Aside from the occasional contribution to someone else's thread, I haven't really done anything in quite a while. This is an attempt to rectify that.
In this thread, I will attempt to explain how anyone can use constructed languages (or conlang) to improve their campaign setting, and how that you don't need the background in linguistics that I am obtaining via a B.A. to make a useful constructed languages. I have one request of anyone reading this article: if there is something you don't understand, please ask. There are probably a lot of technical terms I may throw out without thinking, since I'm familiar with them, but you all might not be. Whenever I use one, I will try to link to Wikipedia or some other appropriate reference, even when I explain it in the article, just so you can get as in-depth information as you want.
This thread will probably materialize over the course of a couple days, as I have Work and Laziness competing for my attention.
So, What's a 'Conlang'?
'A constructed or artificial language '" known colloquially or informally as a conlang '" is a language whose phonology, grammar, and/or vocabulary have been consciously devised by an individual or group, instead of having evolved naturally' (Wikipedia '" Constructed language (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructed_language)).
But What, Really, is a Language?
A language is a system of communication, either spoken, written or signed. Moreover, languages are more than simply a system of communication, they convey culture, and are an inseparable part of culture.
So Why Should I Make a Constructed Language?
Constructed languages add a measure of verisimilitude to a setting. While it is usually easier to use English, or another language to create various names in your setting, making your own constructed language adds a level of fantasy onto your setting, distancing it from the familiar.
Isn't Making a Language Complex?
Yes and no.
First and foremost, you don't need to be a linguist or have any technical training to make a language. You're free to come up with what works for you. There's no need to make a complete language. Most constructed languages, especially for a fantasy setting, never get more complicated than perhaps a phonology, some basic grammar, and a limited vocabulary.
However, if you wish to make a truly complete constructed language, you have a lot of work in front of you. You'll probably want to first do some basic research into how languages work (i.e. linguistics). You, of course, know how at least one language works intuitively; this is your first language, or perhaps second third (or more) if you were raised multilingual. However, you probably don't really understand how a language works.
Wikipedia is a decent place to quickly get started; it's linguistics articles are fairly accurate and (typically) are useful even for the layperson. You'll want to check out these articles on specific fields of linguistics to start: phonetics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonetics), phonology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonology), morphology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphology_(linguistics)), syntax (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syntax), lexis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexis_(linguistics)), semantics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantics), and pragmatics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pragmatics). This is, of course, in addition to the main linguistics article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistics).
You may want to check out a few other areas of linguistics as well. Historical linguistics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_linguistics), the study of language change over time as well as language taxonomy, is interesting and can add depth to a constructed language.
Continuing
The next few posts will be my advice on how to create a phonology, a vocabulary, and the grammar for your conlang. I cannot tell you how to do it, of course, but these should start you along the right track.
What's a Phonology, and How Do I Make One?
Basically, a phonology is the rules for how sounds work in a language.
In a spoken language, a phonology includes the language's vowels and consonants, as well as other features such as syllables, stress, and pitch and intonation. Phonology has actually been applied to sign languages as well. Even though they contain no sounds, it is the accepted term for classifying hand shapes and movements.
It is important to remember that a language's phonology is usually not transparent. For example, the variety of English I speak contains 18 vowels and 24 consonants, not simply the 5 vowels and 21 consonants in the English alphabet. I also speak a little Japanese, which has 5 vowels and 24 consonants, but has 47 characters in its native script, each of which represent a mora (similar to, but distinct from syllables). Additionally, Japanese uses around 2,000 borrowed Chinese characters, which represent whole or parts of words (but are "read" as morae). So some languages under-represent their sounds, while others over-represent their sounds.
Languages run from an extremely high number of consonants (Uybkh, spoken in Balıkesir Province, Turkey, has around 84 consonants) to an extremely low number of consonants (Rotokas, spoken in Papua New Guinea, has about 6 consonants), and the same with vowels. However, languages like Rotokas have many allophones (phones, or sounds, that are different, but don't differentiate words, as phonemes do). An example of an allophone in English is the pronunciation of 'kitty'. While most speakers can tell that the sound of <-tt-> is not the same as that of <-t-> in 'cat', they are considered to be the same thing (a 'T').
