New CBB

Hi all, Long time lurker, first time poster.

I've always been interested in conworlds, langs etc. and have developed a connation called the Koana Islands. I intend on really diving into it now and developing the language properly and hopefully getting some inspiration from you guys and girls on here.

The nation is obviously based in real time, so isn't located in a far off world or anything of the like (and this place doesn't have a con-nations board ).

http://koanaislands.com


Feel free to ask me anything about the maps (I've done a few maps for the cities on their own pages), the nation itself (history, the people, culture etc.), or anything at all.

Wow! 0_o That is an awesome map!
But, don't you think you have too many international airports?

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UNUS•ET•UNICUS

Awesome map indeed! But why do the smaller towns have German names?

For handling all the tourists and refugees, maybe?

How long did that map take you to make?

Have to say I like the map.

Mind giving us a short description of the climate, culture or anything else? (And I mean short. I'm a very lazy reader.)
Do you have a conlang to go with the islands?

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Ikasmu ati'uki nai uraiur.
Hinai nimuśim naimi nai sasamiur urukani. Śi'ama nai huhumiur na ni'amuśim nai sasamiur.
Pumaki nimuśim śima'a na ami nimuśim ara'a. Hini nihrasum i'aku tumra urukani na nihrasum sanik hraspir.

Really wonderful map. How did you make it (as in which program), out of curiosity?

Also, I briefly skimmed the description on your website, and came across the line about the Vikings. My question is - how the heck did the Vikings get all the way to the Indian Ocean?

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I now have a blog. Witness the horror.

I think I think, therefore I think I am.
- Ambrose Bierce

Looks like Adobe Illustrator. Just a guess though. And I'm gonna have to on all the map comments.


Dude, we were everywhere .

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Proto-Hyảlim | Bjarmish

Ón gráti sem jett barn kvéner jag syggji jett lag um deiðan...
[oʊ̯n ˈgɾaːtɪ sɛmː jɛtː baɾn ˈkʰʋɛːnɛɾ jaː ˈsʏd͡ʑːɪ jɛtː laː ʊmː ˈdɛɪ̯an]

True.

(If i was asked for a semi-plausible reason to have vikings on Indian ocean i'd probably say something about the vikings going to the Byzantine empire going a bit further than in OTL.)

And the map is indeed awesome. .

EDIT: Minor nitpick: Your site says it's Oceanian country in the Indian ocean. Oceania is situated in the Pacific ocean.

EDIT: Minor nitpick number 2: IPA, please. The section about the useful phrases in the language is just painful to read with only the "helpful" pronounciation guides. Also, more information about the language would be good, for example, is it descended from old norse, is it a creole of old norse based language and english, or something else?

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| | | (Nahuatl) | (Sanskrit & Pali) (Yaghan) | (Antregabua)
CrazyEttin's Lair

For all I know I might have Viking blood, then.

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I now have a blog. Witness the horror.

I think I think, therefore I think I am.
- Ambrose Bierce

Apparently the language is just a relex of english/swedish:

"Koanian is one of the hardest languages to learn due to the fact it has next to no grammar rules, forcing any visiting tourist to memorise each word as it comes. However, people who are fluent in Swedish and English should be able to understand a handful of words. Generally speaking, Koanian words are either Swedish words spelt phonetically, or English words spoken phonetically."

Also, the fact that it has SAE grammar with the rest from modenr germanic languages does NOT mean it has no grammar rules. It just means it has the same rules as english, which is a bit sad, since that kind of land with that kind of history might actually have potential for an interestingly different germanic language or languages.

EDIT: And it being based on modern swedish doesn't really make sense considering the islands' history.

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| | | (Nahuatl) | (Sanskrit & Pali) (Yaghan) | (Antregabua)
CrazyEttin's Lair

The map is actually very consistent with most first world countries in regards to international airports. Take Gold Coast for instance, which receives only one chartered flight from Perth, Australia a day therefore making it an international airport. Megopolis and Bayside are by far the biggest and most commonly used.


