Vreleksá

polyglot · Joined: 11 Apr 2009 Posts: 22

I need help! I've been making conscripts for years and now I want to make a conlang. I know a little about linguistics but i don't know any linguistic terms ive found a few guides online on how to make a conlang but i would like a few pointers directly from the experts
will some of you please give me advice?
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"If you see the light at the end of the tunnel, make sure its not the train coming." -me

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eldin raigmore · Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 5:45 pm Post subject:

I'm not one of those experts, but if you've seen "the Language Construction Kit" that's probably one of the best guides there is, or at least one of the most-widely-accepted-as-good guides.

Also, this site has six more links; the first two are the kind of thing you're looking for, and the rest probably couldn't hurt you either.

Baldash · Joined: 19 May 2009 Posts: 86 Location: Sweden

wals.info is also a good place.

achemel · Joined: 29 Mar 2009 Posts: 556 Location: up for debate

I know this thread hasn't seen any action for a little while, but I just wanted to say I think Eldin especially is really good at answering questions, so if you have any specific problems or questions about linguistic matters he probably will give you a nice, detailed answer, if he has time.
I'm not an expert either, but I can tell you that when I start a conlang I often go off from just a word or two that randomly spring into my head, and I play around with sounds until I think, "hey, I like these - let's throw them together and see what comes of it." If you have a lot of conscripts already, maybe you could think of sounds that go with the writing (although traditionally spoken language comes first). Say you have a curly or round script; you might think the letters would match up nicely with rounded vowels or maybe your language will include bilabial clicks, or maybe there isn't any sound but just hand signals or facial expressions. Then from there you can consider what the sounds mean; maybe a certain class of sounds, perhaps sibilants, are generally found in certain kinds of words - I think of air or wind when I hear /s/. Then you could think of how the words should go together to make sentences. Or you could work completely backward - come up with a sentence, then decide which parts of it make it work - what's grammatical about it like word order and if it's synthetic or agglutinating or what - then break down the morphemes and phonology.
Maybe that's a lot of stuff to think about, and maybe by now you've already started, but that's kind of how I work sometimes and I thought it might help. I'm sure everyone will be more than happy to answer any questions you have about making a conlang. Very Happy

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I have some small knowledge of:
English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Spanish, French
I would like to learn:
Italian, Norwegian, Gaelic
Main conlangs:
ddamachel, tadvaradcel, ra cel, lashel, hemnalg, nomah

Serali · Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 4:48 pm Post subject:

Also I demand that you start posting your pretty scripties.

I wanna see them.

Also the ZBB knows all. Mr. Green

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Tobo deu ne lenito sugu? - You kissed a frog?!

eldin raigmore · Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 9:36 pm Post subject:

polyglot · Joined: 11 Apr 2009 Posts: 22

Serali · Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2010 6:54 pm Post subject:

Good.

I look forward to them.

_________________

Tobo deu ne lenito sugu? - You kissed a frog?!