Re: A question and introduction

>From: "H. S. Teoh" <hsteoh@...>
>Reply-To: Constructed Languages List <CONLANG@...>
>To: CONLANG@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU
>Subject: Re: A question and introduction
>Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2002 18:45:51 -0400
>
>On Thu, Jun 13, 2002 at 04:51:11PM -0400, Andy Canivet wrote:
>[snip]
> > Having a nullar numerical noun inflection in your language suggests that
> > it's speakers must have a *fundamentally* different way of looking at
>the
> > world... Cool!
>[snip]
>
>Definitely. The nullar is probably the least unusual aspect about it. Just
>ask Jan about the case system :-P  And you've seen nothing of Ebisedian
>until you've grappled with its odd pronominal system. (Those with a
>background in Japanese and/or related langs may find the pronominal system
>a bit easier to grasp, but nevertheless...)
>
>Part of the reason is the conculture behind the language: the setting is
>in an alternate universe with rather different laws of physics from ours.
>The behaviour of that world is the source of the Ebisedi's obsession with
>colours and the numbers 3 and 5, which runs deep in their philosophy and
>shows up everywhere in their language.
>
>(I'm of the opinion that the best method to construct an artlang is to
>invent a conculture -- everything in the language is driven by the
>culture, which gives the language a deep, internal consistency, sorta like
>how a fern leaf looks like a miniature fern, etc.. It just *feels* right.
>:-P)
>
>
>T
>
I completely agree - but I find it gets a bit "reflexive" - you can only go
so far with the culture before you have to start working on the language,
and vice versa.  You kind of have to "evolve" the two of them together step
by step - kind of like the way real languages and cultures work I suppose...
  I've been working on a culture (for purposes of fiction) and their
language as well - but nothing so radical as an alternate universe with
different laws of physics.

Andy


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