To determine the sounds of a language, it is useful, though not necessary, to learn even the basics of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The IPA is a system for representing sounds on a one-to-one basis. Even if you don't learn it, there are sites that let you hear it so you can find some interesting sounds for your conlang. This one is particularly good. (http://www.yorku.ca/earmstro/ipa/)
While there are no rules for phonologies, there are some general things to keep in mind. Most languages have a 5-vowel system, similar to Spanish, represented in IPA as /i/, /e/, /a/, /o/, and /u/. Another common system is a 3-vowel system, like that of Arabic, represented in IPA as /i/, /a/, and /u/. Finally, almost no languages lack the consonants /p/, /t/, /k/, /m/, and /n/ (here the IPA corresponds directly to English).
I don't really have much experience with linguistics, so this might help me a bit with a few different things. From what I see so far, this looks pretty good, but I'd like to make one minor nitpick:
Quote from: limetomBut What, Really, is a Language?
A language is a system of communication, either spoken, written or signed. Moreover, languages are more than simply a system of communication, they convey culture, and are an inseparable part of culture.
This strikes me as a rather simplified definition of a language. You mention syntax later on, but I don't really see this as taking it into account. For example, it's one thing for Nim Chimpski to manage stringing together the signs for "dog", "bite", and "man", and by this definition, that would constitute as the use of language (as opposed to the imitation of the use of language), since it successfully communicates that there was a biting, and both a dog and a man were involved. However, the sentences "dog bite man" and "man bite dog" have two different meanings in every language that I know of.
This is a very minor nitpick, since your definition works for what you're using it for, and it's simple nature is easily understood, but I think it might be advisable to point out that the precise definition of the word "language" is still heavily debated.
Edit- I hope it's alright to post in here. If you're creating a discussion thread, please have somebody move this to that thread.
How Do I Create a Vocabulary?A vocabulary, of course, is the words in a language.
There really is no set method for creating a vocabulary, but I do have two pieces of advice. First, create only the words you need, you can always make up more later, and there is really no need to stress over it. Second, it may be useful to use what's called a Swadesh List as a base. A Swadesh Lists is a 100-word (originally a 207-word) list created by Morris Swadesh, who used them to compare languages; a method that was later discredited. However, they contain fairly common words and give a bit of a guide as to where to start.
[spoiler=Swadesh 100-List]
singular)
*we
*this
*that
*who
*what
*not
*all
*many
*one
*two
*big
*long
*small
*woman
*man (
adult male)
*man (
human being)
*bird
*dog
*louse
*tree
*seed
*leaf
*bark
*root (
of a tree)
*skin
*meat
*blood
*bone
*fat (
[noun)
*fire
*egg
*horn
*tail
*feather
*fish
*hair
*head
*ear
*eye
*fingernail
*nose
*mouth
*tooth
*tongue (
organ)
*foot
*knee
*hand
*belly
*neck
*breast
*heart (
organ)
*liver
*to eat
*to drink
*to bite
*to see
*to hear
*to know
*to sleep
*to die
*to kill
*to swim
*to fly
*to walk
*to come
*to lie (
as in a bed)
*to sit
*to stand
*to give
*to say
*sun
*moon
*star
*water
*rain
*stone
*sand
*earth
*cloud
*smoke
*ashes
*to burn
*road
*mountain
*red
*green
*yellow
*white
*black
*night
*warm
*cold
*full
*new
*good
*round
*dry
*name[/list][/spoiler]
Quote from: limetomBut What, Really, is a Language?
A language is a system of communication, either spoken, written or signed. Moreover, languages are more than simply a system of communication, they convey culture, and are an inseparable part of culture.
It's fine to post here.
Yes, the definition of language is debated, but you are conflating it a bit with communication, I think. The important distinction between language and communication is probably the fact that language conveys not just information, but also abstractions and culture. While a chimpanzee could string together the signs for MAN (http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/m/man.htm), DOG (http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/d/dog.htm), and BITE (http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/b/bite.htm) (the correct word order in American Sign Language), it does not mean it's using language. It wouldn't, for example, raise it's eyebrows while signing MAN, to indicate a topic, or know any of the many variant signs for DOG.
