Re: Conlang-to-body-shape connections

--- In conlang@yahoogroups.com, Andreas Johansson <andjo@F...> wrote:
 > I'm afraid I'm unable to extract much amusing info from the data I got on
 > peoples heights, weights and conlang preferences. This is, presumably
mostly
 > due to the low number of respondents and the disparate descriptions
of their
 > conlang preferences; the theory can't possibly be wrong!
 >
 > Big people apparently tend to stick accusative languages, with
shorter and
 > thinner ones being more in favour of active ones and similar odd
stuff. And
 > VSO is unreasonably popular.

My first conlang was VSO and pseudo-accusative (definitely
ergative or active, but there's no accusative case as
such...).  I like unconventionalness in a conlang as long
as I can handle it...  which most likely wouldn't be the
case with things like triggers, clicks, tones etc.  =\

I like VSO because I consider the verb the heart and motor
of a clause.  I'm also in favor of a somewhat flexible
word order, to allow me to place small pieces with high
information density (e.g. personal pronouns) at the
beginning with the verb.

Jovian is banally SVO, due to the influences of the
surrounding language environment (French, German) and the
apparently global trend of Romance languages towards SVO.

Oro Mpaa is SVO too.  I would have liked to try out a new
word order, but SVO is pretty much the only structure that
works well with my analytical serial verb syntax.  Oro
Mpaa has no cases, so I guess it doesn't fit the bill of
the accusative/ergative/active/whatever categories.



 > The short-people-are-more-prone-to-bounce theory seems to hold water.

I'm 1.90 and definitely unbouncy, though I sometimes dance
stupidly when I'm home alone.  ;-P



-- Christian Thalmann

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