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: Create grammatical forms you need for clauses Note: Look closely at any adposition phrases, verb expressions, and nominal functions. Tip: You may extend the uses/functions of structures you already have. Work focus: Create/Make/List Go through the text again, focusing this time on the grammar and looking for any grammatical forms you need to create.…
Goal: Update your dictionary to include new forms Note: Add in the new forms (or new definitions for old forms). Tip: You may come up with new forms that naturally evolve from your work! Work focus: Solidify/Write/Share Use today to update your dictionary with the new forms you created yesterday, making sure to expand any…
Goal: Create the forms you need to fill gaps you’ve identified Note: Consider creating basic roots, derived, and/or compounded forms. Tip: Keep looking for ways to use words you already have (e.g. polysemy). Work focus: Create/Make/List Yesterday you focused on the lexical gaps in your language (or at least those that show up in your…
Goal: Identify lexical gaps you need to fill in your conlang Note: Not all lexical gaps need to be filled with new words in your language. Tip: Sometimes rewording a section is your best option. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Now that you’ve gone through the text and filled in the words you have in your language,…
Goal: Fill in the lexical forms you already have in your conlang Note: In your templatic structure, add words from your language. Tip: Remember to look for synonyms or “rough” matches. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure So far you have created a template for translation, restructuring the clauses and rewording areas to better fit how your language…
Goal: Consider the semantics, rewording as necessary Note: Pay attention to any areas you highlighted yesterday. Tip: These include idioms, cultural expressions, and different ways of saying roughly the same thing. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Go back through your text carefully, considering the semantics of and constructions used in the clauses and paying close attention to…
Goal: Grammatically structure the text to fit your language Note: Restructure the sentences so constituents roughly match your word order. Tip: This is just the first pass. Highlight areas you want to focus on later. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Restructure the text you selected so that it roughly matches the expected word order of your language.…
Goal: Select an appropriate short text to translate Note: Start with an existing text to take your language out for a “text drive.” Tip: You can take inspiration from past conlang relays! Work focus: Learn/Brainstorm/Try It’s time to take your language out for a “text drive”! Find a short text you want to translate into…
Goal: Review and update your dictionary Note: Add any new words you’ve created as you worked on quotatives. Tip: If select verbs occur in quotatives, you can indicate them in their entries. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure Today’s goal is to review and update your dictionary as necessary to add any new words you’ve created as you…
Goal: Expand your section on quotatives Note: Short excerpts or snippets of conversation can demonstrate expanded features. Tip: Try to incorporate a variety of examples to highlight multiple features. Work focus: Solidify/Write/Share Given the work you’ve done in the past few days, review your section on quotatives and update and/or expand it as necessary to…