Much more importantly, the cimpanzee doesn't transmit any abstractions or cultural information, in this case, it probably doesn't realize that there is irony involved, because it probably has no concept of irony.
I would have to say to everyone, that second part of the definition is probably the more important part when distinguishing it from communication or imitation.
(And lol @ "Nim Chimpski".)
What, Really, Is Grammar, and How Do I Create It?Grammar is the rules that govern how a language works. Grammar is essentially made up of two parts: morphology, or how words are made, and syntax, or how words work in sentences.
One of the first things you might want to consider is word order. The most common word order is SOV (Subject-Object-Verb; like in Japanese), followed by SVO (like in English), and VSO (like in Irish).
For example:Japanese: '
Watashi wa Nihongo wo - hanashimasu [V]." ("I speak Japanese.").
English: "I speak [V] English
Irish: "Tá [V] Gaeilge - agam." ("I speak Irish;' note the Subject '" mé ('I') '" is dropped, and is instead part of the preposition agam, lit. "at me".)
Another thing to keep in mind, to quote one of my linguistics professors, is that "it is not a rule if there aren't exceptions." In the above example, Irish shows some exceptions to what would be the assumed sentence order (i.e. omitting the pronoun).
There are many other parts of grammar you may want to consider, only a few of which I will list here. One is how morphemes combine to make larger words. A morpheme is the smallest unit in language that has meaning; only a subset of morphemes are words, however, and these are called free morphemes. Other types of morphemes include bound morphemes (also called affixes) which are morphemes that cannot stand for words on their own, but must join with other morphemes to do so; they are typically prefixes and suffixes. Overlapping with bound morphemes to some extent are derivational and inflectional morphemes. The derivational morphemes combine with other morphemes to change a word's meaning, while inflectional morphemes combine with other morphemes to convey grammatical information about a word, such as number, tense, gender, etc.
For example, the word antidisestablishmentarianism is made up of one free morpheme 'establish' (meaning 'to set up, put in place, or institute '). Next is added the derivational morpheme (also just called a prefix) 'dis-' for 'disestablish' (meaning 'ending the established status of a body'). Then is added the derivational morpheme (also simply called a suffix) '-ment' for 'disestablishment' (meaning, in this context 'separation of Church and State'). Next is added the derivational morpheme (again, more simply called a prefix) 'anti-' for 'antidisestablishment' (meaning 'opposition to disestablishment'). Then is added the derivational morpheme '-arian' for 'antidisetablishmentarian' (meaning 'someone who is opposed to disestablishment'. Finally is added the derivational morpheme '-ism' for 'antidisestablishmentarianism' (meaning 'the ideology that opposes disestablishment'; note that '-ism' is also free morpheme 'ism').
This leads to the next part of grammar: morphological typology, which is the classification on how words are formed from morphemes. The two main types are analytic languages and synthetic languages. Analytic languages have a very low number of morphemes per word, typically in a one-to-one ratio. Synthetic languages, on the other hand, can have many morphemes per word. Additionally, synthetic languages are subdivided into two categories: agglutinative languages, which leave combined morphemes fairly intact, and fusional languages, which tend to 'mess with' their combined morphemes. A third category was also proposed, called polysynthetic languages, used mainly for the indigenous languages of the Americas, which can have many morphemes per word, even ending up with one word expressing what would be a sentence in other languages. However, there is no real clear-cut distinction between any of these categories.
English is, despite the above example of 'disestablishmentarianism' which has 6 morphemes in 1 word, a fairly analytic language. Other Germanic langauges, and Indo-European languages in general (the language families under which English falls) are typically fairly synthetic.
More to be added later...
Quote from: Sdr$g$n1984This strikes me as a rather simplified definition of a language. You mention syntax later on, but I don't really see this as taking it into account. For example, it's one thing for Nim Chimpski to manage stringing together the signs for "dog", "bite", and "man", and by this definition, that would constitute as the use of language (as opposed to the imitation of the use of language), since it successfully communicates that there was a biting, and both a dog and a man were involved. However, the sentences "dog bite man" and "man bite dog" have two different meanings in every language that I know of.
