Hi Sally!
Sally Caves wrote:
> 1) How many of you old- and new-comers started inventing a language
> in isolation from the list?
Both of my languages started before joining the list.
> 2) How many of you newcomers heard of the list first and thought--
> Wow! I think I'll try my hand at conlanging!
I found it during the development of my second language. But then,
it influenced it. :-)
> 3) How many of you, when you were starting out on this on your own,
> did this kind of thing: you have a list of words you want to invent
> new ones for, so you drew di-and polysyllabic words out of the air.
Hmm, you mean without a definition of phonotactics? I did with
Fukhian. Though after a short while I always wrote a word-dice in
some programming language.
> 4) If so, how important was it that the new word sound "exotic,"
> "beautiful," or
> "suggestive" in some personal way of the word you wanted it to stand
> for?
It was not important. Just for a few that described sounds.
> 5) How many of you invented words to express concepts that could not be
> expressed in your native language?
Hmm, just words that are shorter or need a phrase in mothertongue?
Those exist. But the *concepts* are the same.
> 6) How many of you used it for prayer? For secrecy?
No.
> 7) For how many of you was it an intellectual exercise?
Yes, definitely. It is the only purpose. I do not make up
concultures, so I need to get all the fun out of conlanging.
> 8) A language for a conculture?
No.
> 10) What is your definition of a mystical language? Would any of you
> characterize your conlang as such?
I don't know really, probably something linked to a conculture.
**Henrik