Re: Semitic languages & Cultures

En réponse à Balazs Sudar <conlang@...>:

>
> What about two consonant roots? Do they need other rules, or they can be
> used like tri-consonant roots?
Usually they have other rules. But in Semitic languages biconsonantal roots are
rather exceptional, and don't have the same range of behaviour as the
triconsonantal roots (mainly, they don't have as many derivations as
triconsonantal roots). As far as I can tell, most biconsonantal roots don't
have much of derivatives.

> The other thing: what about words with no specific meanings? I mean
> words like: the colours, numbers, words like "if", "about", "of", "and",
> "yes", "no", etc.?
>
You think that those don't have a specific meaning? I find them pretty well
defined on the contrary! I can speak only for Arabic (I don't know any Hebrew),
but as far as I know numbers and colours are just adjectives, and mostly have
triconsonantal roots (there are also specific derivatives for colour word to
make corresponding verbs meaning: to beome <insert colour here> :)) ).
Prepositions, conjunctions and little words like yes, no or the negation
(identical in Arabic: laa means both 'no' and 'not') are part of a single part
of speech according to the Arabic grammarians, with only common point that they
don't decline. Those invariable words can have any shape, and are mostly mono-
or biconsonantal. Note that many of the monosyllabic words (like wa: and)
graphically attach to the word the precede. It's also true for some
prepositions.

Well, I don't know if it answers your questions, but at least I gave my two
Eurocents :)) .

> Do you have any created cultures? I saw you wrote about calendars, but
> have you invented creatures, history, places?
> And how have you invented names? Do you take all possible words and
> choose the ones you like? I don't think so ;-) If there's someone who
> prefers taking from other sources, what are they?
>
Well, you're asking people about the very process of creation. It's already
complicated enough with conlangs, but it gets worse with concultures!! :)) You
will probably get as many different answers as there are people on this
list :)) .

But as short yes, some of us (me included in a small extent) have invented
cultures, more or else complete, featuring places, histories, calendars,
creatures (both sentient and animals), sometimes complete planets along with a
detailed geography and geology, or even full solar systems or even bigger :)) .

Christophe.

http://rainbow.conlang.free.fr

Take your life as a movie: do not let anybody else play the leading role.

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