Category: Organize/Plan/Structure

Goal: Review your language charts Note: Go all the way back to the beginning to review any chart you’ve created. Tip: For instance, make sure you’ve actually used all your sounds in proto-forms! Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Today’s goal is to really focus on any chart you’ve made. That includes any inflectional chart or derivational chart,…

Goal: Review your grammar document Note: Look for any areas that need updating, more information, or corrections. Tip: Compare older to newer information to make sure it’s all cohesive. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure It can be really easy to tweak your language as you work, changing a feature here or a structure there, and forget to…

Goal: Make a plan for any verbal units in nominal roles Note: Create templates for allowable reduced clause forms and gerunds, and create any new forms you need. Tip: You may instead focus on developing other strategies for your conlang in these situations. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Use your time today to plan out your strategies…

Goal: Plan a strategy for evidential meanings Note: Evidential markers are diverse in what meanings they convey and how they are used. Tip: You don’t need to mark evidentiality to be able to indicate it in other ways. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Today’s goal is to plan a strategy for communicating evidential meanings, whether that involves…

Goal: Plan a strategy for conditional meanings Note: Decide how your language will mark information in a clause depending on external factors. Tip: You don’t need inflections for this—you may opt to use an adverbial. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Return your focus to conditional meanings to plan a strategy in your conlang to mark information in…

Goal: Put together a strategy for complement noun clauses Note: These are objects (or complements) of the matrix verb, often verbs of cognition or communication. Tip: Your language may treat these as two distinct clause structures. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Select the strategy for creating noun clause structures in your language, specifically those that follow cognition…

Goal: Plan a strategy for infinitival modifiers Note: Infinitive phrases can also modify nouns (e.g. “The hat to wear is on the couch.”) Tip: These might not be a distinct category from participial modifiers! Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Today’s goal is to figure out a third kind of nonfinite verb modifier—an infinitive verb form modifying a…

Goal: Plan a strategy for passive participial modifiers Note: Nonfinite passive forms can modify a noun (e.g. “The hat worn by the mouse is green.”) Tip: These may follow the same strategy for active forms but with passive marking. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Nonfinite participial modifiers may also occur in passive forms, such as “worn by…

Goal: Plan a strategy for active participial modifiers Note: These are nonfinite active verb forms that modify a head noun (e.g. “The mouse wearing a hat is here.”) Tip: These may be reduced relative clause forms. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Today’s goal is to plan a strategy for active participial modifiers, which are nonfinite active verb…

Goal: Plan the structure of modifying adposition phrases Note: Focus on figuring out the placement of an adposition phrase modifying a noun. Tip: You may opt not to have unique forms but require relative clauses. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Use today’s time to plan the structure of adposition phrases that modify head nouns, focusing on the…