Re: What is needed in an conlang classificatory system?

On Tue, 30 Jan 2001 22:19:20 +0100, taliesin the storyteller
<taliesin@...> wrote:


>- what is missing from Harrison's system to make it fit non-auxlangs?
>- if Harrison's isn't useable, what should be used instead?
I wouldn't say it is unuseable, just that it wasn't aimed at artlangs. It
is useful (as, besides, classificatory systems aimed at natlangs could be
to) and good - but if in some place in it you hit 2.1.2 you would like some
further information.

Some ideas:

Is it spoken at all (fictionally/actually)? (Yes, spoken by the
Zorobabelians in the world of Adonaiel/Yes, spoken by me and my friends who
are founding the micro-nation of Liliputian Empire - join us at
www.yyy.zz/No, nobody speaks it, but someday it will happen/No, but it
doesn't matter - it is just for fun)

Is there any point to it? (No/Yes, I would like to [dis]prove Sapir-
Whorf/Yes, it is made to infringe all Greenberg's stuff/Yes, it is made to
prove that a language without verbs is conceivable & speakable/etc...)

Is it made of sounds? Non-laringeal sounds? Ultra/Infra sounds? Gestures?
Pictures (pasigraphics)? Smells? A mix of the above? What else?

Is it spoken by humans?
 If not, what kind of non-humans (fantasy folk, aliens, animals, etc)
 If not, how does this impact the phonology? Is it speakable by humans?
 If yes, why don't these humans use a natlang as everybody (are they in the
far future/fictional past/alternate world?)

Is it alive or dead?
 If dead, has it religious importance?
 If alive, how many people speak it? Is it the official language of some
State? The majoritary language in the world/in some region?

Does it have an important literature?
 Fictional (epics, novels, drama, poetry)
 Phylosophical
 Scientific (which kind of science?)
 Grammar/Linguistics (in this case, how the native grammaticians classify
their language?)
 Other

Is it related to other languages?
 Is there a known proto-?
 Is there a known offspring?

Is there a conscript?
 Alphabetical? Syllabic? Ideographic?
 Is there a font for it (and how do I download it?)

Which are the phonemes and their allophones?

What does the language display in its grammatical features?
 Gender? (and which are they?)
 Number?
 Case?
 Definite/Undefiniteness?
 Size?
 Grade?
 Tense?
 Aspect?
 Mood?
 Intentionality?
 ?

The grammatical features are:

 Taken from natlangs? Which?
 Taken from auxlangs? Which?
 Taken from other artlangs? Which?
 Invented/Revealed?

The vocabulary is:

 Taken from natlangs? Which?
 Taken from auxlangs? Which?
 Taken from other artlangs? Which?
 Generated by computer/manual algorythm? Which?
 Invented/Revealed?

..... I guess I should stop here and allow for other people play too...

Luís Henrique