Conlanging can be overwhelming for even the most experienced conlangers—especially in the beginning stages of a new project when swirling swarms of ideas create a flurry of possibilities. I break the process down into daily prompts for a yearlong experience. One year, one conlang. Join me in making this a Conlang Year!
Goal: Brainstorm ideas for relative clause components Note: Decide whether you will have a relative pronoun or other relativizer. Tip: Also consider where any relative clause markers might occur within the clause structure. Work focus: Learn/Brainstorm/Try Continue your relative clause brainstorming by focusing on the internal structures of the relative clause, including options for relative…
Goal: Explore options for relative clause structures Note: Brainstorm options until you find one that works for your vision of your language. Tip: Also consider options for where these clauses will occur in the matrix clause. Work focus: Learn/Brainstorm/Try The goal for today shifts attention to relative clauses and their structures. Spend your time today…
Goal: Update your dictionary as needed Note: Make sure you include any new forms you’ve created for the wh-forms. Tip: Sometimes it’s helpful to include more etymological information in entries. Work focus: Solidify/Write/Share Take time today to update your dictionary as needed, ensuring your new wh-words are entered. That may also mean entering new lexical…
Goal: Expand the wh-word question section Note: Discuss adverb-oriented questions in your document. Tip: Include examples and note any areas where these forms may differ from other questions. Work focus: Solidify/Write/Share Focus on your language documentation today, expanding your section on wh-questions to include descriptions of questions targeting temporal, spatial, manner, and reason information. In…
Goal: Create “why” and “how” forms with examples Note: As you create the wh-words, showcase them in a variety of example questions. Tip: You may have more than one form that translates as a single English wh-word. Work focus: Create/Make/List Today’s goal is to create the wh-words you’ll need to target manner and reason information…
Goal: Brainstorm ideas for reason and manner wh-words Note: Decide what sources you will use for “why” and “how”. Tip: These may also be related to other wh-words in your language. Work focus: Learn/Brainstorm/Try The goal for today shifts the focus to reason and manner wh-words, or words that roughly translate as “why” and “how.”…
Goal: Create “where” and “when” forms with examples Note: Create the wh-words you’ll need to target temporal and spatial information. Tip: Keep track of the lexical sources to make sure you remember where they come from! Work focus: Create/Make/List Today’s goal is to create words that roughly translate as “where” and “when” in your language—the…
Goal: Brainstorm ideas for spatial and temporal wh-words Note: Decide what sources you will use for “where” and “when”. Tip: These words may be related to other wh-words (e.g. “where” could come from “what path”). Work focus: Learn/Brainstorm/Try Brainstorm ideas for how you will create wh-words that target spatial (“where”) and temporal (“when”) information. If…
Goal: Make a plan for wh-questions targeting adverb info Note: Focus more generally on issues like word order and wh-word placement. Tip: These target information like where, when, why, and how. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Turn your attention today to wh-questions that target adverbial information, such as time, manner, place, and reason. In other words, questions…
Goal: Write an introduction to wh-word questions Note: Focus this section on strategies for questioning NP elements. Tip: Include examples that question NPs in a variety of clausal positions. Work focus: Solidify/Write/Share Start writing a section on wh-word questions in your language documentation, focusing on the strategies you’ve created for questioning noun phrase elements. Include…
