impenetrable communities

From: Cunningham, Donald (cunningh@indiana.edu)
Date: Fri Jan 18 2002 - 07:38:23 PST


After reading some of the recommended articles on community, I am beginning
to feel a little like Alice in "Through the Looking Glass". I hope we are
paying the word "community" a little extra.................djc

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`When _I_ use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, `it
means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.'

`The question is,' said Alice, `whether you CAN make words mean so many
different things.'
 
`The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, `which is to be master - - that's
all.'
 
Alice was too much puzzled to say anything, so after a minute Humpty Dumpty
began again. `They've a temper, some of them -- particularly verbs, they're
the proudest -- adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs --
however, _I_ can manage the whole of them! Impenetrability! That's what _I_
say!'
 
`Would you tell me, please,' said Alice `what that means?`

`Now you talk like a reasonable child,' said Humpty Dumpty, looking very
much pleased. `I meant by "impenetrability" that we've had enough of that
subject, and it would be just as well if you'd mention what you mean to do
next, as I suppose you don't mean to stop here all the rest of your life.'
 
`That's a great deal to make one word mean,' Alice said in a thoughtful
tone.

`When I make a word do a lot of work like that,' said Humpty Dumpty, `I
always pay it extra.'

`Oh!' said Alice. She was too much puzzled to make any other remark.



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