2Fenable.doc;h=246cfa8ae53e5bb3281d0c64338a873fcc615ebe;hp=0000000000000000000000000000000000000000;hb=b13ea8a082364672c6de2b010e558211ff52ec9a;hpb=01534a94130c1f5a3a230cf4fe18365a235ba271 diff --git a/r/enable/enable.doc b/r/enable/enable.doc new file mode 100644 index 0000000..246cfa8 --- /dev/null +++ b/r/enable/enable.doc @@ -0,0 +1,134 @@ + 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