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ailelieCreating a conlang, or constructed language, is not an easy task, but it can be very rewarding. A conlang deepens one's world-building by enhancing realism and suggesting a complete culture.
It is also very cool.
The Challenge: Translate The Babel Text or "The Wind and the Sun" into your conlang. You have until the end of March.
You can attack the task in whatever way you like, but the below links should be useful. The first two are guides that will take you step-by-step, starting with how you want your language to sound. The rest of the links to supplement those guides.
Guides
The Language Construction Kit
This is the guide. If you express an interest in conlanging, this will likely by the first link people will share with you. Mark Rosenfelder has put together a clear tutorial that may not tell you what to do at every step, but will always tell you what to consider.
How to Create a Language
This guide is based on the LCK, but explains some topics differently or expands on areas Rosenfelder glosses over. It is really best to use both guides in tandem, reading from both before completing that stage of the conlang.
Sound (Phonology and Morphology)
A language's sound does much to characterize it. While deciding which consonants and vowels to include in your language, consider which sounds would be easiest for your population to make. Does their mouth shape/etc make some sounds simpler to pronounce than others? The LCK has more information on this. Also, consider how widespread your language is and its reputation. A widespread language may be easier to learn or pronounce and/or may have more adopted sounds. Additionally, if your conlang is seen as difficult in-world, then you'll need to think about why, same if it is seen as easy, beautiful, and so on.
Phonology 101
A series of blog posts written even more clearly than the guides.
International Phonetic Alphabet Chart
This is linked in P101 above, as well as other places. I've included the link here to be easier to find. This version of the chart includes quite a bit explanation and further links.
How to Transcribe a Conlang
Transcription that everyone can understand and pronounce is difficult. This provides a chart and guide for a regular system.
Messageboard: Tones and Pitch-Accent
A series of questions and answers about tones and pitch-accents. This is not a full guide, but it may be helpful if you want to create a tonal language.
Morphology for Artificial Languages
Morphology is how your language forms consonants. Which letters are allowed to go together and which are not? Also, you may wish to consider word endings if you intend on creating a grammar for which they'd be necessary. When you use the word generator under the vocabulary section you'll have to represent possible consonants using letters, like C and V. You can use other letters as you like. This essay explains a bit about how to create a consonant.
Morphology 101
This is a couple posts by the same author of the P101 posts. These focus on how we structure words.
Vocabulary
Creating a vocabulary is both the most interesting and boring parts of creating a language. Creating a vocabulary is twofold, generating words and assigning meanings.
Awkwords - Word Generator
This is an extremely useful tool. You input your sounds, divided by vowels, consonants, nasals, and any other categories that your language uses. Then you type in a word pattern using the letters that represent each category and click generate. The help file explains how to bend the generator to your will using different notations.
Assigning meanings is more difficult. It can be hard to figure out which words your language will need. Some people work off of dictionaries; others prefer to assign meaning as necessary while translating. Others prefer to create a proto-language and use it for root meanings (as well as sound shifts). The below are just to help words and groups of words.
Taxonomies
These are lists of words grouped by categories like 'body,' 'justice,' and 'city.' This list is adapted from the Hildegard of Bingen's taxonomy. This list also includes the words from a conlang.
Vocabulary Aid: Basic and Additional Vocabulary
An exhaustive list of words.
List of Derivation Methods
Ways to create words from other words.
Word Relationships
Ways in which words are related. These relationships will reveal possible ways to derive new words from already created ones.
Prefixes and Suffixes
A list.
Grammar
Linguistic Typology
Chapter four from a textbook linked on the Wiki entry for Morphological Typology. This provides a rather more complete explanation of the different types of languages. This also discusses tone and other topics. Only 19 pages.
Designing an Artificial Language: Syntax
Another essay by Rick Morneau. This discusses word order, phrases, and sentence construction.
Real World Examples
Use these to get ideas of how your language can work.
French Grammar Guide (More)
Japanese Grammar Guide (More and More)
Swahili Grammar Guide (More)
Other Resources
The Conlang Phrasebook
A template for a travel phrasebook. The linked site has links to two zip files, one of which includes slang and risque topics.
Essays on Language Design
A complete list of essays by Rick Morneau. I've linked two of his above. If you like his style, then you may want to check out the rest of his writings.
Language Creation Society
A website devoted to conlangs, includes links and reading suggestions.
Make A Lang
A blog devoted to conlanging, complete with the blogger's own discoveries and missteps.
Philip Newton's Conlang Blog
Another blog devoted to conlanging.
WeSay
A downloadable dictionary-building program. It looks easy to use, but I've not tried it yet.
Richard Kennaway's Link List
Just as it says.
The Babel Text
A list of the Babel Text translated into various conlangs.
A Naming Language
An article on how to create a language just for person and place names, rather than use.
Gymnastics with Onomastics
A guide to create personal names.
Medieval Names Archive
St. Gabriel's is a fantastic resource for medieval names. Also, for some of the languages they include guides on how to construct an authentic name. Such may be helpful when you are creating your own naming guidelines.