Technically, in most 'free' word order languages, you can swap dog and man around. Even in German, they're swappable (though there's case to be taken into account there, so the article would change). But that too is a minor nitpick.
Although I (obviously) am probably not going to be making much use of this article (as I've been making conlangs a while), I do find your take on it interesting.
QuoteConstructed languages add a measure of verisimilitude to a setting. While it is usually easier to use English, or another language to name your setting, making your own constructed language adds a level of fantasy onto your setting, distancing it from the familiar.
Naming your setting is only one of its many uses. Naming characters, giving them phrases to put into their dialogue, naming places and objects, creating inscriptions to put onto books...
Quote from: Wensleydale...creating inscriptions to put onto books...
Especially if you put so much into it that it actually has it's own alphabet. I see incredible props being passed around with this idea.
Quote from: WensleydaleQuote from: limetomConstructed languages add a measure of verisimilitude to a setting. While it is usually easier to use English, or another language to name your setting, making your own constructed language adds a level of fantasy onto your setting, distancing it from the familiar.
Especially if you put so much into it that it actually has it's own alphabet. I see incredible props being passed around with this idea.
Didn't proofread that part. Should have read "to create various names in your setting," to be in line with Sdragon and Wensleydale said.
I think this is a brilliant idea limetom, and it has already gotten me thinking about a few things. It would be really neat if you and Golem teamed up on some of your thoughts - I know he does a lot of conlanguaging - and posted some sort of joint tutorial, too! Thanks for this post, I look forward to more.
Wonderful thread. Kudos. I eagerly await the rest. Etc. ^_^
Nice thread. I've only tried this out once, but it was a pretty ambitious attempt - a bit too ambitious, a language with its own alphabet and everything. It's a great intellectual exercise but the more you try to make a really "alien" language, the more time consuming it gets. The one I constructed was for a reptilian race, so I stressed "s" and "z" consonants and ran with that "gimmick." The end result is that I can read and pronounce this:
(http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee254/MithridatesNES/iskite.png)
Excuse the poor penmanship, but it was made to look like a quick school exercise, not fine printing. :)
Unique alphabets and pronunciations are fun, but in the end not very useful (except, in the case of alphabets, to write inscriptions on things). I've yet to find a player who cares much about proper pronunciation of conlangs, especially when they involve sounds that aren't usually found in english.
One of the things that I think would help me, anyway. Is a list of say 50-100 most common words in a language (or RPG language). When ever I have tried to create a language the problem I encounter is that I don't know what I should include. So any advice in this area would be greatly appreciated.
Quote from: limetom[spoiler=Swadesh 100-List]singular)
*we
*this
*that
*who
*what
*not
*all
*many
*one
*two
*big
*long
*small
*woman
*man (adult male)
*man (human being)
*bird
*dog
*louse
*tree
*seed
*leaf
*bark
*root (of a tree)
*skin
*meat
*blood
*bone
*fat ([noun)
*fire
*egg
*horn
*tail
*feather
*fish
*hair
*head
*ear
*eye
*fingernail
*nose
*mouth
*tooth
*tongue (organ)
*foot
*knee
*hand
*belly
*neck
*breast
*heart (organ)
*liver
*to eat
*to drink
*to bite
*to see
*to hear
*to know
*to sleep
*to die
*to kill
*to swim
*to fly
*to walk
*to come
*to lie (as in a bed)
*to sit
*to stand
*to give
*to say
*sun
*moon
*star
*water
*rain
*stone
*sand
*earth
*cloud
*smoke
*ashes
*to burn
*road
*mountain
*red
*green
*yellow
*white
*black
*night
*warm
*cold
*full
*new
*good
*round
*dry
*name[/list][/spoiler]
Quote from: IshmaylI think this is a brilliant idea limetom, and it has already gotten me thinking about a few things. It would be really neat if you and Golem teamed up on some of your thoughts - I know he does a lot of conlanguaging - and posted some sort of joint tutorial, too! Thanks for this post, I look forward to more.
