Re: Using word generators (was Re: Semitic root word list?)

Jörg wrote:

<<
Yes, it is the same to me.  Many ad-hoc words I created for relay texts
and similar purposes don't survive long, and are eventually replaced by
better thought-of words.  Some, however, survive.
 >>

The only problem I have found with this approach is that it can
lead to an unbalanced phonology.  For example, especially with
my language Njaama, the bilabial and palatal click (which, admittedly,
were not in the phonology from the beginning) rarely make an
appearance (this became glaringly apparent when I participated
in the current relay with Njaama.  Throughout the entire relay
text [which was very long for a relay--38 sentences], the bilabial
and palatal click appeared once each [well, the palatal click occurred
twice, but that was because when I noticed, I coined a word using
it]).  Of course, when it comes to letter/phoneme frequency, some
should appear more often than others, and there should be some
rare phonemes, but they shouldn't be *that* rare.

As a result, if I haven't got a good idea how I want a word to
sound, I tend to look around and see what phonemes are
underrepresented, and make sure they pop up in the word I'm
creating.  It's not perfect, but it does help to prevent the same
phonemes from being used over and over again.

-David
*******************************************************************
"A male love inevivi i'ala'i oku i ue pokulu'ume o heki a."
"No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn."

-Jim Morrison

http://dedalvs.free.fr/

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