Re: Whatever happened to Aelya?

On Monday 15 April 2002 11:16, you wrote:
>
>     One thing I've found helpful too is to have inspiring languages in the
> same style as the new lang. That way, finding new vocab can sometimes be
> simply a matter of looking a synonym up in the dictionary. For example, the
> Taalennin verb 'gather, collect, save for later use' |laus|  is the Irish
> word sa/bhail backwards.
>     I've also found that forcing vocabulary is the surest way to get
> something that you later despise. it's much better to find vocab slowly.
> Reading language texts, dictionaries, and such, or words with foreign
> language jargon, makes the process go much faster. For example, as I learn
> words in Old Irish, I find interesting tidbits that make it into Taalennin,
> like the word for now, which will be derived from the word for rest
> (because M. Ir. anois < O. Ir. indossa < the article + accusative(?) of
> foss, rest).
>     I feel it's better to devise roots/basic vocab slowly, and then apply
> derivational processes or compounding to create more vocab, rather than
> coming up with words for complex things off the top of my head.
>
Personally I find myself doing what Tok Pisin does - make up a phrase from
simple words to describe a complex concept/entity.  Eg, "bokis i gat planti
tit, sapos yu paitim em, i singaut" - piano, "Box with a lot of teeth, if you
hit them, it makes a noise".  That is merely the most gratuitous example.

I also find words from stories making their way into my head - anyone else
find the same?  "Lakhabrech" has the same ending as "levenbrech", source
language unknown, which I liked from "Children of Dune" - parsing it into
"Free Blood" took forever.  "Ineya Razh" for the same people in the Ineya
Khara-Ansha tongue, apparently turned up from "Songs of Earth and Power", the
Sidhe city "Inyas Trai", and I had a better idea of how I wanted that parsed
this time - "Foolish People".

I've tried to avoid letting Quenya or Sindarin influencing my own conlangs
because I know Tolkien's world so very, very well.  I've just turned his orcs
and druedain into Ineya Khara-Ansha and Lakhabrech following a suggestion in
his "Morgoth's Ring" and/or "People of Middle Earth".

> > >    - It really helps to have a model for syntax and grammar. Something
> > > to sort of follow, because otherwise the lang becomes cluttered with
> > > all kinds of cool and interesting, but stylistically opposing,
> > > features. Having a model, or a natlang origin, helps prevent a common
> > > Conlanger tendency to put in everything.
> >
> >Hmmm... I was going to use an unconventional grammar using "vectors"
> >(inflecting auxiliary verbs) before each (uninflected) full verb.
> >That might cause some problems.  Unfortunately, I only know languages
> >of the central European region well, which limits my resources for
> >that kind of plagia... err... inspiration.  =P
>
>      Well, you know English, which does something similar - he has seen vs.
> you have seen vs. he is doing vs. you are doing. The auxiliary is
> conjugated, and a set form of the main verb is used (the past participle
> here). Actually, Taalennin does something similar.
>
I've stuck to a simple neo-Semitic/neo-melanesian idea.  Verbs are prefixed
for person; the base verb is present/aorist, moods are postpostioned words
like maazhi - maybe, yaazhi - should be; and the perfective aspect is
indicated by suffixing -ntai to the verb.  "maazhintai" - "maybe it
was/happened" is nonsense and the traveller is advised not to try it.
Lakhavala would express the same idea as "shantai maazhi" - "maybe it
was/happened".

--
Mau e ki, "He aha to mea nui?"
You ask, "What is the most important thing?"
Maku e ki, "He tangata, he tangata, he tangata!"
I reply, "It is people, it is people, it is people!"