Re: Language-generating software (was Re: Replies to my Introduction)

Jan van Steenbergen wrote:
-----Original Message-----
From: Jan van Steenbergen <ijzeren_jan@...>
To: CONLANG@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU <CONLANG@...>
Date: Saturday, January 11, 2003 9:29 AM
Subject: Re: Language-generating software (was Re: Replies to my
Introduction)


> --- Jeffrey Henning skrzypszy:
>
>> A survey of my own--
>>
>> 1. Do you regularly use language-gen software?
>> [ ] Yes  [X] No  {place an X in the appropriate box}
>>
>> 2. If yes, which one?
>
>n/a
>
>> 3. What do you like about the language-gen software you've looked at?
>
>Actually, I have never seen it yet. I do everything by hand, and I would
never
>even consider to possibility of having my hobby done by the computer. But I
>have heard (or rather: read) a lot about LangMaker, and I will surely
download
>it one of these days. Just out of curiosity, however. I don't think I will
ever
>use it.
>
>> 4. What do you dislike?
>
>n/a
>
>> 5. What would you all like to see in such software?
>
>No idea, really. I don't really have an idea how the existing program(s)
work.
>What I would certainly appreciate, I think, is the possibility to select
words
>out of a list of 100 generated words, and to have them stored and
eventually
>exported to MS Word or Access.
>
That's exactly what I've done with LangMaker for Kash.  Just a short sample:

apol
aponan
aporo
aposi: ship, boat
apral machine, device
apran
apres
apri
apul harp (mus.)
apum
aran: name

Note that 1) not all possible forms within the range were generated,
although some ranges are complete-- that's a function of how you set up the
parameters; 2) meanings have not been assigned yet to every form-- there are
still vast stretches that don't have a single meaning assigned.  It's
helpful e.g. in the Aidan exercises, when I need a new word for, say,
"bristle"-- I can scroll through the list until I see a form that seems
"bristly" to my warped mind.  :-)