[snip]
>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")
Wayne Chevrier: Lisanek, Lisanre`, Romaencz, and several only at the level
of an idea
>
>*2. Are you new to the Lunatic Survey or have you filled out a version =
>of this survey before?
Yes
>
>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.
w a c h e v r i e r at-sign h o t m a i l period c o m
>
>5. What is your age? (vague answers allowed, but it is an important =
>demographic)
32 Terran, 17 Martian
>
>6. What is your gender?=20
Animate :)(Masculine)
>
>7. What is your nationality? Where do you live now?
Canadian(Quebe'cois/Scots-Irish/German/Romany/First Nations/English),
Greater Vancouver
>
>8. What is your native language?
English, despite the last name
>
>9. What natural languages foreign to you have you studied or do you =
>speak?
a little French and Spanish, a word or two of many others
>
[snip]
>
>14. How long have you been developing your invented language(s)?
15-20 years
>
>15. At what age did you first start inventing a language? Can you =
>briefly describe your early efforts?=20
>
>16. What drew you to start inventing a language and/or constructed =
>world? What was the inspiration?=20
>
>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 the list, after JRRT and Esperanto, which were inspirations
>
>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?
Neither secret nor public
>
>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?
not really
>
>*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?
A bit, but what's wrong with that?
>
>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?
More interest than talent
>
>22. There has been a connection noted between linguistic and =
>mathematical ability. Are you mathematically inclined or inclined =
>towards computing in any way?
I've calculated the distances between nearby star, by hand, for fun :)
>
>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?)
Some drawing, including maps
>
>
>
>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.=20
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)?
Lisanre:a priori, but vocabulary and grammar ideas scavenged from most
everywhere
Same is true for Lisanek, Romaencz: a posteriori(romlang)
>
>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?
all have Latin alphabet orthographies
>
>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.
Lisanek: ergative(only marked on pronouns), V2,m/f gender(m. inc.
inanimates,default for human/f. default for other animates and abstracts),
use of feminine word with masculine affices for common,
definite/indefinite/indeterminate article suffix, zero copula, predicate
marker,"I have" as "to me is", subordinate verbs instead adjectives
Lisanre: direct/inverse, animate/inanimate gender(towns and texts are
animate), no inamimate pronouns, adjectives as type of noun, tonal accent
Romaencz: romlang, umlaut
>
>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?
Less than a 100 (stable vocabulary)
>
>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.
theft:)
>
>3. Does a constructed world accompany your invention(s)? What is it =
>called?=20
a bit, i don't know yet
>
>*9. Has your language and conworld ever served in a role-playing game or =
>a world shared by other conlangers?
no
>
>*10. Briefly describe your conculture (is it within the bounds of this =
>world? on another world, etc.?)
Lisanre: think Pacific Northwest with Andes in background,with Polynesian
and Japanese touches
Lisanek: coastal
Romaencz: somewhere in Europe
>
>*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
>
>12. What do you write in it? Poems? chants? lullabyes? prayers? history? =
>stories? recipes? Are any of these exhibited on your website?
nothing much
>
>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? :)
not yet
>
>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.
Romaencz: some entymolgical/umlaut(caolh(horse)/kOj/), rh=/Z/
Lisanek: s=/S/ z=/s/ y=/j/
Lisanre: c=/K/ x=/tK)/ z=/ts/ y=/j/ or /i:/ q=/N/ h=/x/ w=/w/ or /u:/
>
>16. How many of you sing in your language and have invented songs for =
>that purpose?
>
>*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?
Yes
>
>*18. What on-line games do you play? (or devise?) Translations, =
>Babel-text, Relays, etc.
>
>19. Which do you prefer doing: devising phonology? script? structure? =
>building vocabulary?
Vocabulary structure & grammar
>
>20. Do you start and stop several different conlangs, or do you tend to =
>stick with one and develop it over years?
some of both
>
>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?
