Wednesday, 29 November 2006

Single (or Standard?) Written Form (GanS 2)

A curiously elusive phrase, which seems to have gathered unto itself at least 2 distinct meanings.
(NB. a sans font is used for the KK viewpoint)

(1) SWF (Single Written Form) by consensus:
Cornish speakers and scholars will attempt to arrive, through currently ongoing discussion and compromise, at a consensual form of the language that everyone can live with. This will probably work; certainly, Cornish speakers are intelligent and mature enough for this to have a good chance of succeeding. And most of the forms of Cornish in use today are close enough to each other for such a compromise to be feasible.

Note: 'Single Written Form' is the original meaning of the SWF acronym; the Kemynistas introduced a second meaning (SWF='Standard Written Form) as an attempt to obscure the issue by confusing people.

(2) SWF (Standard Written Form) by Nazgûl diktat ex cathedra:
Cornish speakers will accept that Kernowek Kemyn already is the SWF, because the KK apparatchiks have decreed that this be so. This will work with absolute certainty (let's be clear about that! Case closed!), as Cornish speakers are obedient and stupid enough that it cannot fail to work. Moreover, there is only ONE valid form of Cornish (which just happens to be the one that we use); as for the other heretical forms, we say, as did our friends the dallekow, 'DESTROY! ANNIHILATE!'

One is reminded of the old joke:
Q. How many Microsoft software engineers does it take to change a light-bulb?
-- A. None: they just declare MS Dark ® (v1.0) to be the new Light Standard.
Thus (albeit somewhat derivatively)…
Q. How many Kemynistas does it take to arrive at a Single Written Form?
-- A. None: BS Kemyn '84 ® (v0.1b) already is the de facto Standard, as it has a 98% (and rising!) market share.

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