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Quick and dirty Con-Langs/Grammar

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doorhandle Since: Oct, 2010
#1: Apr 7th 2011 at 1:44:08 AM

For my web-comic that is currently still floating in the nadir of non-existence, I would like to have some constructed languages to utilize for any alien species that show up. Thing is, all sapient species will be covered und the Translation Convention and Aliens Speaking English /Divided Worlds Standard Dialect, and I want whatever their species’ home language is to have an effect on how they speak English. So rather than actual words in a fictional alien language, I am just locking for unusual alien syntax or grammar.

So far the languages I have are:

Spess German: to go with the space Nazis, appropriately. Justified as one of them visited Germany during it’s caveman years and brought the language there.

Orge: A language that lacks synonyms. Basically, what sounds eloquent in ogre will be regulated to something like “stupid big man” in it’s English-pidgin. The orges, despite their (usually correct) stereotype do have the capability to learn new words, but don’t see the point in adding words to a language when one for each concept will do.

The Niboleth tongue: an unusual language in which its equivalent of syllables are word in their own right and treated as such. For example, “your mother was a whore!” in their own words translates as “your female parent person was a slutty degraded professional.” in its English pidgin. The native have managed to partially kick this syntax over the years but it still shows up in insults or when they don’t know the English word for something.

Anyone have any other ideas?

SavageHeathen Pro-Freedom Fanatic from Somewhere Since: Feb, 2011
Pro-Freedom Fanatic
#2: Apr 7th 2011 at 3:49:49 AM

The Orge language seems cool.

It could rely heavily in composite words just like German does, to express concepts with quite a bit of precision. Ideally words in such a language would be very short, to make composites pronounceable. tongue

You exist because we allow it and you will end because we demand it.
doorhandle Since: Oct, 2010
#3: Apr 8th 2011 at 3:05:43 AM

Possibly, but it won't appear In-story. The point of their lanugage is to lampshade Hulk Speak. And to make all orges sound like The Heavy.

"What sick man needs seven words for WEAK?!"

edit: Worth noting that composite words could work in a Language Equals Thought way. They concider "weakness" and "evilness" to be the same concept, for one.

edited 8th Apr '11 3:07:21 AM by doorhandle

Zersk o-o from Columbia District, BNA Since: May, 2010
o-o
#4: Apr 9th 2011 at 5:08:25 PM

That would be more Thought Equals Language, wouldn't it?

In any case, the Niboleth sounds to me like an Isolating language, like Chinese. Except if you said "your female parent person was a slutty degraded professional" in Mandarin, it'd probably come out more as "you-possessive female parent person is-past a slut-adjective degrade-past good-at-something-person." :P

edited 9th Apr '11 5:10:30 PM by Zersk

ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖅ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᖅ ᓈᒻᒪᔪᐃᑦᑐᖅ
doorhandle Since: Oct, 2010
#5: Apr 9th 2011 at 5:27:07 PM

hehe, yeah. Guess I shouldn't use that for all the sentences or the comic will increase in length by about 6 pages/per conversation.

Edit: alright got another one:

Dwarf: These dwarfs are pretty much stock-standard to Dwarf Fortress: they have no word for winning, losing, or success, but they have one for failure. They also do not have any words for "yes" or "no", instead saying something vaguely Irish like "That's the truth." or "For sure I will not." Also they have a whole bunch of words for rock and metals, but then again, so do we.

When their words are typed out, they will be rendered with HeävyMëtalÜmlaut, as dwarves, in general, have a vaguely Germanic/Swedish accent.

edited 25th Apr '11 5:00:49 PM by doorhandle

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