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April Challenge

I know-- an April challenge now? When the month is so nearly over? Yeah...

Alright, two things:

(1) for the past two months we have been working on creating a language; and
(2) April is poetry month.

The challenge is, using your world and/or language, create poetry. Not the poetic kind? No matter, there are options.

Choose one of the following:
(1) Write a poem in your conlang.
(2) Write a poem in your native language that is translated from a language within your world.
(2a) Include translator's notes.
(3) Translate a poem from an Earth language into your conlang.
(4) Write up a short paragraph discussing the difficulties of translating an Earth poem into a language from your world.

And, if you really, really don't want anything to do with poetry:
(5) Write 3-5 idioms used somewhere on your world. These can be translated into an Earth language, in your conlang, or both.

The reasoning behind this activity is not only to get a better grasp of your conlang, but to get an idea of how your world sounds, even if you didn't create a conlang. Also, the way we translate idioms, wordplay, and so forth can say a lot about our culture and circumstances. The Japanese proverb Even monkeys fall from trees would likely never generate in the States due its distinct lack of monkeys, other than in zoos, circuses, and so forth. While the proverb can be translated into English, the meaning may not be immediately apparent. Symbols also differ. In one culture a lake may represent peace, beauty, and life, while in another it signifies hidden depths and danger.

As we develop societies, I'll try to remember to return to language periodically, and ask how do people swear? make promises? describe the sunrise? and so forth, but, for now, poetry.

(And, yes, I will be posting a resource list concerning poetic forms and translation. My procrastinating on that is why this challenge is being posted so late. Sorry!)

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Mod Post! An update and two important questions

As you have likely noticed, I am not the most consistent of mods. However, I have not forgotten this community. I have a small activity planned for April to cap off the long conlanging challenge from February and March, and some big plans for the summer. So far, since starting this community, we have been focusing on the world itself, though language did tip us a bit toward society-building. We’ve yet to discuss food, clothing, housing, and institutions. We will start focusing that direction in June, after laying some groundwork in May.

The Questions

What are some topics you'd like covered in the coming months?

Also, just so I can get an idea of how to focus my research and link listings each month, what types of worlds and societies are you all interested in? Do you want to see more with a fantasy and/or medieval bent, or more sci-fi? Or, are you creating modern alternative worlds or are you delving in some historical model beyond medieval Europe? While a lot of topics are shared across all settings, each setting does have some unique considerations.

Comment here, or email tisforlily via gmail.

Maps: Another View

When I posted resources about maps, I included information about projections and creating something useful for getting to point A to point B. A recent post on Tofugu, however, reminded me that maps are simply a way of representing space.

Tofugu has a post up now that shows some early Buddhist maps from Japan. These maps were not created based on relative size and distance, but rather on religious significance. The result looks impossible for navigation, but shows the general area religious sites occupy and their relative significance.

So, when map making, don't just think about where places are, but also consider who is creating the map and why. Their perspective and purpose should inform a lot of the map's development.

ETA: lea_hazel commented: The most important place in the world should be close to the center, like the 19th century style of world maps focuses on Europe, and some old European maps focus on Jerusalem. This being the most famous one, I think.

Entry tags:

talk,
wip

Check-In

Happy Fat Tuesday!

This is a quick check-in to make sure you've not forgotten about the two-month long conlang challenge.

The secondary challenges for Feb/Mar are to either (a) create a writing system for your language; (b) label a map in your language. Note the 'A.' If you did not make a map of your world, then you may also label your hometown, a subway system, your favorite store, etc. The focus in this case is more on creating as much of a language as necessary to create names.

If you have questions about the challenges, suggestions for future months, or progress to show for this month, this post is the place to share!

I hope everyone has been having fun.

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Monthly Challenge: Create and Use a Conlang (Resource List)

Creating 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.

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February/March: Challenge Notes

Since creating a language is not a little task, I am extending this challenge to include March as well. We will have on main challenge and two minor ones.

