Posted by Glenn Kempf on 1:14 4/23/02
In reply to: Kazakhstan posted by Hans-Werner Hatting on 15:08 4/22/02
I should know better than to ever put "final" in a subject line... At any rate, I wanted to reply to the messages by Joey, Hans-Werner, and Phil.
Re: Joey's message--yes, different lengths of days and years can make a big difference! Of course, some science fiction authors have deliberately exploited this, like Kim Stanley Robinson in his Mars books, or Ursula K. LeGuin in _Planet of Exile_, which postulates a world in which a "year" (in the sense of the four seasons) lasts a human lifetime...
To Hans-Werner: Salem! I actually live in Taraz (about 500 km west of Almaty), but I come into the city every month or two and may be moving there eventually, so if you and your wife live in Almaty, I'll probably run into you before I run into Mark. :-) I'm glad that you agree with the analysis--although I should say that here in Taraz, the Kazakh language is much stronger, especially in the rural areas, where the majority of the population speaks Kazakh as a first language.
To Phil: I read the FAQ regarding accent marks, so I'll give it a shot. Dëkuy!
Poka, sau bolyngdar, and Ad onlelán,
Glenn