GENERAL/POLICY IMPORTANT - Proposed Lojban Publication Policy 2/2

[Logical Language Group <lojbab@GREBYN.COM>]

Lojban policy change 2/2 (abstract in 1/2)

I see the process as eventually working like this:

1. We will identify two types of people as editors.  Some will be people
who are good Lojban writers who emphasize stylistics, but who tend to be
lax on whether text follows the 'rules' either because they don't yet
feel technically proficient with the language (Veijo, perhaps), or
because they produce and read text too fast to check it for technical
points (Nick is a prime example here, with his "la"-embedded names, and
typo-ridden lujvo).  Others will be people who seem especially good at
finding typos, grammatical errors, and weaknesses in technical aspects
of place structures and semantics, etc., like Mark S. and Iain.  People
like Colin serve well in both stylistic and technical aspects.  All
texts should be looked at in both aspects before publication.

2. All text posted, or recieved here at LLG Central will be evaluated by
one or more of the editors for possible publication value.  The standard
will be set low - we want as much text as possible to enter the process.
Any text identified by an editor as being of this standard can be
reviewed, and we'll let self-selection determine what texts get reviewed
by whom - hence the editor-de-jour concept advanced by Nick:  you are an
editor for a piece merely by speaking up and making comments on the List
or in private correspondence with the author.  If a text gets reviewed
by more than one editor at this stage, fine.

3. It is up to the author and editor whether to prepare an English
translation, either colloquial, or word-for-word.  Beginning Lojabnists
should of course give a translation until they are fairly sure that a
skilled Lojbanist will be able to figure out what they are trying to
say, even if it isn't perfect.  If the text is a translation, it must be
properly documented to give credit to the original, and we will have to
develop a procedure for getting releases to publish translations of
copyrighted text.  As noted below, I will want to see a vocabulary list
produced listing any Lojban words (lujvo or le'avla or names) that are
not in the standard published references; this will probably be
semi-automated.

4. When some editor is satisfied with the text by whatever standards
they are using, they pass on that text.  They will give some rating in
each of the areas of 1) technical difficulty or complexity, 2) Lojban
stylistic quality (including whether it breaks new ground), and 3)
overall quality.  Because there are no people skilled enough in the
language to catch all, or even most errors, I, or whoever is
coordinating will ensure that all texts get passed on by at least TWO
editors (if only one has volunteered, the coordinator will ask for a
second volunteer from among the editors).  At least one of the editors
passing on each writing must be someone who is willing to check the
technical language aspects, probably using the current parser (making an
effort to ensure that it not only parses, but parses correctly), the
interlinear glosser, and/or whatever other error checking programs we
can come up with.

5. When a text has been passed on by two editors, including one who has
specifically checked for key technical errors, it enters the publication
cycle.  I intend my editorial function in determining what to print to
be limited mostly by space, and a desire for balance in difficulty,
stylistic interest, and if appropriate, subject matter (as in my desire
to include a MEX text in the JL issue that will go out with the MEX
paper as an enclosure, either JL17 or JL18).  I probably won't read any
text until formatting it, except as noted below.

6. Nora and I by definition will have to be the choke-point for text
coming in from non-netters, since snail mail and some electronic
submissions tend to come here to the LLG address.  We will try to
minimize this by identifying local volunteers to get text into machine
form for distribution to the Lojban List/editorial board.  Obviously, we
will be doing some selecting based on resources, but will not otherwise
be reviewing text regularly except in connection with our weekly group
meetings.  Nora, John Cowan, myself, and pc, if-and-when he gets net
access, will probably not otherwise serve as editors-de-jour, but will
serve as a backstop to resolve technical issues and questions raised by
other editors.  We will thus ask those editors, when reviewing or
otherwise passing on a text, to identify any open or newly-resolved
technical issues, and possibly to include relevant discussion from the
list thread/correspondence stream.  Thus we won't feel a need to keep
abreast of all text discussions on the net.  (I will still archive all
discussions that enter my mailbox, but I won't try to read them all).

7. The one other function I would like editors to perform is new
vocabulary identification.  If a word is to appear in print, I would
like to have it in a vocabulary list, since we will not be providing
English translations unless it is in a standard reference list.  We can
use automated tools to extract all such words from a text, and to check
them for proper morphology (this is a minor change to Nora's glosser,
and people can develop similar tools for non-PC platforms, probably with
little difficulty).  Ideally each such word would then be given an
English gloss, and either a complete place structure, or at least
identify the places specifically used in the text by semantic role.  An
abbreviated format like the one Nick is using for his lujvo compilation
and analysis might be adopted if we can get it clearly documented.
These vocabulary words would then be printed in JL, but also added to
the dictionary data base.

8. The extent to which all this editorializing process overlaps Lojban
List traffic in general is up to authors and editors.  Comments are
welcome (especially from lurkers) as to whether people find the
technical comments on text details enlightening, or whether they even
get read at all except by author and reviewer.  If people want to set up
a separate mailing-list primarily for the editorial board, this might
also be useful; perhaps this can be done on the Lojban-List machine;
list membership could then be open and accountable to those in the
community who care.  The editorial-board list could also serve, though,
as a more limited forum for very technical discussions, of the sort that
have occasionally surfaced as the "Jimbob list".

9. As time and workload and publication space permits, I will extract
the latest version of all unpublished text submissions from the past,
and eventually published ones as well that need to be updated to the
current language.  Thus the year-long backup will hopefully disappear.

10. If the reviewed text volume grows to exceed what can be published
within JL's publication budget and schedule, and there are enough people
who want to read more Lojban text than that, I will be first in line to
encourage a separate Lojban-text only publication, which could be
limited along the lines suggested by the newsletter proposal.
Alternatively, the compendium of Lojban text, including unpublished new
and old stuff and recycled older materials, could be re-edited into a
Lojban reader, and the accumulated vocabulary lists and updated editing
of older texts would ensure consistent quality and expedited
editing/production.

11.  If this procedure is working well, the JL editorial board can add
selective other things besides pure Lojban text to its agenda.  The
occassional submitted article or technical feature, or some discussion
on Lojban List that seems worthwhile to share with the whole community
can undergo the same process of editorial filtering and recommendation,
and will then be added to the publication schedule.  Veijo's summary of
the ckafybarja project is an excellent example of such an article that
might be prepared by an author/editor from Lojban List traffic.  In this
case, Veijo and I served as the editors-de-jour for the current
publication.  This would leave me with only the news and production
portion of the JL production job, and I would not mind this in the
least.  But lets try it with the Lojban text backlog first, since I know
that the Lojban List members who proposed the ckafybarja newsletter feel
ready and competent to take on this job, which needs to be done.

----
lojbab                                                      lojbab@grebyn.com
Bob LeChevalier, President, The Logical Language Group, Inc.
2904 Beau Lane, Fairfax VA 22031-1303 USA                        703-385-0273