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 assimilatory sound changes Note: These changes shift sounds so they are more similar to other sounds in their environment. Tip: Consonants can shift voicing, manner, and/or placement when assimilating. Work focus: Learn/Brainstorm/Try If you have completed all the prompts so far, you have at least 35 proto-forms in your language’s lexicon, and they…
Goal: Create five basic intransitive verb proto-forms Note: An intransitive verb typically only has one argument: the subject (or the one doing the verb). Tip: Verbs you might consider creating include “sleep, lie (down), stand, sit, walk, run.” Work focus: Create/Make/List Yesterday you created some initial transitive verbs. Today shifts the focus to creating intransitive…
Goal: Create five basic transitive verb proto-forms Note: A transitive verb typically occurs with an object (what is affected by the verb’s action). Tip: Think about how your speakers move about and interact with their world. Work focus: Create/Make/List So far, the majority of the proto-forms you’ve made have likely been nouns (with the exception…
Goal: Create five proto-forms for fauna Note: Creating roots for fauna means thinking about how your speakers categorize different fauna. Tip: It is often the “pests” we interact with most, such as fleas, ticks, gnats, and mosquitos. Work focus: Create/Make/List The vocabulary creation fun continues! Today’s goal is to create at least five proto-roots for…
Goal: Create five proto-forms for flora Note: This will require you to decide how your speakers categorize the flora in their world. Tip: Not all languages have a generic root for flora types, such as not having a root meaning “tree.” Work focus: Create/Make/List You spent time outlining features of your conworld, including the kinds…
Day 22, January 22 Goal: Create five proto-forms for flora Note: This will require you to decide how your speakers categorize the flora in their world. Tip: Not all languages have a generic root for flora types, such as not having a root meaning “tree.” Work focus: Create/Make/List Day 23, January 23 Goal: Create five…
Goal: Create five proto-forms for weather Note: Begin with the most prominent weather phenomena your speakers experience. Tip: For now, you can underspecify how the forms are used (e.g. “rain” could be a noun or verb). Work focus: Create/Make/List The vocabulary creation continues! Today’s prompt asks you to create proto-forms for weather phenomena in your…
Goal: Create proto-forms for terrain features Note: Using information you outlined about the terrain, select at least five to assign words to. Tip: Focus on the most prominent features as you assign these roots. Work focus: Create/Make/List Today’s focus is on creating at least five proto-forms for terrain features. As you select which features will…
Goal: Create five proto-forms for body terms Note: Creating these forms necessitates finding a way to document them so you can keep a running list. Tip: As you create these initial forms, strive for phonetic variety, both in sounds and syllable structures. Work focus: Create/Make/List A question David and I frequently get asked is how…
Goal: Write a section on syllables and stress Note: This section focuses on your proto-forms only; these features can shift through sound changes. Tip: Tonal languages can evolve from proto-forms bearing stress (rather than tone). Work focus: Solidify/Write/Share Now that you have worked with a variety of word-like nonce forms using your selected sounds and…
