On Tue, Nov 09, 2004 at 04:51:51PM -0600, Caleb Hines wrote:
> I don't know if this has been done before, but it might be kinda fun.
> Here's some to get you started, feel free to add to the list.
>
> You might be a conlanger if...
[...]
> *You know the meaning of terms such as "velar" and "post-alveolar".
*You make statements such as "dental sounds are easier to pronounce
than labial sounds" in everyday conversations. (Yes, I just did this
yesterday. :-P)
> *You stick fingers in your mouth in front of a mirror to determine the
> exact way you pronounce /r/.
*You turn on the exhaust fan while in the washroom even when you don't
need to, just so you can pronounce your latest language without your
roommate noticing...
[...]
> *You've memorized IPA, SAMPA, X-SAMPA, and CXS.
*You run a website that contains a backup copy of the CXS chart. :-)
[...]
> *You lament the fact that the Latin alphabet has entirly too few vowels.
That's so me! ;-)
[...]
> *You enjoy watching foreign films without subtitles to hear the sound of
> the language.
*You enjoy listening to people speak in a foreign language you don't
understand just so you can determine what's the phonetic inventory of
their language.
[...]
> *You think that CV syllables are _so_ boring.
Hey! All my conlangs so far are CV based! ;-)
[...]
> *You think that _any_ parts of speech are irrelevant -- AllNoun does just
> fine without them.
Now you're making me reconsider my idea of a conlang that only has
adjectives... *evil cackle*
[...]
> *You prefer OSV word order and postpositions.
[...]
*You hate accusative languages, and prefer things like trigger
languages. Or Ebisédian. </shameless plug>
Here's a few more:
*You try to infer the word order in their native language when you
hear foreign-language speakers make grammatical errors.
*You can talk about Tagalog grammar without actually knowing any
Tagalog.
*You profess knowledge of linguistics on your resume even though
you're not a linguistics major. (Yes I did that. :-P)
*You often want to say things that can't be expressed in your L1.
*You made up words and phrases to say these things.
*You have trouble pronouncing your L1 properly 'cos you have been too
engrossed in trying to pronounce a retroflex lateral fricative.
*You bit your tongue really hard while trying to pronounce an exotic
sound.
*You enjoyed doing that.
*You make grammatical mistakes when speaking your L1, because you've
been thinking in another grammar for too long.
*When you get a cold, you make jokes like, "I've discovered the
aspirated glottal stop!"
*You actually found the previous item funny.
*You fall asleep by muttering random syllables to yourself, wondering
if they could make a prepositional phrase.
*You doodle a lot with strange symbols that nobody else can
understand.
*They actually mean something.
*You like to carry out conversations in baby-talk. Even when there are
no babies around.
*You know what LEGRATEC means.
*You often speak to yourself ... in your conlang. :-)
*You laugh at yourself after doing so.
T
--
Creativity is not an excuse for sloppiness.