Re: What criteria do you have for your own or others' languages?

On 12/10/06, Sally Caves <scaves@...> wrote:
> I REALLY REALLY love the language of Darmok on Star Trek.  That was
> innovative!  Teonaht should have more of that.  I understand that Malaysian
> (?) is a challenge for westerners.  Not so much because of the structure of
> the language or its vocabulary but because of its allusiveness.  You may
> know the language, but can you follow the commercials on TV?   So I have
> tried to make T. into a language that invokes a lot of metaphors for
> ordinary actions.  "Juliet on the balcony," is how Troi explained what might
> mean, in Darmokian (?),
Tamarian. Spoken by the race known as "Children of Tama" or "Tamarians".

Darmok was a mytho-historical hunter from Shantil III, who was
referred to in certain Tamarian sayings, such as "Darmok and Jalad at
Tanagra".

> a romantic possibility.  That kind of thing in a
> conlang would impress me greatly.
Related links:
* http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Tamarian
* http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Tamarian_language
* http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Darmok_%28hunter%29
* http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Darmok_%28episode%29

Cheers,
--
Philip Newton <philip.newton@...>

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