Limyaael's Conlang Rants
Exactly as it says.
It is also very cool.
The Challenge: Translate The Babel Text or "The Wind and the Sun" into your conlang. You have until the end of March.
You can attack the task in whatever way you like, but the below links should be useful. The first two are guides that will take you step-by-step, starting with how you want your language to sound. The rest of the links to supplement those guides.
Guides
The Language Construction Kit
This is the guide. If you express an interest in conlanging, this will likely by the first link people will share with you. Mark Rosenfelder has put together a clear tutorial that may not tell you what to do at every step, but will always tell you what to consider.
How to Create a Language
This guide is based on the LCK, but explains some topics differently or expands on areas Rosenfelder glosses over. It is really best to use both guides in tandem, reading from both before completing that stage of the conlang.
Sound (Phonology and Morphology)
A language's sound does much to characterize it. While deciding which consonants and vowels to include in your language, consider which sounds would be easiest for your population to make. Does their mouth shape/etc make some sounds simpler to pronounce than others? The LCK has more information on this. Also, consider how widespread your language is and its reputation. A widespread language may be easier to learn or pronounce and/or may have more adopted sounds. Additionally, if your conlang is seen as difficult in-world, then you'll need to think about why, same if it is seen as easy, beautiful, and so on.
Phonology 101
A series of blog posts written even more clearly than the guides.
International Phonetic Alphabet Chart
This is linked in P101 above, as well as other places. I've included the link here to be easier to find. This version of the chart includes quite a bit explanation and further links.
How to Transcribe a Conlang
Transcription that everyone can understand and pronounce is difficult. This provides a chart and guide for a regular system.
Messageboard: Tones and Pitch-Accent
A series of questions and answers about tones and pitch-accents. This is not a full guide, but it may be helpful if you want to create a tonal language.
Morphology for Artificial Languages
Morphology is how your language forms consonants. Which letters are allowed to go together and which are not? Also, you may wish to consider word endings if you intend on creating a grammar for which they'd be necessary. When you use the word generator under the vocabulary section you'll have to represent possible consonants using letters, like C and V. You can use other letters as you like. This essay explains a bit about how to create a consonant.
Morphology 101
This is a couple posts by the same author of the P101 posts. These focus on how we structure words.
Vocabulary
Creating a vocabulary is both the most interesting and boring parts of creating a language. Creating a vocabulary is twofold, generating words and assigning meanings.
Awkwords - Word Generator
This is an extremely useful tool. You input your sounds, divided by vowels, consonants, nasals, and any other categories that your language uses. Then you type in a word pattern using the letters that represent each category and click generate. The help file explains how to bend the generator to your will using different notations.
Assigning meanings is more difficult. It can be hard to figure out which words your language will need. Some people work off of dictionaries; others prefer to assign meaning as necessary while translating. Others prefer to create a proto-language and use it for root meanings (as well as sound shifts). The below are just to help words and groups of words.
Taxonomies
These are lists of words grouped by categories like 'body,' 'justice,' and 'city.' This list is adapted from the Hildegard of Bingen's taxonomy. This list also includes the words from a conlang.
Vocabulary Aid: Basic and Additional Vocabulary
An exhaustive list of words.
List of Derivation Methods
Ways to create words from other words.
Word Relationships
Ways in which words are related. These relationships will reveal possible ways to derive new words from already created ones.
Prefixes and Suffixes
A list.
Grammar
Linguistic Typology
Chapter four from a textbook linked on the Wiki entry for Morphological Typology. This provides a rather more complete explanation of the different types of languages. This also discusses tone and other topics. Only 19 pages.
Designing an Artificial Language: Syntax
Another essay by Rick Morneau. This discusses word order, phrases, and sentence construction.
Real World Examples
Use these to get ideas of how your language can work.
French Grammar Guide (More)
Japanese Grammar Guide (More and More)
Swahili Grammar Guide (More)
Other Resources
The Conlang Phrasebook
A template for a travel phrasebook. The linked site has links to two zip files, one of which includes slang and risque topics.
Essays on Language Design
A complete list of essays by Rick Morneau. I've linked two of his above. If you like his style, then you may want to check out the rest of his writings.
Language Creation Society
A website devoted to conlangs, includes links and reading suggestions.
Make A Lang
A blog devoted to conlanging, complete with the blogger's own discoveries and missteps.
Philip Newton's Conlang Blog
Another blog devoted to conlanging.
WeSay
A downloadable dictionary-building program. It looks easy to use, but I've not tried it yet.
Richard Kennaway's Link List
Just as it says.
The Babel Text
A list of the Babel Text translated into various conlangs.
A Naming Language
An article on how to create a language just for person and place names, rather than use.
Gymnastics with Onomastics
A guide to create personal names.
Medieval Names Archive
St. Gabriel's is a fantastic resource for medieval names. Also, for some of the languages they include guides on how to construct an authentic name. Such may be helpful when you are creating your own naming guidelines.
Limyaael's Conlang Rants
Exactly as it says.
