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: Write a section on demonstrative modifiers Note: Describe all the forms your demonstratives may take. Tip: Showcase your system with examples! Work focus: Solidify/Write/Share Today’s task is to write a section in your language’s documentation on demonstrative modifiers. Be sure to incorporate examples that demonstrate any distinctions made in your demonstrative system and to…
Goal: Create demonstrative modifiers Note: Create proto-forms and reduced forms, as needed. Tip: These forms co-occur with a head noun. Work focus: Create/Make/List Now that you’ve spent time brainstorming ideas for the demonstrative modifiers in your language, take time today to actually create any forms you need, which may mean creating new proto-forms for lexical…
Goal: Explore options for demonstratives Note: You can have different levels and types of distinctions! Tip: Connect the options to ideas for lexical sources. Work focus: Learn/Brainstorm/Try Demonstrative forms are often distance-oriented or person-oriented, and, in the majority of natlangs, demonstratives have a two- or three-way distinction. (Some languages only have one demonstrative form without…
This week is a little different because I don’t yet have all the daily prompts for the week written. And so, the preview image is included here to let you know that this week’s prompts will have you creating demonstrative modifiers, brainstorming ideas for pronouns, and creating personal pronoun forms. But you’ll have to wait…
Goal: Decide if modifiers will agree with nouns Note: Focus on any modifiers that are basic in your language. Tip: Your decision should reflect the larger system. Work focus: Learn/Brainstorm/Try Today’s focus is on whether your modifiers will agree with the nouns they co-occur with. Modifiers can agree in number, class, and/or case (i.e. any…
Goal: Review and update your noun documentation Note: Look through your notes to ensure you didn’t miss anything. Tip: Don’t forget to update charts, if needed. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure As the final day (at least for a while) specifically focusing on nouns and the grammatical forms they can co-occur with, the task of the day…
Goal: Write an overview for possession Note: Incorporate the examples you created yesterday. Tip: It helps to explain each set of examples! Work focus: Solidify/Write/Share Today’s focus is documenting the decisions you’ve made about possessive forms by writing an overview, including examples for any different grammatical types of possession you created. Even if you didn’t…
Goal: Create forms for possessive constructions Note: This may mean making templates to show word order. Tip: Provide at least one example for each. Work focus: Create/Make/List If you needed to create new markers for possessive constructions, you were tasked with selecting the lexical sources for those markers yesterday. Today’s goal is to actually create…
Goal: Identify any possessive markers you need Note: Select the lexical sources for any new markers you want to create. Tip: These may be adpositions or affixes. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure The strategies you came up with for possession may require creating new grammatical markers. If so, use today to think through what lexical sources you…
Goal: Consider different types of possession Note: You can use different strategies for different types. Tip: Your strategy may involve case and/or word order. Work focus: Learn/Brainstorm/Try Some languages distinguish between alienable and inalienable possession, marking those relationships differently. Inalienable possession typically refers to a relationship between possessor and possessed that is a more inherent…
