Re: How to minimize "words" (was "Re: isolating conlangs")

On Fri, Feb 23, 2007 at 05:05:33AM +0000, Jeff Rollin wrote:
[...]
> My own conlang/artlang, provisionally called Vallian (Vn), attempts to
> minimize the number of independent "words" in a sentence by using as
> many suffixes as possible (the language is exclusively suffixing).
[...]

This is very interesting. Taken to the logical conclusion, you could end
up with a conlang where every clause is a single word, consisting of a
root at the start, with suffixes piled on behind it. E.g., you could
start with a verbal root, with some argument noun roots stuck behind it
in some order, with some tense/aspect morphemes thrown in for good
measure. The morphemes can "melt" into each other via mutations, so that
it's difficult to tell where morphemic boundaries are.


T

--
Why waste time learning, when ignorance is instantaneous? -- Hobbes,
from Calvin & Hobbes

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