Re: begginer

Given the current state of the list, I guess any actual conlang-related
post would be helpful... :)

# 1 wrote:
> I've still never complete a conlang
>
> I would like to ask for advices.
First of all, IMO, I don't think it's possible to complete a conlang.
Something as complex as a language can't really be considered
"complete". Languages that actually have speakers (including auxlangs)
are always changing. Even Tolkien never "completed" his conlangs. That
being said, there are other types of "complete". Turing-complete
languages were mentioned earlier this week on the list.

> What kind of conlang should I try to create first?
>
> should I keep it simple with a little conjugaison, vocabulary similar to my
> mother tongue, avoid complicated or too different concepts?
>
> should I first try to create something similar to languages I speak?
Really, the best idea is to create what _you_ want. If you want to make
a Euroclone, go ahead. If you want to make a Sindarin or something
"artistic", that's fine. If you want to make another Ithkuil, then I
feel sorry for you. :)

Seriously, go with what you think is best. Most people's first conlangs
look a lot like their own natlangs. The key is that you should at least
be able to understand what you made. I wouldn't throw in triggers or
tripartite systems or something else _I_ don't know that much about.

> Is a kind of language easier to create in flexionnal, agglutinative, and
> isolating?
I don't know if any type is easier than any other. My own conlang,
Suvile, is very agglutinative. It seems easier to me than an
inflectional language. An isolating conlang might be easiest _for me_
because it is more like English. What you're familiar with is probably
easiest for you.

> It is simply because I don't want to continue to create great ideas of
> grammars and never make the rest of the conlang around it
You could always get one of those word generator programs. :)

Grammar is probably the easiest part of a conlang because it is the
easiest to define. It's harder to make up 1000 basic words than it is to
decide which tenses and cases a conlang uses. I sometimes take words
from English or Latin or (for example) Spanish, change them slightly,
and then use them in Suvile. The Suvile word for dog is "kayn" (/kajn/),
which I got from the Latin "canis". There are a few other examples, but
I don't remember them right now.

> Help? advises?
>
Advise: Don't give up!

Do what you think is best. If you want to work on grammar, do that. I
was only half-joking earlier when I said that you can use a computer
program to generate words. That's what a few people on this list do. Or
you can use words from natlangs. IIRC, you said you were from Quebec, so
you already have 2 langs to choose from. :)

Here's what I'm going to do: translate the first few lessons of the
McGuffey Reader that Gary Shannon posted. It's geared toward 1st graders
(age 6-7) so it's a good starting point for the "basics".


I hope you can make some sense out of this post, because I'm not sure
that I can! That's how I write sometimes. I hope to see more of your
posts soon. I hope to see *any* on-topic posts soon. :)

--
Michael