i think we both want the same outcome, that is well designed and useful languages, whether they are DSLs or not, and i agree that most DLSs probably aren't that. but not all general languages are getting that kind of rigor from the start either. some get it rather late after they became popular enough to have demand for fixing the problems that stem from their initial ad-hoc design. i am looking at javascript and php here in particular, but there are probably others.

DSLs, due to their nature are less likely to ever reach the level of popularity where its worth it to fix design problems. general languages on the other hand are more likely designed by people who care and without the pressure of a quick solution. (and its my understanding that javascript was a quick solution, which would kind of prove the point)

esperanto, btw, was designed with rigor.