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Re: LUNATIC SURVEY: 2005

From:bob thornton <arcanesock@...>
Date:Friday, February 25, 2005, 4:00
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > A. PROFESSION, DEMOGRAPHICS, INCLINATION: > > 1. Who are you, and what is the name of your > invented language or languages? Pseudonyms allowed. > (Are you using one? asked "Sally Caves")
The Sock, Heefahoshaj is the main one, but I have hordes of minor ones.
> > *2. Are you new to the Lunatic Survey or have you > filled out a version of this survey before?
New
> > 3. Do you have a website for you language/world(s)? > If so, please list the URL address.
No
> > 4. What is your email address? name at hostsite dot > whatever.
arcanesock@yahoo.com
> > 5. What is your age? (vague answers allowed, but it > is an important demographic)
16 going on 17
> > 6. What is your gender?
Male
> > 7. What is your nationality? Where do you live now?
Merkin. USA
> > 8. What is your native language?
English
> > 9. What natural languages foreign to you have you > studied or do you speak?
Studied Spanish, studying Japanese in spare time
> > 10. What is your level of education? i.e., your > highest degree achieved or sought?
I'm a junior in HS
> > 11. What is your profession? Are you a professional > linguist? If so, what also makes you a conlanger?
Student, though I do work.
> > 13. If you are a student, what is your major or your > area of study?
Er... High School doesn't allow majors.
> > 14. How long have you been developing your invented > language(s)?
Heefahoshaj nearly a year now, the rest a little more or less, depending.
> > 15. At what age did you first start inventing a > language? Can you briefly describe your early > efforts?
Freshman year, but I didn't remember it. My first language that I remember working on is Sidhe /sid.he/, and had a habital aspect, as well as subject-object pronouns, which was a little interesting for a first lang. Got the habitual idea from AAVE
> > 16. What drew you to start inventing a language > and/or constructed world? What was the inspiration?
A dream I had of a beautiful city.
> > 17. Did you start inventing before you had heard of > the list or after? Before you had heard of Esperanto > or Tolkien? (I name the two most common > inspirations)
Before both, though my reading of Tolkien did heavily influence my conworld
> > 18. Tolkien calls it a "shy art" and a "secret > vice"; but that was before the Internet. How secret > do you keep it from others outside this list for > much the same reasons?
Not at all; I am very open about it.
> > 19. Yaguello has called it "pathological," > influenced, unfortunately, by a lot of psychiatric > writings such as _Le Schizo et la langue_. To what > extent have you encountered such reactions by > outsiders you had taken into your confidence?
They generally giggle about it for a while, or just accept it as another one of my wierdnesses.
> > *20. Do you consider it nerdy to be doing this? This > is a term that gets tossed around a lot. Or actually > sophisticated? Do you need to get a life, or is this > your life? What is a life?
Oh yes, it's very nerdy, but I love it to death. Hey, it took so long to get rid of my other life, why would I want to get a new one?
> > 21. There has been a connection noted between > linguistic and musical ability. Are you musically > inclined? Do you sing and/or play a musical > instrument? Do you compose music?
Oh no. I am musically inept. Then again, my languages aren't exactly the best in the universe, either...
> > 22. There has been a connection noted between > linguistic and mathematical ability. Are you > mathematically inclined or inclined towards > computing in any way?
Nope. I find math boring.
> > 23. What other passions do you pursue that give you > creative pleasure? (painting, drawing, sculpting, > calligraphy, model-building, novel or story-writing, > role-playing games, map-making, book-making, poetry, > web-designing, star-gazing or other?)
role-playing games, drawing, writing.
> > > > B. FEATURES OF YOUR INVENTION > > 1. Pick the best term for the invented language you > are currently invested in: auxlang, artlang, > engelang, loglang, lostlang, philosophical language, > or "other." etc.
lostlang
> > 2. Is your conlang a priori (devised from scratch) > or a posteriori (based on an existing natural > language or drawing from a language class such as > Semitic)?
a priori
> > 4. Do you have a script for your conlang? What is it > called? Could you provide me at a later date with a > sample of it? Is it on Langmaker's "neography" > site?
No to all... as of now.
> > 5. Briefly describe the outlines of your invented > language (syntactical structure--VO, OV, etc.; class > or type--analytic, synthetic, agglutinating, > incorporative, accusative, ergative, active, > trigger, other, combinations, etc.), noting what you > have done with it that is innovative in your > opinion.
VO, agglutinative, accusiative, trying to make it polysynthetic and incorporative... and I rather think my gender system is nice, along with the realis/ irrealis divide
> > 7. How extensive would you say your invented > language is, now? How big the vocabulary? Do you > provide a vocabulary list or taxonomy on your > website if you have one?
Eech, not very big. I keep getting distracted by other langs.
> > 8. How do you build vocabulary? Some people pull > words out of the air; others build up a base of root > words and affixes. Many do both.
A mix of the two. Ish. Mainly the pulling out of the air.
> > 3. Does a constructed world accompany your > invention(s)? What is it called?
No, not this one.
> > *9. Has your language and conworld ever served in a > role-playing game or a world shared by other > conlangers?
Yes! I have several like that, most of which are in rehaul status.
> > *10. Briefly describe your conculture (is it within > the bounds of this world? on another world, etc.?)
See the lostlang list.
> > *11. Are the beings who speak your invented language > human or alien? If alien, what features have you > given the language to make it alien or how have you > restricted or expanded its phonology? vocabulary?
Human, Native Americans from Texas.
> > 12. What do you write in it? Poems? chants? > lullabyes? prayers? history? stories? recipes? Are > any of these exhibited on your website?
... still working on the grammar...
> > 13. Can you speak your conlang? Are you fluent in > it? Is this a goal for you? Have you tried to teach > it to an intimate? a companion animal? :)
No
> > 14. Have you made any soundbytes of your language? > Could you provide me at a later date with a sample > of them?
No
> > *15. If you use Roman script, how recognizably > "phonetic" is your writing system? In other words, > do you use unconventional letters or letter > combinations to represent sounds? Why or why not? > I'm thinking, of course, of Etabnannery, for those > who remember it.
For Heefahoshaj, the orthography is meant to mimic the English orthography, with many of the strangeties thereof.
> > 16. How many of you sing in your language and have > invented songs for that purpose?
Not I.
> > *17. How many of you, for entertainment or any other > reason, resort to gibberish? (This is in response to > Adrian Morgan's question in December). Does it give > you ideas for conlanging? (Have you ever fooled > anyone?) How many of you have sung gibberish?
Gibberish occasionally instead of cursing. /ArumpeSte/ is a very nice one, in my opinion
> > *18. What on-line games do you play? (or devise?) > Translations, Babel-text, Relays, etc.
None of my langs are developed enough for this.
> > 19. Which do you prefer doing: devising phonology? > script?
Phonology! === message truncated === ===== -The Sock "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more. http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250