Freshman Monroe Scholars Summer Research Projects
A Space to Think, Create, and Share
Introduction
We now near the end of our long journey through the lore, technique, and arcana of constructed language. In the first week of my research, I studied existing constructed languages, ranging from the most useful (e.g., Esperanto) to the most abstruse (e.g., Ithkuil). I used what I found in my first 40 hours to guide the creation of my own constructed language. In this final blog post, I will discuss the outcome of my foray into the strange world of language construction.
During my second week of research into constructed language, I worked on constructing and describing my own language. Hilariously enough, although I expected this phase of research to be the simplest, it was very difficult. I began by creating a list of goals for my language, including a hierarchical derivational morphology, extreme simplicity and comprehensibility, and root-words from Proto-Indo-European language. I almost immediately scrapped these goals, as they proved impossible to accomplish in the remaining forty hours.
From then on, I took a more “organic” approach to language construction, focusing on my language’s lexicon and structure before establishing any goals. I decided to derive my language from Latin roots, because Latin is a language with which I am already very familiar. Here is part of the current lexicon of nouns in my language: [Read more…]
Introduction
In the first week of my research, I focused on existing constructed languages (Ithkuil, Blissymbolics, Idiom Neutral, Esperanto, Tolkien languages, etc.) and on the logic and rationale behind their creation. Here, I will summarize my findings, beginning with a general overview and categorization of constructed language, and then moving on to a discussion of the constructed language Ithkuil.
Introduction
Most human language comes into existence through the natural forces of linguistic evolution, but a “constructed language” draws upon deliberate design. What are the common aspects of constructed languages? What goes into the design process?
If you want to add yourself to this blog, please log in.