During these months we will be focusing on creating a usable language for your world. I will also provide notes on creating a language for just names. Creating the basic language has three steps:

1. Sound
2. Vocabulary
3. Grammar

I will divide my link list (to be posted later this afternoon) accordingly.

::The Challenges::

Main Challenge: Translate either the Babel text (Genesis 11:1-9) or "The Wind and the Sun" by Aesop into your conlang. I chose the Babel text because its use among parts of the conlang community. I chose the "The Wind and the Sun" since the the Langmaker website identifies it as a text some others in the community use.

Secondary Challenge A: Create a writing system for your language.
ETA: I changed 'alphabet' to 'writing system.' I had intended alphabet as a catch-all term, but alerted that it might not come across as such.

Secondary Challenge B: Label your map with your language. (You do not need to use the special writing system, especially if you did not create one.)

Quick Mod Note

I apologize for how long this is taking for me to put together. Last Tuesday, about an hour after posting on this community, I was offered a job that requires re-location. (Interviewing for this job, while also starting a new and temporary teaching job are what occupied me in January). The job starts next week. I have been scrambling to find a place to live, obtain furniture, kitchen supplies, and so on (due to how my roommate relationships worked out, I never needed to buy pots/pans/bowls/etc before). This is another reason why the challenge has been extended. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I have not forgotten this community. It is just that real life is a bit chaotic right now.

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February

So I didn't post last month.

I am very sorry for not posting and not explaining.

We are, for now, skipping that month. I have some resources on population statistics and spread and xenobiology which I'll post later.

This month we will work on creating a conlang or constructed language.

The primary task for this month is translating a text into your language. The secondary task is EITHER labeling your map in your language or creating an alphabet (or both!).

To help get you excite for this task, I offer the below links:

The Ellian Script
This page chronicles the creation of a beautiful writing system.

On Nation Language, Gibberish, and Why Both Aren't the Same
Fantastic meta on the importance of a nation language.

Some Highlights of Na'vi
I've yet to see Cameron's Avatar, but I still found this article, which breaks down some of the Na'vi language very interesting.

Constructed Human Languages
Break-downs of some created languages. Many of these are really detailed.

I will post again later today or this week to further discuss our topic this month and explain the tasks.

I hope everyone had a wonderful new year!!

Real World Inspiration

The following is a list of articles, images, and lists that may be inspiring for world-building. Linking is not full endorsement, by the way. If you disagree with an opinion expressed in one of the articles, please share and discuss.

If you've other articles/lists/etc, please link them in the comments.

( The List )

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December

Welcome to the third month of

build_a_world!

Originally this month was to be the design of intelligent life. However, given how busy last month was and this month will be for people, December will be a catch-up month instead.

If you've not completed any of the monthly challenge posts yet, this is your chance. The primary challenges for October and November are tagged here, while the secondary challenges are here.

Also, in addition to this being a catch-up month, I'll be posting a couple resource list posts as well. If there is a topic for which you'd like an annotated link list, please reply here. We'll also be trying out discussion posts later this month as well.

January will be a combination of intelligent species design and population density/distribution. That way we'll still be on track for constructed languages in February.

Question of the Week

This is the last question of the week, as well as the of the month.

(4) How do the denizens of your ecosystem use/ration/adapt to the resources available to them? Who wants want? How do they get more when needed (creation, re-purposing, negotiation with other systems, invasion, etc)? Does everyone get what they want at a minimum cost?

This entire question can be boiled down to a single yes or no, plus why: Is your ecosystem balanced? Why or why not?

Imbalance creates conflict and conflict can lead to interesting situations for your protagonists or even the start of a story.

Question of the Week

First off, happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate it. I'm sorry about the lateness of this post; I got distracted by Yuletide.

Anyway.

(3) Where are your resources (they need not all be widely available in the same ecosystem. In fact, scarcity of one or more resource can lead to interesting adaptations)? Be sure to consider the below.

