Category: Organize/Plan/Structure

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…

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,…

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…

Goal: Review and update your dictionary as needed Note: Comparative inflectional forms may need to be added to head words. Tip: Comparative/superlative inflections can be showcased in charts. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Today’s goal is to review and update your dictionary as needed. If you have inflectional affixes for comparative and superlative adjectives and/or adverbs, you…

Goal: Plan a strategy for comparative and superlative adverb forms Note: You do not need dedicated forms to be able to express a comparison of adverbs.  Tip: You may create multiple templates to demonstrate how your language can express these ideas using different strategies. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Consolidate your ideas from the past two days…

Goal: Plan a strategy for superlative forms in attributive positions Note: You may need to demonstrate how your language restructures these forms. Tip: Examples include phrases like “the smallest mouse” or “the most incredible experience.” Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Make a plan for superlatives in the attributive position in your conlang (or demonstrate how your conlang…

Goal: Plan a strategy for superlative forms in predicative positions Note: Focus for now only on predicative instances like “The mouse is smallest.” Tip: You may also consider instances where the superlative is treated like a nominal: “The mouse is the smallest.” Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Now that you’ve explored options for superlatives, focus today on…

Goal: Draft a plan for comparative strategies Note: List any new forms you need to create to support your decisions. Tip: If you’re not creating comparatives, plan ways of wording clauses to make achieve the same function. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Pick the comparative strategy/form that you will incorporate into your language and plan out what…

Goal: Strategize a method for adverbial nonfinite clauses Note: Put your ideas into action, creating templates, lexical forms, or whatever you need to support the structure. Tip: Use today to also create examples to showcase how these structures work. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Now that you’ve explored options for adverbial non-finite clause structures, put your ideas…

Goal: Plan a strategy for dealing with headless relative clauses Note: You may not have a similar structure that directly translates in the same way. Tip: Remember to focus on your language and the system you’re building as you make decisions. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Today’s goal is to lay out a plan for dealing with…