conlang punctuation

Trebor Jung <treborjung@...> skribis:

>¡Küs. [kys] (=Hi! in Kosi, colloquial form. Do any other conlangs use the
>combination of inverted question mark and/or inverted exclamation point plus
>period?)
gjax-zym-byn doesn't use inverted question or exclamation mark, but
it does begin emphasized sentences with sentence-type marks and end
all sentences with period.

*tq hoq.
2SG VOC
Hi!

?niqm-noq-tq-van.
name-Q-2SG-V.STATE
What's your name?

!runx-zox mwe tyn koq rq.
go-V.ACT IMP place this.1 from
Go away!

* marks emphasized statements and exlamations,
! marks commands, ? marks questions.

I also use ~~~ instead of ... for ellipsis, and {} instead of ""
for quotation marks.  Theoretically .. and ... have special meanings
(end of paragraph and end of chapter) but I don't use them
consistently.

" is used to mark proper names.

Underlining indicates a newly-coined word that needs to be
entered in the lexicon ASAP. :)

Hmm... I might find use for inverted question and exclamation after all.
Maybe to distinguish positive and negative questions, or yes/no
vs. open-ended questions; and to distinguish suggestions
from commands.

?pq hxy-i tq-vax-onx-zox zoqn.
3SG patient-to  2SG-digestive_system-into-V.ACT Q
Are you going to eat that?

¿kujm noq rq rynq-poq-tq-zox.
reason which? from do-that.3-2SG-V.ACT
Why are you doing that?


- Jim Henry
http://www.mindspring.com/~jimhenry/conlang.htm