Hi all.

I’m making great progress on a language I’m constructing, and it occurred to me that I should build a sort of fictional world, for the language to “grow” in, if that makes sense. I have the name of the language, the name of the “country”, the flag design… but I’m having trouble with everything else haha. Any help appreciated!

  • JSocial@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 year ago

    Goddamn I remember when I thought like this. So many big ideas and entire worlds just floating around in my conciseness.

    Yes, this is a starting point. Actually, it’s a lot of starting points.

    Go sentence by sentence. Why is it vague? Sounds to me like this is an old language. An old language, from before the current state of things. It’s evolved as it needed, while still being private. Figure out why it started vague, and go from there. Figure out why it’s private. You’ve got a lot to work with here.

    Just break it down. Assume you need to back up every statement you make.

    • spitz@lemmy.mlOP
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      1 year ago

      It’s vague now because the modern world has become too precise, too complicated. So my language “evolved” to discuss things in a more Zen kind of way. The old language (as I imagine it) was very gutteral and full of sounds most modern day people couldn’t pronounce. It evolved to a more modern day sound inventory to assimilate with the modern, technocratic population. It became private because the non-Atlandeans wouldn’t approve. Esperanto speakers were executed by the Soviets AND the Nazis, for example. It’s a way of keeping hold of their “Zen” lost world, and they don’t want it interfered with. So it’s not a terribly straightforward process to translate any of it unless you know it fairly well.

      Assume you need to back up every statement you make.

      Ooh, that’s a good one!

      Actually, this has all been very helpful. As we say in my language: spaqi! (thanks!).