Re: Introduction and a few novice questions

At 2:03 PM -0500 03/12/02, Paul Edson wrote:
>The question, then, is: What factors do you use  to allow
>you to narrow the range of  strategies/features you
>incorporate into your languages? How does one cope with such
>an embarrassing wealth of possibility?
For me, I start with a few features and add others as necessary. The
features I start with are features which have captured my interest in
natural languages. For example, in Tepa/Miapimoquitch, I wanted to
incorporate an interest in intricate (but straightforward)
phonological patterns (such as those found in Numic languages) and
word formation strategies which don't rely solely on affixation
(believe it or not, Hebrew was my jumping off place for Tepa/
Miapimoquitch word formation; it doesn't look at all like Hebrew
anymore). As I went along, I had to add more features, some original
features were modified, and others were tossed out altogether (not
many of these, though). One of the additions is a Salish-style
syntax, which I had not envisioned at all for the language when I
started, but which fits in well.

For Ustekkli (the latest project), the starting point was a Northern
Germanic prosodic distinction which I wanted to play with and
understand better, and a Uto-Aztecan style morphosyntax. I don't know
where I'll end up, but I'm sure that I'll have to add things as I go.

So start small and as you go.

Dirk
--
Dirk Elzinga                  Dirk_Elzinga@byu.edu

Man deth swa he byth thonne he mot swa he wile.
'A man does as he is when he can do what he wants.'

- Old English Proverb

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