Re: CHAT: Conlang and Writers

Sally Caves wrote:
>
> Mathew Willoughby wrote:
>
> > It all started because many of the main characters in The Argo would
> > never use English colloquialisms in everyday speech (since most of
> > them have never even heard of English) so I have them
> > cussing and using proverbs from their native tongues.  In my actual
> > fiction, the conlangs are pretty much restricted to a few phrases
> > peppered in the dialogue, names of people and places and technical
> > terminology.
>
> I know a lot of writers who do this, but who don't take the time toinvent
> the rest of the language.  I sat on a panel at Albacon with Tim
> Smith, and a fantasy writer whose name I've completely forgotten
> even though I got her card and everything, and while we talked about
> conlanging, she sat there and knitted and said "well, you don't invent
> every article of clothing in your fantasy wardrobe down to the buttons,
> so why, as a writer, should you have to invent the language?"  Well,
> I'm paraphrasing her pretty freely, but that was the gist of it.  I'm
> curious to get a response from another writer who actually DOES
> invent the language down to the buttons.  I think you have a good
> answer here.
>
> > When I started teaching myself Latin I began to understand how much
> > language shapes our world-view and our basic assumptions.  In order to
> > write about characters from cultures completely different form ours, I
> > found
> > that developing their langauge helped me to understand (and thus better
> > express in my narrative) what makes those cultures unique.
>
> Well, I tried to say something along these lines, but she couldn't
> beconvinced.  Fake it; it's the narrative that counts, and that sells
> the book, she said.  I'm interested in the market, not the morphology.
> Again, a pretty free paraphrase!
>
A few years ago there was a panel on constructed languages in SF &
Fantasy, held at our local (largish) SF convention, Minicon. One of the
panelists was Suzette Haden Elgin, the creator of Laadan. The other
panelists were also published authors of various stripes. Unfortunately
M.A.R. Barker, the creator of Tsolyani, who is also local, didn't make
it to the convention that year. I went in hoping to learn all about
language creation by Professionals. And what they said was almost
identical to what Sally cites above! They all said that the language
creation was just a bit of additional flavor for the novels, and none of
them claimed to be particularily interested in it outside of that. I got
a definite feeling of condescension. I hope I'm not mis-remembering what
Ms. Elgin said, but I do remember feeling very disappointed after
sitting in on that panel.

So I was thinking of doing a panel myself. Not an analysis of the
literature or anything, but more of a workshop, for people who might
like to try playing with the idea. A working group - tell everyone to
bring their notebooks and pens, and present some basic concepts from
linguistics. But this year Minicon is undergoing Radical Changes. I
decided to shelve the idea until we learn where Minicon as an event is
going. And there is also a World-Building Society that meets locally. I
really should try to hit some of their monthly meetings. I might find
some more local kindred spirits. I've managed to miss the last couple
local ConLangCons.

And I hope, Sally, that you don't now think that all knitters who write
are condescending towards conlanging! I do all three. I will say that
sometimes my knitting keeps me away from my conlangs, but there is
really no worse effect.

Laurie, who needs to pack up her knitting to take to Minicon ...
milo@winternet.com
http://www.winternet.com/~milo