Re: Family Projecet

On Wed, 1 Aug 2001 10:37:10 +0200, Rob Nierse <rnierse@...> wrote:

><< Date:    Tue, 31 Jul 2001 09:21:57 -0700
>From:    Aidan Grey <frterminus@...>
>Subject: Re: Family project >>
>
>This makes me delurk! Sorry for replying late,
>I'm recieving mail by digest.
Hi Rob,
Some of your comments go for me, too.

>For those who don't know me: I'm from Holland
>(Boudewijn and Irina introduced me to conlanging
>when we were still at university) and on this list for
>about three years.
>
>Recently I haven't had much time do make/finish
>a conlang ( I'm still busy with my result from
>the Nine Project started by Danny Wier, just to give
>an impression of my slow pace). So the fact that
>there is no time limit (like in the relays) appeals to me.
I work at about the same speed, and might like to participate if this is a
slow-paced project. I have some ability to devise sound changes, but very
little for coming up with root words.

><< On the the language topic, what level of family are
>people interested in? Indo-European level, or Romance
>level (I believe Andrew Smith prefers the latter)? I'm
>willing to go either way. >>
It seems to me that this sort of thing is open-ended -- even remoter
descendent languages can always be added later, right?

>I think I would like to opt for something differrent:
>I would like to devise a pidgin or creole based on
>the language. Is this okay too?
>I just have to think about the other languages it
>comes in contact with.
>This is important because it means something to
>the next question:
>
><<  And is this going to be an Earth language, or an
>alternate world? >>
>
>I go for an alternate world. This leaves me free for
>choosing characteristics of other languages.
>
><<  Any other ideas you guys have for details needed to
>begin are welcome... >>
I would say, don't be too hasty starting out. But one suggestion I have is
that the protolanguage be originally spoken in a small part of whatever
world is used. Then it would have a words for, say, bears, foxes, afuengh,
or asdjibuc, but not lions, koalas, divgucte, iudnenlos, or neduetyg. One
possible divergence would then be the choice of deriving new words for the
new things, "borrowing" them from some external source, or giving new
meanings to old words.

Jeff

>Is there a grammar and/or some texts available
>to start with?
>
>Rob Nierse