Re: CHAT: query: where to start?

Yoon Ha Lee wrote:

> Hello,
> I've been semi-lurking since I got on this list.  I suppose you might
> call me a beginning conlanger; I printed out something like 150 pages of
> conlang material from the web for personal reference this summer!
>
> Anyway--I've been working on an ancestor language for a language in a
> story (how's that for too many prepositional phrases?).  I read an
> article on Arabic morphological structure, and thought, What a neat
> idea!  So I've been using three-consonant morphemes, with affixes to form
> root verbs, adjectives, etc.
>
> However, I *don't* know any Arabic except "salaam."  :-/  My question
> was, should I hold off on this until I can learn some Arabic in the
> nebulous future, and stick to the languages I know something about?
Not necessarily.  Although it would help to learn more about the language
(more info can always help), what's really important is that you understand
patterns that occur across languages more than one language's patterns.  What I
personally find interesting is mixing and matching.  Phaleran, for example,
has a phonology looks kinda like Hindi and Georgian smashed together,
while its syntax and morphology have hints of Quechua and Basque.
(to see what I mean, go here: <http://www.angelfire.com/tx/eclectorium/phaleran/>)

Rick Morneau has written some pretty good essays on the subject of
language construction:

<http://www.srv.net/~ram/essays.html>

> Sorry if this is a dumb question.  :-/
There are no dumb questions here, Yoon!


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Tom Wier   |     "Cogito ergo sum, sed credo ergo ero."
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