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Busting back into the conlangs after some kind of insane mental block. For one thing, the guilt at not being able to poke at ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ellenmillion’s project—the collaborative conlang—has finally built up enough pressure to blast through the wall of worry that I’m Doin It Rong. I still may be Doin It Rong, but now I’m at least resolved to do it.
I’m also working on my own conlangs. Possibly it helps that I found my Giant Spanish Wordlist under the bed. Thing was supposed to be a handy and in-depth reference guide for word categories for my, y’know, Spanish class, but it was nice and thorough and convenient and I sort of have been using it as a template for conlangs since junior high. It’s also highly battered and could probably use re-typing.
Granted, some of the categories need tweaking, since English and Spanish words don’t always come across in, say, a language for big fluffy obligate carnivores with a highly laissez-faire social system on a planet where “dawn” and “twilight” count as seasons, in a galaxy where tech is highly important. So the word-list needs editing—it doesn’t have word categories for “star trekkin’” or “computering,” a word for “your other heart,” or the concept of a feral queen.* And the sections on Flowers, Animals, etc. are right out, what with the whole “another planet” business. First I have to invent the flora and fauna, then I can name it.
But that’s the whole reason I find this so fun, after all. I love messing with word generators, and coming up with interesting etymologies and expressions and compound words and weird not-quite-translateable concepts. If this is crazy, then I don't want to be sane.
*Which used to actually be used only for females, but nowadays the term has become gender-neutral.
ellenmillion’s project—the collaborative conlang—has finally built up enough pressure to blast through the wall of worry that I’m Doin It Rong. I still may be Doin It Rong, but now I’m at least resolved to do it.I’m also working on my own conlangs. Possibly it helps that I found my Giant Spanish Wordlist under the bed. Thing was supposed to be a handy and in-depth reference guide for word categories for my, y’know, Spanish class, but it was nice and thorough and convenient and I sort of have been using it as a template for conlangs since junior high. It’s also highly battered and could probably use re-typing.
Granted, some of the categories need tweaking, since English and Spanish words don’t always come across in, say, a language for big fluffy obligate carnivores with a highly laissez-faire social system on a planet where “dawn” and “twilight” count as seasons, in a galaxy where tech is highly important. So the word-list needs editing—it doesn’t have word categories for “star trekkin’” or “computering,” a word for “your other heart,” or the concept of a feral queen.* And the sections on Flowers, Animals, etc. are right out, what with the whole “another planet” business. First I have to invent the flora and fauna, then I can name it.
But that’s the whole reason I find this so fun, after all. I love messing with word generators, and coming up with interesting etymologies and expressions and compound words and weird not-quite-translateable concepts. If this is crazy, then I don't want to be sane.
*Which used to actually be used only for females, but nowadays the term has become gender-neutral.
