Re: New Language: Zhyler (Noun Classes)

Basically I like the way you work out your idea of 20
noun classes, although I agree with some of the other
repliers, that certain characteristics seem a bit
superficial to me. Before creating a class like "all
others" it might be useful to make an inventory of
words that would belong to it and eventually create a
few more classes, or, as Christophe suggests, spread
them over the other classes. Usually not the rules but
the exceptions make a language interesting!
Do you have an idea of the kind of society that
produced the language? Your noun classes look to me
like the product of a society, that lives close to
nature, and that is perhaps not exactly primitive, but
definitely not very developed technically. Especially
animals are well-represented, and even plants score
better than humans.
If it were my language, I would probably create a few
more "abstract" classes, for example: a class for
images and/or things that are not what they
appear/pretend to be. Things like dolls, statues...
Just a thought, of course!

Jan


=====
"You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought,
wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that
happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great
comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe." --- J.
Michael Straczynski

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