Water (drinking, cooking, farming)
Energy (light, fuel, food, nutrients)
Medicine
Air
Living space
Power (wealth, make-up, rarities, etc)
Supplies (cloth, tool, building materials, etc)

This is, I hope, a rather straightforward question. The point is to know where you do and do not have access to certain resources. This can help with designing creature adaptations, trade routes, housing types, and more.

Entry tags:

talk

Talk Post

It's been a while since the last talk post. Use this week's to chat about any issues you're facing with your worlds or even just the general frustrations that this time of year can cause. If you're doing a Nano, how have you been incorporating world-building with your novel? If you've decided to tackle this month's secondary challenge, how is that coming along?

( As always, the rules )

Question of the Week

Note: I'll post a Talk post later today.

(2) Following off #1, list some common features for the plants and animals for each trophic level (main predator, secondary predators (smaller and larger), producer-eaters, and producers) in the areas of your world most important to you (save the information for other areas for later if you need them). This may help you avoid the 'rabbit with a funny name' trope. Later when you need an animal, you can steal a couple ideas from this list, allowing you to make unique flora/fauna that also looks like it could fit within your ecosystem. Also, since you have a list for each level, you already know where the creature fits within the ecosystem and how preyed up and populous it must also be.

The point of this question is to organize the information you gathered in the first question and put it into a format that may be usable later on. This can be a big thing, or you can just add some notes to the work you did before.

If you start naming the animals, remember that your names may need accounting for when you design a language.

Question of the Week

Trying the weekly break down this month. If it doesn't work, we'll go back to the previous format for December.

(1) Where are your ecosystems (Note: Climate and terrain will often define these)? What kinds of plants and animals are typical for those zones? Are there any isolated areas that might be sheltering unique and/or prehistoric creatures and plants? (Note: These questions still hold if your ecosystem is a space station with 'artificial' and 'greenhouse' climates.)

The point of this question is to get idea of what is and is not typical for the world you've created so far. If you don't want to make just a list, consider making a clip-book using Evernote, OneNote, or similar. Or, don't worry about anything written yet and just be ready for question #2 next week.

The idea is to get a feel for what does and does not work within a certain climate/terrain. Also, to understand the boundaries for your creatures and plants. That way you'll know if two people may share knowledge of some species or if it'd be foreign to one of them.

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secondary_challenge

November: Secondary Challenge

Since the primary challenge is mostly thinking and writing, the secondary challenge this month will be a drawing or collage.

The task is to create an energy pyramid for one area of your world (unless your entire world is a single ecosystem).

You can look over examples here, here, and here. This list of 'rules' from Holly Lisle may also prove helpful.

If you cannot draw, then you can just list flora/fauna along with a brief description or you can create a collage with pictures collected from the net and so on. If your animals are all fantasy, then create them via collage as well.

The important things to remember with an energy pyramid is that the top is the largest and sparsest predator and the bottom are the tiny and very populous producers.

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November: Primary Challenge

As stated in the introduction, this month's challenge is a list of four questions/tasks for you to think through and answer.

(1) Where are your ecosystems (Note: Climate and terrain will often define these)? What kinds of plants and animals are typical for those zones? Are there any isolated areas that might be sheltering unique and/or prehistoric creatures and plants? (Note: These questions still hold if your ecosystem is a space station with 'artificial' and 'greenhouse' climates.)

Wiki: Ecosystem
Wiki Portal: Ecology
Holly Lisle's Rollicking Rules of Ecosystems
Animal size
Animals by Biome
World Biomes (descriptions)
Energy Pyramids and Food Chains (with notes on creature and population size)

(2) Following off #1, list some common features for the plants and animals for each trophic level (main predator, secondary predators (smaller and larger), producer-eaters, and producers) in the areas of your world most important to you (save the information for other areas for later if you need them). This may help you avoid the 'rabbit with a funny name' trope. Later when you need an animal, you can steal a couple ideas from this list, allowing you to make unique flora/fauna that also looks like it could fit within your ecosystem. Also, since you have a list for each level, you already know where the creature fits within the ecosystem and how preyed up and populous it must also be.