Ablility tosay anything you want in the language
>
>*22. Which came first: the conlang or the conworld?
growing together
>
>
>
>C. PHILOSOPHY AND AESTHETIC:
>
>1. What aesthetic features do you value in inventing language? Be =
>specific as to phonology, structure, script, etc.
pronouncibility, a definite and distinctive feel
>
>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.=20
"prettiness"/phonological symbolism
>
>3. Is difficulty or obscurity a goal in inventing a language?
no
>
>4. Is efficiency a goal in inventing a language? This question needn't =
>cancel out the previous one.
no
>
>5. How natural do you wish to make it, or is that a concern? Or rather, =
>how unnatural do you wish to make it?
more to the natural end
>
>6. Can conlanging be sexy? sensual? obsessing? how does it heal or harm =
>you?
?
>
>*7. How many of you have developed a rich vocabulary of obscenities?=20
if I had a large vocabulary,I probably would have
>
>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?=20
could be, but isn't
>
>9. How many of you have developed a rich vocabulary of magical, =
>religious, or incantatory terms?
see 7
>
>*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?=20
Mais oui
>
>11. Name a few of the words in your language(s) that you are most =
>pleased with and are the most original to you.
Romaencz: cantar=to talk, falhar=to lie, fabular=to tell stories, parlar=to
lecture/preach/give a speech, ceantar=to sing, se cantar=to brag, se
parlar=to chide oneself, calh=mare, caolh=stallion, caelh=horses,
cadeirh=chair, cadirh=chairs, cadirhaond=chairman
>
>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 feels right
>
>*13. Do you ever rely on a software program to build vocabulary? Do =
>those who don't think that's cheating? :)
no and no
>
>*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?
all of the above
>
>*15. If it is, who do you think are its consumers?=20
art doesn't need consumers, just artists
>
[snip]
>*17. There has been some exciting talk recently (and over the years) =
>about what a conlang is or is not. If you could pick a metaphor or write =
>a descriptive phrase defining "conlang," what would that be?
a real language:conlang::palace a 1000 years old:small cottage(or lean-to)
>
>*18. Why or why not would you eschew the metaphors "miniature" or =
>"model"?=20
miniature better than model(they are languages, not just models)
>
>*19. Is a conlang more like a glimpse of something lifesize? (Irina's =
>suggestion in 2001)
yes
>
[snip]
>*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?
see 17, the scale/detail/etc.
>
[snip]
>
>
>D. THE LISTSERV
>
>1. How did you first hear of this list?
surfing, found the yahoogroup archives first
>
>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?
5 years or so
>
>*3. What is the appeal of being on a listserv and contributing to it? Do =
>you think you contribute moderately or excessively, or not enough? Do =
>you tend to lurk ?
lurk mostly
>
[snip]
>
>*5. How helpful has the list been in developing your language? In =
>learning linguistic information?
very
>
>6. What books have you consulted? On your own, or because you heard of =
>them on the list?
lots of teach yourself type books, Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Language, An
Abnaki dictionary, Linguistic Diversity in Time and Space,
Language(Bloomfield)
>
>*7. Do you peruse the websites of other conlangers?=20
somewhat
>
>*8. Do you sense that people on this list are interested in your conlang =
>and give you feedback on it?=20
yes, when I do post
>
>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?
not yet
>
>*10. Do you peruse Jeffrey Henning's Langmaker.com site?
not regularly
>
>*11. What on-line techniques do you use to showcase your conlang, such =
>as Audacity or other sound programs, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, =
>Fontography, and so forth? Did you hear of them on the list?
none
>
>12. Have you ever tried to introduce a friend to the list?=20
no
>
>13. Do you know of anyone who does this kind of thing but who has never =
>heard of the list?
no
>
>*14. What other lists do you frequent related to conlanging?
conculture and some of the workshop lists
>
[snip]
>
>*18. There has been some terrific talk about CONLANG as a community. And =
>yet so many of us seem to want the world to know of it and respect it. =
>Is the CONLANG community enough?
I think so, if you include the spinoff lists
>
[snip]
>
>>
>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?
Name but not Email address
>
>
>
>Thanks!
You're welcome!
>
--Wayne Chevrier