An image with multiple ways of saying "hello" and "welcome" in a variety of conlangs

Conlang Year

Conlanging can be overwhelming for even the most experienced conlangers—especially in the beginning stages of a new project when swirling swarms of ideas create a flurry of possibilities. I break the process down into daily prompts for a yearlong experience. One year, one conlang. Join me in making this a Conlang Year!

  • Day 287: October 13, 2024

    Day 287: October 13, 2024

    Goal: Create more complex examples of quotation Note: This might mean adding details to the quotative and/or expanding the quotation. Tip: Consider if every clause needs to be tagged or if a single tag can support a long quote. Work focus: Create/Make/List Today’s goal is to expand what you’ve done with quotatives thus far and…

  • Day 286: October 12, 2024

    Day 286: October 12, 2024

    Goal: Plan how you will weave together dialogue and narration Note: Many stories move between narrative and reported speech. Tip: Think about the best way to connect these elements seamlessly. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Telling stories (whether they are spoken or written) often involves movement from background prose and narration into instances of dialogue and then…

  • Day 285: October 11, 2024

    Day 285: October 11, 2024

    Goal: Make a plan for expanding quotative constructions Note: Consider how you will add adverbial elements or noun modification. Tip: “Heavy” quotatives may behave differently than “light” ones. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Today’s goal is to figure out ways your language might allow for additional modification in quotative constructions, such as adverbial elements (e.g. adposition phrases,…

  • Day 284: October 10, 2024

    Day 284: October 10, 2024

    Goal: Consider what verbs are allowed in quotative constructions Note: Some languages allow more flexible quoting verb options. Tip: Quoting verb variety can be genre-dependent. Work focus: Learn/Brainstorm/Try Today’s goal is to consider whether you want to allow more flexible quoting verb options within your quotative constructions. In some languages, very few verbs participate in…

  • Day 283: October 9, 2024

    Day 283: October 9, 2024

    Goal: Write a section on quotative strategies Note: Include the examples you created to demonstrate quotative features. Tip: If your language distinguishes types of reported speech, highlight those distinctions. Work focus: Solidify/Write/Share Today’s goal is to document your work on quotative strategies and (in)direct speech. In your grammar, include the examples you created with descriptions…

  • Day 282: October 8, 2024

    Day 282: October 8, 2024

    Goal: Create example sentences with direct & indirect speech Note: Use these examples to demonstrate how your language handles both. Tip: Pairs of examples can help demonstrate distinctions. Work focus: Create/Make/List Today’s goal is to create example sentences with direct and indirect speech to demonstrate how your language handles these situations. It’s helpful to include…

  • Day 281: October 7, 2024

    Day 281: October 7, 2024

    Goal: Create quotative forms as needed and at least one example Note: If you create new lexical forms, make sure you add them to the dictionary. Tip: Focus first on creating a basic quotative example—a prototype. Work focus: Create/Make/List First, create any forms you need to support your quotative strategies. Then create at least one…

  • Day 280: October 6, 2024

    Day 280: October 6, 2024

    Goal: Organize your notes on (in)direct speech strategies Note: Make a list of any forms you need, whether it’s new verbs or a subordinator. Tip: If you also mark evidentiality, consider how those markers interact with (in)direct speech. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Today’s goal is to organize the notes you’ve made over the past couple days…

  • Day 279: October 5, 2024

    Day 279: October 5, 2024

    Goal: Brainstorm ways to distinguish direct from indirect speech Note: You can consider verb choice, subordinator(s), and grammatical features. Tip: These can be distinguished in the quotative and/or the reported speech. Work focus: Learn/Brainstorm/Try Today’s goal is to explore and brainstorm strategies specifically for distinguishing direct from indirect speech. One option is not to distinguish…

  • Day 278: October 4, 2024

    Day 278: October 4, 2024

    Goal: Explore options for indicating (in)direct speech Note: These strategies offer speakers a way to indicate they are reporting speech. Tip: Useful terms include “quotative” and “attribute tag.” Work focus: Learn/Brainstorm/Try Languages often have ways for speakers to indicate when they are sharing information someone else had previously said—ways of indicating reported speech. When telling…