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Re: Introduction and a few novice questions

From:Christophe Grandsire <christophe.grandsire@...>
Date:Tuesday, March 12, 2002, 20:55
En réponse à Paul Edson <conlang@...>:

> Whee! A first post after lurking about for some time now. > The erudition and imaginative fecundity of the contributors > to this list are truly a joy. My thanks to Cristophe for > setting me on the path to productivity when I couldn't post > to the archival group at Yahoo! >
You're welcome! (both in the metaphorical and original meaning :)) ) I'm glad you finally made it here :) .
> Introduction first: I’m a strange mongrel mix… I do project > management for a US Navy document management system during > the day (as a contractor) and sing professionally (chorus > and small roles) with the Washington Opera by night. I live > in Maryland and am hoping to progress from ‘wannabe’ to > ‘author’ in the next year or so. My knowledge of linguistics > as a field is strictly self-acquired, and I certainly am > blessed with what I'd like to think is a productive > ignorance. >
Like probably 80% of the people on this list :)) . I am myself a proud example of this kind :)) .
> > 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? >
Well, my conlangs always start with a simple idea, coming from something I've read or heard, on this list or somewhere else. So the first idea is simple: what if I used prefixes instead of suffixes as case mark? What about a language that inflects only the last member of a phrase? What about a trigger language with tones? What about a language with the most unintuitive orthography and grammar possible, yet completely consistent and regular? Etc... When I get this idea, it doesn't leave me, even if I wanted it to :)) . So in my head, it builds around a kind of cocoon, made of sounds and features I want to introduce. After a while (usually two weeks or so), the cocoon is big enough. Time to make it into silk! :) So then I come up with a blank page, and begin writing down the different features of the language: phonology, morphology, grammar, etc... When a feature is written down, I don't change it anymore. Even if I find it not that good anymore, I refrain from changing what I've done, in order not to break the fragile balance I created (for that, I'm better than Tolkien :)) ). One of the reasons I have so many languages which are not more than grammars is that I constantly get new ideas, and since I don't want to modify what I've already written down (except for details like the orthography or some sounds), I'm obliged to start a new conlang for every new feature I feel like trying :)) . So as a short answer: I don't cope with the embarrassing wealth of possibility. It's in fact the reason why I have an embarrassing wealth of conlang projects :))) . Christophe. http://rainbow.conlang.free.fr Take your life as a movie: do not let anybody else play the leading role.