Re: CHAT: Which world? Which culture?

>>A warm greeting to the list, :-))
It is said that language is a mirror of its speaker's culture. In fact,
this sounds so very true to me that I am even creating an entire world for
my current conlang. On the other hand it seems to me that there are
people on this list who don't create cultures when they create languages.
So my question to those fellow conlangers would be: Which culture do
you mirror into your conlangs? Your native one? Another existing culture
that you deliberately choose? Or some ancient culture? Just curious...
*smile*<<

Personally, I don't really have culture in mind. I suppose it's based
mostly on my own, with quite a few of my own personal impressions of it
thrown it.. most of which would contradict much of what the rest of the
nation feels. One of these days I might create a culture to go with a
language, or vice versa, but for now, I'll work on the language. ;)

>>Another solution to the problem could be to make a culturally neutral
language - which sounds so extremely impossible that my writing fingers
keep asking my brain if it really would like to even mention such a
strange idea. *g*

So, just another question out of curiosity... yearning for responses.
:-)))

All the best,
Harald<<

Indeed, it's impossible. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that you can't
completely separate any conlang you create from your own.  Even if you
try, certain cultural biases will always stay... as evidenced by the
thread on "false friends"... In any case, language without culture would
be about as interesting as a blank wall. Culture adds ambiguity,
contradiction, etc, to language (and vice versa, of course). The gray
areas of live, imo, are extremely interesting.

>>
<cut>
In my opinion, my native country doesn't _have_
its own culture yet, really. Give it a few
centuries to settle in.
<cut>

Padraic.<<

*Confused* How do you figure?

Noelle

=====
The Aquamarine Demon

"When did I realize I was god? Well, I was praying and I suddenly realized I was
talking to myself."
- Peter O'Toole, The Ruling Class


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