That would be good. I must warn you though, my experiences with phonology are quite small, because I concentrate a lot more on vocabulary and grammar. :P
Thanks for all the responses so far.
Quote from: IshmaylI think this is a brilliant idea limetom, and it has already gotten me thinking about a few things. It would be really neat if you and Golem teamed up on some of your thoughts - I know he does a lot of conlanguaging - and posted some sort of joint tutorial, too! Thanks for this post, I look forward to more.
I am already starting on a tutorial. Probably going to cross-post it on the forums and as a simple PDF (
via OpenOffice). Anyone who wants to is more than welcome to join in.
Quote from: KirksmithicusOne of the things that I think would help me, anyway. Is a list of say 50-100 most common words in a language (or RPG language). When ever I have tried to create a language the problem I encounter is that I don't know what I should include. So any advice in this area would be greatly appreciated.
singular)
*we
*this
*that
*who
*what
*not
*all
*many
*one
*two
*big
*long
*small
*woman
*man (
adult male)
*man (
human being)
*bird
*dog
*louse
*tree
*seed
*leaf
*bark
*root (
of a tree)
*skin
*meat
*blood
*bone
*fat (
[noun)
*fire
*egg
*horn
*tail
*feather
*fish
*hair
*head
*ear
*eye
*fingernail
*nose
*mouth
*tooth
*tongue (
organ)
*foot
*knee
*hand
*belly
*neck
*breast
*heart (
organ)
*liver
*to eat
*to drink
*to bite
*to see
*to hear
*to know
*to sleep
*to die
*to kill
*to swim
*to fly
*to walk
*to come
*to lie (
as in a bed)
*to sit
*to stand
*to give
*to say
*sun
*moon
*star
*water
*rain
*stone
*sand
*earth
*cloud
*smoke
*ashes
*to burn
*road
*mountain
*red
*green
*yellow
*white
*black
*night
*warm
*cold
*full
*new
*good
*round
*dry
*name[/list][/spoiler][/quote]
Here's a link to the 207-word Swadesh list (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swadesh_list#Swadesh_list_in_English) as well.
Personally, my main use for a conlang is proper nouns. I know full well that most players aren't interested in learning another language to play a game, which is why I try to keep it simple.
And now, even though I'm not really done with the grammar section, I'll start with the tutorial.
Purpose for the ConlangTry writing one or two sentences stating your purpose in creating the conlang.I am going to use this constructed language is to help flesh out my new setting; at this time, I don't need it very detailed.
Creating a PhonologyHere I'm going to make a list of consonants and vowels, and go over some other topics like syllables.ConsonantsRemember that most languages have the consonants /p/, /t/, /k/, /m/,
and /n/.
For a stranger sounding language, you may want to omit some.I am going to create a conlang with 15 consonants. This is a somewhat small number of consonants, but only a handful are more than enough. Below is a table with the orthography I'm using. It's labeled the same as a chart that uses IPA, which should be good for both those who know it, and to allow me to explain it for those who don't.
[th][/th][th]Alveolar[/th][th]Palatal[/th][th]Velar[/th][th]Glottal[/th]
[th]Plosive[/th]t d | | k g | ' |
[th]Nasal[/th]n | | | |
[th]Fricative[/th]s z | | kh gh | h |
[th]Lateral Fricative[/th]l | | | |
[th]Approximate[/th]r | | j | |
[th]Lateral Approximate[/th]hl | | | |
The names of the columns indicate
the place of articulation. This is where the tongue (and sometimes lips or teeth) touch other surfaces of the mouth to make sounds.
Alveolar refers to the alveolar ridge, a small ridge right behind your teeth. English consonants like <n>, <t>, and <d> are alveolar consonants.
Palatal refers to the soft palate, which is at the front of the roof of the mouth. The only English palatal consonant is <y>, though the Spanish <ñ> has entered most English-speaker's register.
Velar refers to the velum, which is at the back of the roof of the mouth. English velar consonants include <k> and <g>.
