Re: Conlanging with constraints

Hi!

Sai Emrys writes:
> I'm considering a topic for a talk at a future LCC, about conlanging
> with constraints.
>
> A literary allusion that comes to mind is that of the Abbe in Count of
> Monte Cristo, responding to the future Count's suggestion that as a
> free man is inventiveness might have known no bounds, to say that it
> were the bounds themselves that made him inventive.
>
> Drushek, Kēlen, and Toki Pona are some examples that come to mind
> offhand as being in some sense formed by the constraints within which
> they flourish - voicelessness, verblessness, and complicatedlessness
> (hee).
>
> What are other examples?
I've done this all the time for my conlangs, especially engelangs.
And I think if you define 'constraint' broad enough, you'll get a lot
of examples -- if not most conlangs, I think, since defining a general
path to follow means to not use ideas that do not fit the pre-defined
path.

> How have you experienced your conlanging as being influenced (for
> better or for worse) by constraints imposed upon it, of whatever
> source? What constraints do you have, and whence derived? Why have you
> imposed them? What constraints have you considered trying?
Generally, constraints helped me focus and make a more consistent
conlang.  I've had the following constraints for my engelangs:

   Tyl Sjok:
       - no labial sounds
       - no morphology
       - no irregularity
       - only one open word class

   Qþyn|gài:
       - no labial sounds
       - no irregularity
       - only one open word class

I found the lack of labial sounds interesting to explore, since it
enables you to speak without moving your mouth much.  You could more
easily talk to yourself in public without being spotted easily. :-)
And for theatre performances, you can use the mouth for other things
than talking -- while talking.  This all seemed like a funny idea. :-)

The other constraints are simply design goals, usually implementing
the idea of 'simplicity', whatever that means.  There are many shades
of 'simple', so different goals may implement 'simplicity', even
contradicting ones, and the above constraints are just such personally
selected, arbitray goals.

I've considered using other constraints on phonology:

   - no stops or hissing sounds (for people living in environments
     where even small sonic disturbances may lead to accidents (e.g.
     avalanches))

   - no voice (so there's no difference to whispering)

**Henrik

Reply