They said it would never happen!

And it didn’t. That’s probably why it took about three decades to get this project off the ground. But off the ground it is, like a little penguin with a jet pack: soaring several feet up in the air, out of control and terrified.

This collection is, obviously (onomastically speaking), not a direct descendant of the original Lingua Pranca and Son of Lingua Pranca anthologies. Instead it is a related-but-distinct entity: an homage (from the Early Middle French, meaning “rip-off”), a pastiche (from the Late Middle French, meaning “pile of refuse”), a parodie (from the Excluded Middle French, meaning “homage”).

When we, the current editors of SpecGram, came across LP and Son, we were elated to find such kindred spirits who had been poking fun at the same kinds of absurdities, often in the same kinds of ways, since we were in elementary school.¹ Ever since we saw to it that those two classic anthologies were republished online, we’ve been looking for ways to cash in on continue that wonderful tradition.

You have the result before you now: Collateral Descendant of Lingua Pranca—second cousin once removed to the original. Along with a number of new contributors, we welcome back several veterans from Lingua Pranca and Son and thank them for once again risking their reputations, and sticking out their academic necks.

We had fun with it. Now it’s your turn.

—Trey Jones & Keith Slater

	Disclaimer
	On the Meta-Abstractness of the Abstract Abstract—Métha Maxwell
	Collateral Descendant of Lingua Pranca Contents