(3) Where are your resources (they need not all be widely available in the same ecosystem. In fact, scarcity of one or more resource can lead to interesting adaptations)? Be sure to consider the below.

Water (drinking, cooking, farming)
Energy (light, fuel, food, nutrients)
Medicine
Air
Living space
Power (wealth, make-up, rarities, etc)
Supplies (cloth, tool, building materials, etc)

(4) How do the denizens of your ecosystem use/ration/adapt to the resources available to them? Who wants want? How do they get more when needed (creation, re-purposing, negotiation with other systems, invasion, etc)? Does everyone get what they want at a minimum cost?

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November: Introduction

Welcome to November at

build_a_world. Last month we designed our playgrounds; this month we'll populate them.

All worlds, including those that exist entirely on constructed structures, are a collection of ecosystems. An ecosystem is an area, defined by the climate and physical environment, of flora and fauna and the relationships between them and the non-living resources also within that area. When designing a world, it is all too easy to name a single creature or plant here and there without thinking about the relationships between them. These relationships between flora, fauna, and the environment shape the creature's and its population's size. Understanding how the ecosystem works can make your world feel more real. (This is true for interactions between people as well. If you know what they want, what is wanted from them by whom, and the levels at which it all balances out, you've got the basics of your society, etc).

Another important aspect of an ecosystem, besides relationships, is balance. A balanced ecosystem serves all within it. If another species enters that balance and cannot contribute to it, the ecosystem will start to fail (the rate of this failure will depend upon the degree of intrusion). Suddenly the flora and fauna need to find other ways to find food, water, living space, etc. Generalist species may survive, but specialist ones will start dying off. The ecosystem will continue crashing until a new balance is achieved. By that point, the area may be irretrievably changed.

Considering that this is the month of NaNoWriMo and Yuletide and that many are still working on their playgrounds, this will be a relatively light month. The primary question is a list of four questions, one for each week this month. The secondary challenge is to create an energy pyramid for an area of your world.

Entry tags:

mod,
suggestion_box

Mod Post

From reading over some of the comments in the talk posts over the past month, it seems that the size of the challenge may be a bit unwieldy or intimidating, especially during busy months.

For those that feel this way, would an optional weekly mini-challenge be helpful? The mini-challenges would be designed that accomplishing each would ensure finishing the monthly challenge on time.

Another idea is to make the monthly challenge smaller in scope.

If either of these options appeal to you, or if you have another idea, please comment below. Please also comment if you feel that such measures are unneeded.

Thank you.

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end_of_month

End of Month: October 2010

Congratulations everyone on making it through the first month of

build_a_world! October is generally a busy time of year, so if you didn't finish yet, don't worry. You can post your finished work at the end of next month.

This month was about creating your playground. This could have taken place through maps, dioramas, detailed notes, or whatever medium works best for you.

Please post links to your finished work in the comments below. Be sure to put your name and the name of your project in the subject line.

Please comment on one another's work and offer ideas and encouragement.

Next month we'll be doing ecosystems, so you may wish to start thinking about the flora, fauna, and resources in your playground.

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Talk & WiP Post

Late post this week as I've been trying to figure out the best way to handle projects completed prior to the month's end.

Here are the options:

1) Post it here as a WiP. This is probably the best course of action. It allows you to get some feedback and gives space if you decide to make some last minute changes.

2) Post it on your blog for now. At the end of the month, share it here.

3) Keep it to yourself until the month's end.

Anyway, I hope the last week and a half have been going well for you. What have some been some of your most difficult struggles? And does anyone have any tips on fitting world-building into a tight schedule?

( Talk Post Rules )