> Sally Caves wrote:
> > LUNATIC SURVEY 2005, by Sally Caves
> > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> >
> > 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")
My name is Andreas Neumann and my conlang is named "Critanya".
> > *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 website yet.
> > 4. What is your email address?
For this list I use gracchus [at] gmx.at
> > 5. What is your age? (vague answers allowed, but it is an important
> > demographic)
22
> > 6. What is your gender?
Male
> > 7. What is your nationality? Where do you live now?
I'm Austrian and live in the town of Salzburg (known as Mozart's
birthplace).
> > 8. What is your native language?
German
> > 9. What natural languages foreign to you have you studied or do you
speak?
English, Latin, French and a little bit of Spanish.
> > 10. What is your level of education? i.e., your highest degree achieved
> > or sought?
I finnished high school and I'm attending university right now.
> > 11. What is your profession? Are you a professional linguist? If so,
> > what also makes you a conlanger?
I'm a student of law and not a professional linguist.
> > 13. If you are a student, what is your major or your area of study?
Law.
> > 14. How long have you been developing your invented language(s)?
7 or 8 years
> > 15. At what age did you first start inventing a language? Can you
> > briefly describe your early efforts?
I think I was around 14/15 when I became interested in conlangs and since
then I started to *play* with conlanging. It was not my goal to create a
complete language with a lof of vocabulary. I just played with different
structures and models.
> > 16. What drew you to start inventing a language and/or constructed
> > world? What was the inspiration?
One day in school some of my friends started to play a role-playing game.
There was an invented world populated by dwarfs, elfes, orcs and so on (much
like Tolkien's conworld). One day I read a book on one of these constructed
worlds and I found a description of languages used in this conworld. Since I
already was very interested in languages at this time, I started to explore
the field of
conlangs.
> > 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)
I discovered this list only a few days ago. I think I already heard of
Tolkien and Esperanto when I started conlanging, but I didn't really know of
them. The first conlang I got to know was Okrand's Klingon.
> > 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?
I don't keep it a secret, but I don't talk much about it. It's just one of
my hobbies.
> > 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?
Most people are a little bit surprised and I think that's okay. Conlanging
is an unsual hobby. Maybe some of the people I told about my hobby think
that this is nerdy, but I'm not the person who cares about such reactions.
> > *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?
Conlanging is an unsual hobby and I am sure that a lot of people think it's
nerdy. But we all know that this reaction is nonsense. Studying languages or
constructing new languages is never lost time. By doing this you can learn a
lot of things (at least you get a good knowledge of linguistics). Conlanging
is not my life, it's just a very interesting hobby. What is life? For me
life
means my family and my religion.
> > 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?
I don't think that there's a close connection between linguistic and musical
ability. At least
not for me.
> > 22. There has been a connection noted between linguistic and
> > mathematical ability. Are you mathematically inclined or inclined
> > towards computing in any way?
In school I hated maths and I'm glad to study law since this doesn't require
maths abilities.
> > 23. What other passions do you pursue that give you creative pleasure?
> > (painting, drawing, sculpting, calligraphy, model-building, novel or
> > story-writing, , map-making, book-making, poetry,
> > web-designing, star-gazing or other?)
I'm not really into art or creative hobbies (except conlanging). I wrote
some poems and some time I was occupied with role-playing games.
> > 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.
Artlang.
> > 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)?
It's a priori, but it has some natural models (phonology of Latin, structure
of the Finno-Ugric family).
> > 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.
> > 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.
mainly SOV, but no strict word order; very agglutinating, slightly
incorporative; accusative (9 cases); lots of
distinction in the verb (tenses, aspect, mood, etc.); phonology and
orthography is Latin-like;
> > 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?
I invented my conlang not by purpose. I just played with grammar and
different structures and slowly a language developed. That's the reason why
I have a detailed grammar, but only a small vocabulary. But I intend to
build it up.
> > 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.
I do both.
> > 3. Does a constructed world accompany your invention(s)? What is it
called?
No.
> > *9. Has your language and conworld ever served in a role-playing game or
> > a world shared by other conlangers?
No.
> > 12. What do you write in it? Poems? chants? lullabyes? prayers? history?
> > stories? recipes? Are any of these exhibited on your website?
Currently I concentrate on the grammar and so far I didn't wrote any longer
texts.
> > 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? :)
Since I'm mostly interested in the grammar, I have not enough vocabulary to
use it in conversations.
> > 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.
Since my conlang uses a very Latin-like phonology, I don't need any
unconventional letters. But I use the circumflex for stressed vowels.
> > 16. How many of you sing in your language and have invented songs for
> > that purpose?
No, I don't sing in it.
> > 19. Which do you prefer doing: devising phonology? script? structure?
> > building vocabulary?
As I said before, I concentrate on structure and phonology.
> > 20. Do you start and stop several different conlangs, or do you tend to
> > stick with one and develop it over years?
I have been developing "Critanya" for more than 7 years and I will stick
with it.
> > 21. What do you think makes a "complete" conlang, if a conlang can
> > attain completion? What are your goals for completion? When do you grow
> > "tired" of your conlang, or don't you?
Conlangs never can attain completion, but they are near-completed if you
have enough vocabulary to even discuss unusual topics.
> > *22. Which came first: the conlang or the conworld?
I was introduced to conlangs by a conworld, but my own conlang exists
without a conworld.
> > C. PHILOSOPHY AND AESTHETIC:
> >
> > 1. What aesthetic features do you value in inventing language? Be
> > specific as to phonology, structure, script, etc.
> > 2. What commonly applied aesthetics have you ever tried to avoid in your
> > invention? This has been an oft debated question, especially when it
> > comes to Tolkien.
