Language Creation Workshop, Part II

EVOLVEDavid J. Peterson and Erin Peterson

WyrdCon 4Costa Mesa, California

September 15, 2013http://www.conlang.org/

1

PROTO-LANGUAGE

2

lake lago lacus λάκκος loch

*laku

FIRST STEP

Form four groups.

Overall Goal: To create a model conlang (plausibly human) incrementally from the ground up.

Today: Evolve a proto-language into a new language.

3

TASK 1

Learn and Expand Your Language

4

je parletu parlesil parleils parlent

5

je parletu parlesil parleils parlent

All languages change over time.

Sound change can be used to produce irregularities.

SOUND CHANGE

leaf > leaveshoof > hoovesbath > bathe

house > house

6

DaisukeKinoshita

gakuseisutoraiki

DaisukeKinoshita

gakuseisutoraiki

evde > “in the house”tavanda > “on the ceiling”

örtüde > “on the roof”topta > “on the ball”

yaktubu > yaktub “he writes” (indicative)yaktuba > yaktub “that he writes” (subjunctive)yaktubi > yaktub “let him write” (jussive)

EASE OF ARTICULATION

noctem > nottelactis > latteocto > otto

pectus > petto

7

realistic(a)llyfam(i)ly

comf(or)ta(r?)blegover(n)ment

lib(e)ral

publicallymischievious

triathalon

whiskeymoneyhoney

etc.

tobacky Missoura

MISAPPREHENSION

TASK 2

Apply Sound Changes to Your Language

Adjust Your Paradigms

8

CREATING GRAMMAR

Vīvam.Viviré.

*Vivir he.*Vīvere habeo.

Voy a vivir.9

ADPOSITIONS

"om TokyoTōkyō kara

10

CREATING ADPOSITIONS

11

Body Parts

nyuma “behind” (< “back”); khalfa “on, behind” (< “animal back”); moo “in front (of)” (< “forehead”)

face/facing/faced

Location Words

juu “above” (< “top”), katika “inside” (< kati “middle”)loko “inside” (< “lake”), luna “above” (< “top”)

Verbskaribu “near” (< “to go close to”), kutoka “from” (< -toka “to

exit”), kupitia “through” (< -pita “to pass”)ago (< a’gone); dào “to” (< “arrive”); gi “to, for, at” (< “give”)

PHONOLOGY

exiz

eradicate

12

USING ADPOSITIONS

13

Body Parts

nyuma ya mti “behind the tree” (lit. “back of tree”)(POSSESSOR)

Location Words

juu ya mti “above the tree” (lit. “top of tree”)(POSSESSOR)

Verbskaribu na mti “near the tree” (< “go close with tree”)

kupitia mti “through the tree” (< “pass tree”)(OBJECT)

STRATEGY

14

Body Parts

OBJECT OF PREPOSITION = POSSESSORORDER OF P AND N = ORDER OF G AND N

Location Words

OBJECT OF PREPOSITION = POSSESSORORDER OF P AND N = ORDER OF G AND N

Verbs OBJECT OF PREPOSITION = OBJECT OF VERBORDER OF P AND N = ORDER OF V AND O

TASK 3

Create Some Adpositions

15

Body Parts

OBJECT OF PREPOSITION = POSSESSORORDER OF P AND N = ORDER OF G AND N

Location Words

OBJECT OF PREPOSITION = POSSESSORORDER OF P AND N = ORDER OF G AND N

Verbs OBJECT OF PREPOSITION = OBJECT OF VERBORDER OF P AND N = ORDER OF V AND O

16

Novel Root Creation cialis, gleak, xerox, viagra (also pokedex, filk, etc.)

Compounding capped heron, whistling heron, boat-billed heron, white-crested tiger-heron

Affixation computer > computery, kitten > kittenish, adjudicate > readjudicate, smarmy > smarminess

Metaphorical Extension hand (body part > worker), run (physically > make work), green (color > inexperienced)

Reduplication like > like-like, kitap “book” > kitapmitap “books and related material”, ‘au “swim” > ‘au’au “bathe”

DERIVATION

17

Adjectives sleepily > sleepy-likevīnum > vīnōsus

Adpositions prōdūcere, redūcere, indūcere, dēdūcere, addūcere, ēdūcere

Reduced/Fossilized Lexical Item

Nottingham (< ham ~ home), Milton (< ton ~ town), bedew (be > bǝ), defenseman (man > mǝn)

ASL TEACHER, STUDENT

EVOLVING AFFIXES

TASK 4

Create Some Derivational Strategies

18

Novel Root Creation cialis, gleak, xerox, viagra (also pokedex, filk, etc.)

Compounding capped heron, whistling heron, boat-billed heron, white-crested tiger-heron

Affixation computer > computery, kitten > kittenish, adjudicate > readjudicate, smarmy > smarminess

Metaphorical Extension hand (body part > worker), run (physically > make work), green (color > inexperienced)

Reduplication like > like-like, kitap “book” > kitapmitap “books and related material”, ‘au “swim” > ‘au’au “bathe”

19

BORROWINGPhonological Modification

lingerie > “lawn juray”, front > furonto,(az)-zaytuun > aceituna, kitaab > kitap

Phonological Incorporation

film “film” > aflam “films” (Arabic)kitabu “book” > vitabu “books” (Swahili)

Specificity and Generality

mouton “sheep” > mutton, sombrero, albondiga, salsapantaloons (< Italian theater character Pantalone)

Drift front > furonto > “reception desk”animation > anime > anime

Rejection and Translation

conical hat, rice hat, etc. (< Chinese 斗笠 dǒulì)spring roll (< Chinese 春卷 chūn jǔan)

TASK 5

20

Write a Sentence Describing These Scenes

21

A

B C D

E

TASK 6

22

Pass Your Phrases to Another Group

Borrow the Key Terms

23

A

B C D

E

24

That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Thank you for participating!

AND...

http://www.dothraki.com/dl/wyrdcon_lang2.pdf