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!
Goal: Explore options for demonstratives Note: You can have different levels and types of distinctions! Tip: Connect the options to ideas for lexical sources. Work focus: Learn/Brainstorm/Try Demonstrative forms are often distance-oriented or person-oriented, and, in the majority of natlangs, demonstratives have a two- or three-way distinction. (Some languages only have one demonstrative form without…
This week is a little different because I don’t yet have all the daily prompts for the week written. And so, the preview image is included here to let you know that this week’s prompts will have you creating demonstrative modifiers, brainstorming ideas for pronouns, and creating personal pronoun forms. But you’ll have to wait…
Goal: Decide if modifiers will agree with nouns Note: Focus on any modifiers that are basic in your language. Tip: Your decision should reflect the larger system. Work focus: Learn/Brainstorm/Try Today’s focus is on whether your modifiers will agree with the nouns they co-occur with. Modifiers can agree in number, class, and/or case (i.e. any…
Goal: Review and update your noun documentation Note: Look through your notes to ensure you didn’t miss anything. Tip: Don’t forget to update charts, if needed. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure As the final day (at least for a while) specifically focusing on nouns and the grammatical forms they can co-occur with, the task of the day…
Goal: Write an overview for possession Note: Incorporate the examples you created yesterday. Tip: It helps to explain each set of examples! Work focus: Solidify/Write/Share Today’s focus is documenting the decisions you’ve made about possessive forms by writing an overview, including examples for any different grammatical types of possession you created. Even if you didn’t…
Goal: Create forms for possessive constructions Note: This may mean making templates to show word order. Tip: Provide at least one example for each. Work focus: Create/Make/List If you needed to create new markers for possessive constructions, you were tasked with selecting the lexical sources for those markers yesterday. Today’s goal is to actually create…
Goal: Identify any possessive markers you need Note: Select the lexical sources for any new markers you want to create. Tip: These may be adpositions or affixes. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure The strategies you came up with for possession may require creating new grammatical markers. If so, use today to think through what lexical sources you…
Goal: Consider different types of possession Note: You can use different strategies for different types. Tip: Your strategy may involve case and/or word order. Work focus: Learn/Brainstorm/Try Some languages distinguish between alienable and inalienable possession, marking those relationships differently. Inalienable possession typically refers to a relationship between possessor and possessed that is a more inherent…
Goal: Enter adpositions in your dictionary Note: Include relevant grammatical information. Tip: Also add any lexical sources you created! Work focus: Solidify/Write/Share Now that you have written a section on adpositions and their use in your language, you need to take time to enter any adpositions you created in your dictionary. Each adposition should have…
Day 64, March 4 Goal: Enter adpositions in your dictionary Note: Include relevant grammatical information. Tip: Also add any lexical sources you created! Work focus: Solidify/Write/Share Day 65, March 5 Goal: Consider different types of possession Note: You can use different strategies for different types. Tip: Your strategy may involve case and/or word order. Work…