Glottal refers to the glottis, also known as the vocal folds. English velar consonants include <h> and the glottal stop, which typically isn't written, but found in the middle of <uh oh>. Of course, there are other places of articulation (including bilabial, labiodental, dental, postalveolar, retroflex, uvular, pharyngeal, and epiglottal), but for this tutorial, I've kept it to ones that occur in English.
The names of the rows indicate
the manner of articulation. This is the way in which the tongue (and sometimes lips) touch other surfaces of the mouth to make sounds.
Plosive refers to a complete obstruction of the airstream, followed by a release. English consonants such as <p>, <t>, and <k> are plosives.
Nasal refers to a complete obstruction of the airstream, with the velum lowered, followed by a release. English has only two (native) nasals <n> and <m>, however, the Spanish <ñ> has been borrowed by many speakers. Both plosives and nasals are
stops, indicating that the airstream stops.
Fricative refers to a narrowing of the airstream, enough to cause turbulent airflow. English has a few fricatives, including <s>, <z>, <sh>, and <h>.
Lateral fricative refers to a fricative where the airstream is blocked centrally and escapes out the sides. English has only one lateral fricative <l>.
Approximate refers to a narrowing of the airstream, but not enough to cause turbulent airflow. English approximates include <r> and <y>. Finally
lateral approximate refers to an approximate where the airstream is blocked centrally and escapes out the sides. There are other manners of articulation (trills and taps/flaps), but again, I didn't use them for simplicity's sake (though English contains the latter.
When two sounds appear next to one another, the one on the left is voiceless, and the one on the right is voiced.
Voiceless consonants are made without the vocal folds vibrating. English voiceless consonants include <p>, <t>, <k>, and <s>.
Voiced consonants are made with the focal folds vibrating. English voiced consonants include <b>, <d>, <g>, and <z>. Where only one sound is listed, it is safe to assume they are voiced (with <h> and the glottal stop being notable exceptions).
(Remember to check out this site (http://www.yorku.ca/earmstro/ipa/) to hear what these sounds sound like.)
VowelsRemember that vowels come in two common systems: the 5-vowel system (/i/
, /e/
, /a/
, /o/
, and /u/
) or the 3-vowel system (/i/
, /u/
, and /a/
).I am going to create a conlang with 6 vowels, based off of the 5-vowel system. It's very similar to the vowel systems found in Iroquoian languages such as Mohawk, Cherokee, and others. I will also introduce the concepts of secondary articulation and allophones here.
[th][/th][th]Front[/th][th]Center[/th][th]Back[/th]
[th]Open[/th]i | | u |
[th]Mid[/th]e | c | o |
[th]Close[/th] | a | |
Both vowel
backness (columns) and vowel
height (rows) are fluid categories; there is no clear distinction between the subdivisions of each.
Front vowels are closer to the lips, while
back vowels are closer to the vocal folds; these are, of course, the two ends of the (articulatory portion of the) vocal tract.
High vowels are made with the lower jaw fairly closed, and the tongue closer to the roof of the mouth, while
low vowels are made with the lower jaw fairly open, and the tongue further away from the roof of the mouth. Additional subdivisions of both vowel backness and vowel height do exist, but with only 6 vowels, there is no need to be that specific.
The English has all of these vowels, though with only 5 vowel letters and 18 vowel sounds, it will take a little explaining to get you making these sounds correctly. <i> corresponds to the second vowel sound in <happ
y>. <e> corresponds to the vowel sound in <face>. <u> corresponds to the vowel sound in <goat> (note that this may not be the case if you're from Australia, New Zealand or England, in which case it may be closer to the vowel sound in <force>). <a> corresponds to the vowel sound in <palm>.
Finally, <c>. <C> partially corresponds to the second vowel sound in <comm
a>. However, that sound is what is called an allophone. English speakers recognize a number of individual sounds under the letter <a>, this central mid vowel (in IPA /É/) is one of them. Additionally, <c> has a secondary articulation; it is nasalized. This means that, similar to nasal stops, the velum is lowered while you produce this sound, so air escapes out of the nose. This property is also an allophone of English (and many other languages); whenever a vowel precedes a nasal consonant, it becomes nasalized. I am using <c> under a special rule in my conlang: it is the only vowel that can follow an <n>.
