I need help starting up my logical conlang

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sdeal515
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I need help starting up my logical conlang

Post by sdeal515 »

Hello everyone, so first off I want to say I'm really happy to have found this forum and having made my first post. I LOVE linguistics.
I am a programmer and I'm really into languages that have the C-family style (C, C++, Java, Etc.). For me, the way functions are implemented, is just brilliant. I decided that it would be great to create a logical conlang which essentially treats everything as function (verbs being functions that accept a subject and an object as parametres, questions being functions on sentences, Etc.) and most of the language sort of envelopes around each other. I was thinking about making it VSO to follow this function style-- function(parametre 1, parametre 2) ===> Go to I the store.

The consonants I have selected are:
/m/ /n/ /ŋ/ /v/ /z/ /ʒ/ /ɣ/ /b/ /d/ /ɡ/ /l/ /j/
The vowels:
/i/ /y/ /e/ /ɛ/ /a/ /ə/ /u/ /o/ /ɔ/ /ɑ/ /ɒ/
I think that will cover me with enough variance that I will not have to resort to homophones.

All the consonants can function as either initials or finals. Initials or finals are not required though.
For simplicity sake, I want to try to keep most words under five syllables, though this is more of a preference than a condition.

Currently, one of my big issues is trying to come up with an effective etymology that has standardization.
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Creyeditor
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Re: I need help starting up my logical conlang

Post by Creyeditor »

sdeal515 wrote:Hello everyone, so first off I want to say I'm really happy to have found this forum and having made my first post. I LOVE linguistics.
I am a programmer and I'm really into languages that have the C-family style (C, C++, Java, Etc.). For me, the way functions are implemented, is just brilliant. I decided that it would be great to create a logical conlang which essentially treats everything as function (verbs being functions that accept a subject and an object as parametres, questions being functions on sentences, Etc.) and most of the language sort of envelopes around each other. I was thinking about making it VSO to follow this function style-- function(parametre 1, parametre 2) ===> Go to I the store.

The consonants I have selected are:
/m/ /n/ /ŋ/ /v/ /z/ /ʒ/ /ɣ/ /b/ /d/ /ɡ/ /l/ /j/
The vowels:
/i/ /y/ /e/ /ɛ/ /a/ /ə/ /u/ /o/ /ɔ/ /ɑ/ /ɒ/
I think that will cover me with enough variance that I will not have to resort to homophones.

All the consonants can function as either initials or finals. Initials or finals are not required though.
For simplicity sake, I want to try to keep most words under five syllables, though this is more of a preference than a condition.

Currently, one of my big issues is trying to come up with an effective etymology that has standardization.
The concept and the segments look okay. What exactly do you mean by etymology? Language internal history of a word? Or how to derive your words?
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mira
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Re: I need help starting up my logical conlang

Post by mira »

This is exactly what my first conlang was like. Granted it was before I knew any linguistics at all, but as interesting as it was, I really couldn't get far. However, I'd like to see how well you do with it, particularly when it comes to questions.

As for a logical approach to lexicon, I have exactly the same problem. My current conlang is philosophical, so I'm trying to derive as much as possible from a set of rules... this isn't going too well. Maybe we could work collaboratively on such a system, then modify it to our own tastes to fit each of our conlangs respectively? - kill 2 birds with one stone. Where you're coming from programming for your conlang, I'm approaching it like maths: Start with a simple set of rules, and let the rules create everything else for you to discover - I think this might be fitting for your language.

Regardless, this is a difficult yet very interesting project to attempt, so good luck [:D]
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Keenir
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Re: I need help starting up my logical conlang

Post by Keenir »

sdeal515 wrote:Hello everyone, so first off I want to say I'm really happy to have found this forum
welcome!
All the consonants can function as either initials or finals. Initials or finals are not required though.
Initials & finals...as in programming language, or as in the beginnings and ends of a syllable? of a word? (such as the <b> in <ba...> and the <j> in <...aj>)
For simplicity sake, I want to try to keep most words under five syllables, though this is more of a preference than a condition.

Currently, one of my big issues is trying to come up with an effective etymology that has standardization.
when you're starting, don't worry about standardization; first, get words that you're happy with.

otherwise, getting standardization before you have words or syllable structure, is like picking our your USB and mouse...before you know what sort of a motherboard you'll have.
(to be fair, I know IRL people who've picked out a computer on the basis of how well it goes with their mouse)
At work on Apaan: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4799
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