Re: Martian conlangs?

John Cowan scripsit:

>> http://www.langmaker.com/barsoom.htm
>
>Interesting stuff!.  I don't think that the "C" in Carthoris should be
>cited,
>since it is plainly there to make the connection with "Carter".
Good point. But what is the difference between 'c' and 'k'?  Why 'calot'
(One of my favorite invented words of all time; I even snuck it into
Dublex), 'Sarcoja' and 'Bar Comas' instead of 'kalot', 'Sarkoja' and
'Bar Komas'?

Speaking of 'c' vs. 'k', I had Barsoomian in mind when I wrote about my
SF-language parody:  "Surprisingly for an alien language, Tev'Meckian
sounds are almost exactly the same as English sounds.  Some differences
are the distinctions between CK and K and KH, which sound identical to
English speakers."

At least ERB didn't use 'CK'!  Barsoomian may not set a great example by
today's standard, but for the time (1912) it was a great language -- it
demonstrates how even a modest-sized conlang can dramatically improve
the verisimilitude of a setting.

Best regards,

Jeffrey

Reply