Re: Tell your conlang story!

On Feb 27, 2006, at 3:53 PM, Monica Byrne wrote:
>
>
> Here are a few questions to get you thinking:
>
> 1) How did you get in to conlanging? What was your inspiration?
>
Like a lot of others, I was first interested in languages: I took German
in High School, spent 2 years in Honduras and Belize and learned Spanish
and a small amount of Belizean Creole, took 2 semesters of Russian  
during
a summer, and 2 semesters of French as part of my Doctorate degree.
Different alphabets have always been interesting, perhaps fueled by a  
couple
of books my parents had that were in the Deseret Alphabet (which I could
read at one point).

I had read Tolkien as a youth, and was aware of his languages, but it  
was
Esperanto that got me really interested in creating languages. Once I  
started
my own first language, I left Esperanto behind.

> 2) What is your purpose in creating languages? Is it a personal  
> art, an anthropological experiment, a pasttime...?
The first language I worked on, Orêlynna, was a personalang, intended to
have a "pleasant" phonology conducive to singing. (I'm a composer by
training and avocation.) I haven't done anything with it for a long  
time.

My second language, emíndahken, is currently on hold, due to Real Life,
but it is for a conculture who may eventually find their way into a  
story
idea I have.


>
> 3) How have people reacted when you tell them about it?
My wife and kids are the only ones who know. My wife chalks it up to
"another creative idea" that I have (too many of...). My oldest son,
age 8, has played with creating a language also, with his 5 year old
brother.

Other than that, I don't tell anyone.

>
> 4) Did conlanging lead you places you never expected it to take you?
A lot more understanding about linguistics than I would have otherwise.
It has also helped shape the conculture of the story I want to write:
emíndahken is very much influenced by Native American languages--
particularly Navajo-- and that has led me to "adopt" and "adapt" ideas
from Native American cultures as well. All of that I would never have
learned without the language creation.

>
>
> If you have any stories for me in these veins, please let me know!  
> You can contact me at mbyrne@wunc.org, or (919) 445-9245. I'm  
> really looking forward to hearing from you!
Good luck with the radio show! I'd be interested to hear it (online--
I'm in Texas :) )

James Worlton

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