Re: Shukaraz - new script

On Thu, 15 Jul 2004 10:50:38 -0000, j_mach_wust <j_mach_wust@...> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       Constructed Languages List <CONLANG@...>
> Poster:       j_mach_wust <j_mach_wust@...>
> Subject:      Re: Shukaraz - new script
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> I admit I have a soft spot for complicated writing systems, e.g. for
> tengwar, for Hangul, or for German stenography (which unfortunately is
> very ugly like any kind of shorthand), and I remember I was much more
> productive when I still created normal alphabets (where there's no
> difference between consonant signs and vowel signs).
>
I'm not sure what you were pointing at with the above.

A small note: complex doesn't always mean florid or ornate of course.
Kuraw is complicated in its mandatory consonant + consonant vowel
glyphs, some of which don't look related to the original two glyphs.
However, the glyphs themselves are actually pretty simple (s + ta
comes to mind.. it looks a little like a 5 with the bowl sweeping up
to the vertical ascender, minus the horizontal top bar)


>
> I think it's not only important to write, but also to write with the
> precise tool the script is intended to be written with. That's because
> the forms of each script are determined by the tool their written
> with. Curly south-Asian scripts are scratched on palm leaves, angular
> Runes are carved on wood, European alphabets are written with a bird
> pen (or a metal imitation) on paper, etc. The excercise of drawing the
> letters with the adequate tool will eliminate many strange letters at
> once.

True, but not all of us have access to the "right materials". This is
why i discussed writing your glyphs in the style of the script style
you intend, or to take letter forms. For instance, i doubt very many
of us have access to Talipot palms (Corypha umbraculifera - the
traditional source of palm leaves for palm leaf writing). Perhaps you
have a ready supply of talipot palm leaves that are prepared but the
average conscriptor doesn't.

I wrote the above to make it a bit easier for those who "fear"
creating their conscripts. I think your last paragraph might scare
people into thinking that if they don't have the right materials, they
won't get their scripts to "look right".

I didn't need to write pages upon pages of script in my conlangs or
other languages to "sold orthographic problems". I simply combined
different sounds to see which ones would work and which didn't. I
don't think one needs to take a long time to get theirs "just right".
For you, perhaps, but my intention with the post was to illustrate
that creating a conscript is not some lengthy involved process that
demands a lot of writing and practice to get it "right". Shukaraz
actually took me about a week to get to where I wanted it

And yes, i *do* understand that that's your opinion and your way of doing it.

--
Something gets lost when you translate,
It's hard to keep straight, perspective is everything

- Invisible ink - Aimee Mann -

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