Originally I intended on having a real mix of German, Swedish, Finnish, English and Dutch names, but I found I much preferred German and Swedish names. See the Vikings question below.


About three months using Adobe Illustrator.


Due to the layout of the islands, the top right hand corner of the mainland is semi-arid desert (think Nevada) whilst the bottom left island (aptly named Snowy Island), closest to the south pole is very cool with occasional snow falls through winter (think British weather). Everything in the middle is basically mainland Europe/Sydney, Australia weather. To keep things brief!

Culture wise, Koanians are typically very private people, punctuality is high up the list, and can be considered very xenophobic and almost hostile to foreign immigrants, regardless of race, sex or religion (although tourists and visitors are usually welcomed with open arms). Sport is very much a huge part of the nation; baseball in particular, with nearly 180 professional and semi-professional teams spread over a pyramid system of promotion and relegation. Koanians are very proud of their heritage, with very few immigrating overseas annually. Catholics and Protestants are the main religious groups, but both are dwindling at a massive rate, with many high-profile companies accused of rejecting job applicants due to their religious beliefs. This stems from many years of people abusing the discrimination act and taking advantage of companies. Norse mythology, such as Thor, still plays a small part in many family homes.


Yes and no. I originally started mashing up Swedish and English, but that turned out to be a bad idea and doesn't make sense in the great realm of things. Which is part of the reason I joined this board, to hopefully create a believable conlang.


History has never been my strong point, and this is really where I need to flesh out the information of Koana. The idea for German and Swedish town names came from the Thirty Years War. With many people fleeing Europe, they sought solace in the Koana Islands and started many small communities, now towns and villages, to avoid conflict in the bigger cities.


I was aware of that. But the nation is just of the coast of Western Australia, and it's too far south to really be considered part of Asia, so I just lumped it in with Oceania purely because had this nation/landmass actually existed I think Oceania is probably the best choice.


I know, it really is dreadful. I just threw it together to flesh out the home page. I intend on hanging around here for a while and really diving into the language a bit more. With the help of you guys :-)

Nugget 799-

Webpage is very well done - IPPON!

Suggestion:
Indonesia has volcanoes
Madagascar has volcanoes
Even Sri Lanka has two or so volcanoes
Has Koana got volcanoes?!

Funky Topography = volcanoes
Interesting micro-climates = volcanoes
Summer vacation home for Surtr = Koana volcanoes
Fascinating Viking settlement frozen in time by a blanket of ash, thanks to...volcanoes
(you could make an Oceanic~Viking Herculaneum & Pompeii)
Tourist sites = volcanoes
Tourist dollars = volcanoes
Exciting skiing on Snowy Isle during an eruption of multiple...volcanoes

Surtsow - lit. "Surtr's eye" {like window}
or whatever, Surtsauge, Surtsau, you get the idea.
And what's not to like about a name like Grímsvötn!

And be sure to add some evil, gehennic, purple~blue burning rivers of molten brimstone like
Kawah Ijen in Java has, m'kay.

Luv it!!!

Good thing you're going to make a better conlang for it!
I think the 30 years war -part is a bit unbelievable, considering how far it's from Europe.

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| | | (Nahuatl) | (Sanskrit & Pali) (Yaghan) | (Antregabua)
CrazyEttin's Lair

What kind of foreign relations do the Koana islands have?

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"Wait for the starvation of glaciers, chicken hamburger Noel Weber Arthur."

= | = | =

Agreed. That's a bit of a stretch. The furthest I'd assume refugees would flee would be the Americas, as there were no major European colonies other than the Americas other at this time. Not to mention there are no such things as Vikings by now, at least in the early medieval sea raiders. That said, history is not something you intentionally want to really focus on, so that's alright.

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I now have a blog. Witness the horror.

I think I think, therefore I think I am.
- Ambrose Bierce