Re: A prioi vs. A posteriori ?

Shtaving Greg Williams:
>>>>
Question:

Have any of yall created an 'a priori' language with a lot of 'a
posteriori' vocabulary (i.e., with a lot of the lexicon from natlangs) or
the reverse (an 'a posteriori' language with a lot of 'a priori' vocabulary)?


I sometimes use words inspired by natural languages, but often not with the
smae meaning. For example, the Khangathyagon is written in a runic script
called Bukhshtav. This is based on the German "buchstabieren", to spell,
but in Khangathyagon the roots are
bukh - rite
shtav - sign, mark, writing (as verb) write

Hence "rite-signs", an appropriate name for an alphabet primarily used for
writing spells. The first 7 characters of Bukhstav, in the tradition of
Futhark, are b-u-kh-sh-t-a-v. Interestingly, the derivation of
"buchshtabieren" is from "beech staff", on which runes might have been
carved. The wizards who speak Khangathyagon make their wands out of beech.

Shtaving, as written above, means "wrote (3p)". It amused me to make
"-ing", such a familiar English affix for the present participle and
continuous aspect, a past tense ("ang" for first person, "eng" for 2nd).

"Mag", meaning tree, is inspired by Christophe's "Maggel". I already had
"zhel" for place, so "Magzhelyagon", forest language, was an appropriate
name for a language with a hideously complicated phonology, which I had
decided would be spoken by rainforest dwellers. I was also pleased by the
resemblance to the Nihongo "moku".

I came up with "sek" for knife yesterday. Similar to Old English Seax, from
which the Saxons (the Knife People) derived their name. Also partly
inspired by "Seven Handed Sek", a god briefly mentioned by Terry Pratchett
in "The Colour of Magic".

And of course there's my Starting Point phrase, "Aerkriuflt Kriarithon
Glaestaepontol" - Old English magical gibberish, interpreted as perfectly
sensible Khangathyagon.

Pete Bleackley