Introduction, CONOPS

DEAD LANGUAGES CLUB
CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS

20090207

INTRODUCTION

Many professional or scholarly pursuits have an amateur equivalent. For example, professional sports leagues have amateur equivalents; professional wood or metal workers have equivalent hobbyists; professional engineering has a whole slew of do-it-yourself homebrew; et cetera.

The study of ancient languages and their evolution, in historical contexts, however (philology and linguistics), is underrepresented in the amateur world. As a result, amateurs who are interested in learning ancient languages and their evolution find a paucity of resources.

Thus, the Dead Languages Club was formed.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Dead Languages Club shall allow amateurs interested in ancient languages, linguistics and philology:

• To develop and promote proficiency in ancient languages, linguistics and philology among amateurs worldwide;
• To pool together educational resources on ancient languages, linguistics and philology for collective use;
  
• To learn together and peer review members' work to increase quality of education;
  
• To provide support for learning of ancient languages, linguistics and philology in a stable, friendly environment;
• To publish educational resources (as allowed by law) as well as insights and peer reviews on the Internet for records and accessibility.

STRATEGY

We are interested in the following ancient languages and their modern descendants:

1. Indo-European Ancient Languages: Latin, Greek (Attic/Ionian), Persian (Old/Middle), Avestan (Young/Old), Sanskrit
2. Optional Indo-European Ancient Languages: Gothic, Armenian, Hittite, Balto-Slavic
   
3. Afro-Asiatic Ancient Languages: Aramaic, Akkadian, Coptic, Phoenician (Levantine), Phoenecian (Carthaginian), Berber (Tamazight)
   
4. Language Isolates: Elamite, Sumerian
5. Altaic Languages: Proto-Turkic, Proto-Mongolian
   

The Dead Languages Club will follow this road map:

• Indo-European Languages: Years 0-8 (0-10 depending on whether optional ones are taken)
  
• Afro-Asiatic Languages: Years 7-12
  
• Language Isolates: Years 10-13
• Altaic Languages: Years 13-15
  

This roadmap is subject to amendment as necessary.

For Indo-European and Afro-Asiatic languages, our approach is to take the "median" language along a spectrum of isoglosses and "radiate outwards" to each direction, taking advantage of similarities between neighboring languages.

For example, Old Persian is similar to Ionian Greek and Avestan. Avestan is similar to Sanskrit and Greek is similar to Latin. Thus, by learning Old Persian first, it will be easier to learn languages toward each end of the spectrum: Sanskrit and Latin.

Thus the order of languages to be learned:

INDO-EUROPEAN

1. Old/Middle Persian
2. Young Avestan
3. Old Avestan
4. Sanskrit
5. Old/Middle Persian (revisit)
6. Ionian Greek
7. Attic Greek
8. Latin
9. optional: Old/Middle Persian (revisit)
10. optional: optional Indo-European languages
    

AFRO-ASIATIC

1. Phoenecian (Levantine)
   
2. Aramaic
3. Coptic
4. Akkadian
5. Phoenecian (Levantine) (revisit)
6. Phoenician (Carthanginian)
7. Berber (Tamazight)

LANGUAGE ISOLATES

1. Sumerian
2. Elamite

ALTAIC LANGUAGES

1. Middle Persian (revisit) (for loan words)
2. Turkic
3. Mongolian

This list and its timing is subject to amendment.

STRUCTURE

The Dead Languages club currently meets in person on Tuesdays at 1930 in the Washington, DC Area. Meetings will last until at least 2230.

Currently there is no plan for an oversight structure or electronic communication structure beyond e-mail. This section will be amended and dated should these circumstances change.