>
> answered together
Phonology: I like vocalic languages like Ancient Greek, Latin or Italian. I
agree with Tolkien that languages should be beautiful and I also share his
taste. And I love the vowel 'a'
Structure: When I started to learn Latin I was fascinated by its synthetic
structure and all the inflections. Since then I love inflective and
agglutinating languages. Like Tolkien I love the Finnish case system.
> > 3. Is difficulty or obscurity a goal in inventing a language?
I like to invent naturalistic languages. And natural languages can be
difficult or easy.
> > 4. Is efficiency a goal in inventing a language? This question needn't
> > cancel out the previous one.
Not really.
> > 5. How natural do you wish to make it, or is that a concern? Or rather,
> > how unnatural do you wish to make it?
Like I said before I like to invent naturalistic languages.
> > *7. How many of you have developed a rich vocabulary of obscenities?
No. I've never thought of this.
> > 8. Can it be mystical? To what extent does conlanging fulfill a
> > spiritual purpose for you? Or a magical one? Did it ever start out that
> > way?
I'm a very religious person, but the constructing of languages has no
mystical meaning for me. It's just for fun.
> > 9. How many of you have developed a rich vocabulary of magical,
> > religious, or incantatory terms?
I have some religious terms ...
> > *10. How many of you have striven to invent words that express novel
> > ideas, or are not expressed in any natural language that you know?
Not yet.
> > 11. Name a few of the words in your language(s) that you are most
> > pleased with and are the most original to you.
lamba = man(kind)
curulu = creek
siti = monastery
> Some of my favorites (mostly for the way they sound):
> kraysil ['k4aj.sIl] "artist"
> lithir [li.'TIr\] "to know of"
> mitsish ['mi.ts)IS] "to give an opinion"
> thilu ['Ti.lu] "twilight"
> > 12. How do you sense that a word is "right" for its meaning? How much do
> > you labor at fitting a sound to its sense? Or don't you care?
It just has to please me. Sorry, I have no other explanation.
> > *13. Do you ever rely on a software program to build vocabulary? Do
> > those who don't think that's cheating? :)
No, but I wouldn't mind it.
> > *14. Is conlang a hobby, a craft, or an art in your mind? This has been
> > hotly debated, so the question is not as weird as it seems. Can
> > conlanging be considered an art? Why or why not?
For me it's a hobby, but it surely can be considered an art. Not everbody is
able to construct a language with a functioning grammar and a good
vocabulary.
> > *20. There has been some invigorating discussion lately about what a
> > conlang can do that most natural languages don't (such as produce OSV
> > structure, or eradicate verbs) What experiments have you made with your
> > artlang(s) along these lines?
My conlang is a rather natural one and so I didn't experiment with any
unusual ideas.
> > *21 What do you think distinguishes a conlang from a natural language,
> > if you think so at all? What would it take for a linguist to be fooled
> > into thinking a conlang was a natural language?
If a conlang is almost completed (thousands and thousands of words, complete
grammar, reference to etymology, references to dialects, etc.) and if it has
a natural structure, then I'm sure that even a linguist could be fooled into
thinking it was a natural language.
> > *22. How much do you study other languages in order to discover what is
> > natural in language? Or to discover how you can stretch the boundaries
> > of language to make it do things that are unnatural?
I love to study other languages. In the German speaking area there's a
series of little books (called "Kauderwelsch" which means gibberish). Every
issue deals with a language and presents the grammar, some vocabulary,
useful phrases and a little background on the respective society. I think
there are almost 200 issues. I don't want to spend all my money on these
books (they are not so cheap), but from time to time I add a new issue
to my collection. So far I have Bahasa Indonesia, Finnish, Irish-Gaelic,
American Slang, Modern Latin, Maltese, Quechua and Hungarian.
> > D. THE LISTSERV
> >
> > 1. How did you first hear of this list?
I think it was Langmaker.com
> > 2. How long have you been on this listserv or on other related
> > listservs? Continuously? Infrequently? Off and on? More off than on and
> > vice versa?
I just joined some hours ago and this is my very first post on this list.
> > *7. Do you peruse the websites of other conlangers?
Yes.
> > 9. Have you ever set out to learn at least a little bit of someone's
> > conlang, if only a word or two, or a phrase?
I tried to learn a little bit of Klingon and some Quenya.
> > *10. Do you peruse Jeffrey Henning's Langmaker.com site?
Yes.
> > 12. Have you ever tried to introduce a friend to the list?
No.
> > 13. Do you know of anyone who does this kind of thing but who has never
> > heard of the list?
No.
> > 20. If asked whether it is not better to turn your linguistic talents to
> > the learning and speaking of natural languages (a common response I've
> > met with and aimed at criticizing introversion or solipsism), how would
> > you answer?
Learning languages is not the same as inventing conlangs. I learn languages
to be able to communicate with other people. But I do NOT invent languages
to reach this goal. I invent them for fun and to be able to *play* with
grammar and phonology.
> > *22. What would Tolkien have done with such a community? He writes in "A
> > Secret Vice" that language inventors "hardly ever show their works to
> > one another, so none of them know who are the geniuses at the game, or
> > who are the splendid 'primitives'." He suggests that perhaps in a later
> > time language invention will become respectable, and such things can be
> > exhibited. Have we reached that time?
Conlanging is still a very unusual hobby and a lot of people think it's
weird. But on the other hand the internet and the influcence of popular
movies (e.g. Star Trek for Klingon, Lord of the Rings for Tolkien's
conlangs,
etc.) are surely promoting conlanging.
> > Finally, may I have your permission to use any of this material of yours
> > for my academic work on conlanging? First name? last name? pseudonym?
> > anonymous?
Permission granted.
> > Thanks!
My pleasure.
Cu,
Andreas
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