dinuriel
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Torturing characters? Me? Nooo...
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Post by dinuriel on Oct 2, 2010 21:57:10 GMT -5
Not sure if this thread is in the correct category, but I'm a little bit stuck. For one of my novels, I need to make up some languages, and I'm a bit stuck. So far, I've compiled some sets of phonemes for each language (nine in total), named them all using said phonemes, and figure I will complete the lexicon as I need to using a recorded set of roots. I've worked out the verb conjugation for the languages I'll probably need first, as well as tenses and affixes (for the ones that have affixes) and sentence structure. I've also started on some of the alphabets. I know that I'm missing a ton of crucial elements, but I'm not entirely sure what they are--or, more like, I do know what they are, but they just haven't occurred to me for some reason. I feel like these missing pieces should be obvious, and that when they jump out at me, I'll wonder how the hell I ever forgot about them. Have any of you ever made up a language for a story? If so, what sort of process did you use? Also, if anyone happens to have any idea as to which crucial steps I've missed, don't hesitate to let me know. For the record--if it helps--I'm primarily monolingual. I can read and, to a lesser extent, write French, and I can understand it if it's spoken slowly enough, but I'm screwed if I try to speak it
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Post by celebkiriedhel on Oct 3, 2010 1:25:23 GMT -5
This is the only thought I was thinking of -
For each language, it's dependant on racial history as well and other quirks as well.
For example, French, Spanish, etc have a Latin base - which is recognises male/female but not other. So words are male or female - la fenetre, le pont, etc, etc.
Other language bases have all 3, or none. Hence English with - the window, the bridge.
Sentence structure, grammar - can also present cultural paradigms - for example, absence of a word or symbol for zero in Latin, but present in Hindi and Chineses.
Or again - if you had a race in the eternal now - they would have no language or grammar for the past tense.
Edit:
I once created a language for a species. I based the grammar on mathematical notation, which was appropriate for the world paradigm. I chose sounds based on what I thought their mouths could form - which was mostly clicking and consonants, with very few labial sounds as modifiers. Their written language was similiar - strokes, rather than curves, but the sentences were 3D similiar to chinese calligraphy.
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Post by laura on Oct 3, 2010 9:46:03 GMT -5
Oh wow, this is so far over my head, lol! I wouldn't know where to begin! But my first thought was to study how someone else has already done it, and use their process to make your own? I know Tolkien's Elvish languages are highly documented.
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dinuriel
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Torturing characters? Me? Nooo...
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Post by dinuriel on Oct 3, 2010 12:16:14 GMT -5
Thanks, both of you. Checking out Tolkien's process was a good idea--interesting how he based them on actual languages. Also, the different bases--I knew those existed, but I never thought of that. And yes, drawing from the culture from which the language stems is also an essential. Thanks again
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Post by dbloveshermac on Oct 5, 2010 8:10:19 GMT -5
How exciting!
In some languages, such as Russian, nouns change form depending on their role in the sentence. English has vestiges of noun declension in pronouns (I vs my vs me). You may want to consider that. I'm bilingual and can carry on a basic conversation in a couple more languages, and I would be happy to help as an idea bouncee if you need one.
The person (can't remember the name) who was hired by the Star Trek producers to create the Klingon language gave some interesting interviews about the experience. You could probably find them by googling.
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dinuriel
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Torturing characters? Me? Nooo...
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Post by dinuriel on Oct 5, 2010 10:57:17 GMT -5
Good point about the nouns and pronouns. I never would have thought of that I'll google those interviews as soon as I get back from class today. Thanks so much!
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Post by dbloveshermac on Oct 5, 2010 13:21:01 GMT -5
Hey, I found the guy's name. It's Marc Okrand.
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dinuriel
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Torturing characters? Me? Nooo...
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Post by dinuriel on Oct 5, 2010 17:38:00 GMT -5
Excellent! Thank you
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dinuriel
Full Member
Torturing characters? Me? Nooo...
Posts: 374
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Post by dinuriel on Oct 6, 2010 15:27:24 GMT -5
The interviews are quite interesting, and very helpful Star Trek was a little before my time, but the very idea that there is a Klingon dictionary in circulation is just pure awesome
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