SyllablesSyllables are how sounds combine to make up morphemes.Syllables run from simple to complex. They are made up of three parts: an onset, a nucleus, and a coda.
Nuclei form the base of a syllable, and are typically vowels, though some languages allow certain consonants to form the nucleus of a syllable.
Onsets precede a syllable's nucleus, and are fairly standard in most languages.
Codae follow a syllable's nucleus, but aren't universal in languages. For example, <cat> contains an onset <c->, a nucleus <-a->, and a coda <-t>. <at>, on the other hand, only contains a nucleus <a-> and a coda <-t>.
For my conlang, I am going to keep it simple. Here are the rules for syllables:
Nuclei are always vowels.
*Codae are limited to sonorant consonants (<r>, <y>, <hl>, and <n>).
*Onsets are made up of, at most, two consonants.
Some example words might be: <a> (V), <sa> (CV), <ahl> (VC), <sahl> (CVC), sha (CCV), <shahl> (CCVC). Remember that, aside from in the digraphs <kh>, <gh>, and <hl>, <h> should always be pronounced as it is; don't let false friends like <sh-> and <th-> confuse you. Also, I've decided to use <'> to disambiguate where an <h> is part of a dirgraph or not (e.g. <h'hla> and <kh'he>. When it does so, it isn't a glottal stop, but simply a spelling contrivance.
And here's the (nicer looking) PDF version of the tutorial thusfar:
File: Conlang Tutorial - Phonology.pdf (//../../e107_files/public/1215027880_14_FT51043_conlang_tutorial__phonology.pdf)
Thanks for the list guys, that'll be a great help. Second, does the forum have some way to turn threads like this into articles that can be posted permanently? (this noob is still figuring the site out)
My personal Rule #1 for conlangs:
a language, sufficiently foreign, is indistiguishable from gibberish. First case in point:
Quote from: Polycarp!...I can read and pronounce this:
(http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee254/MithridatesNES/iskite.png)
Excuse the poor penmanship ...
Second case in point: rednecks trying to imitate Asian languages (which they seem to lump together under the heading "Chinese"). Seriously, listening to these guys, you'd think Chinese was nothing more then a dozen or so single syllable words that all start with the CH sound.
I bring this point up because, while I don't see any way this could be disproved, it seems to have been disputed in the Tavern.
Quote from: Halfling FritosMy personal Rule #1 for conlangs:
means[/i].
QuoteSecond case in point: rednecks trying to imitate Asian languages (which they seem to lump together under the heading "Chinese"). Seriously, listening to these guys, you'd think Chinese was nothing more then a dozen or so single syllable words that all start with the CH sound.
Wow, have you actually run into this? Now I'm interested in what the context of this discussion is. I don't usually associate "rednecks" with conlangs.
Quote from: Polycarp!Quote from: Halfling FritosMy personal Rule #1 for conlangs:
means[/i].
I wouldn't say it's a non-issue. In fact, I think it's a liberating thought for the beginning conlanger; it means they can afford to be sloppy the first time or two. If their first conlang comes out sounding like gibberish, it still can be, to some degree, usable.
QuoteQuoteSecond case in point: rednecks trying to imitate Asian languages (which they seem to lump together under the heading "Chinese"). Seriously, listening to these guys, you'd think Chinese was nothing more then a dozen or so single syllable words that all start with the CH sound.
In the type of towns I've lived in most of my life, you do grow accustomed to rednecks. Yes, I have run into this. That particular example is more about languages in general (unless Chinese is a conlang?), but it's applicable to conlangs.
Ah. I was more narrowly construing your comments with regards to conlangs. As for the redneck/Chinese thing, it seems pretty typical for non-speakers to caricature a language by a few distinctive features they perceive to be key to the language, like ch-sounds for Chinese (or "aboot" for Canadian English!). Depending on the context that can be embarrassingly racist or quite harmlessly funny (I'm guessing the experiences you're talking about are more the former than the latter).