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Constructed languages

Beta Q&A site for the design and use of artificial or invented languages, consciously developed instead of having developed naturally.

This proposal is now in the Beta phase — example questions are locked!

58 Example Questions (7 closed)

active newest votes
up vote 17 down vote
How can I determine which kind of writing system (alphabetic, syllabic, …) is appropriate for my conlang?
added by Crissov Jul 17 '16 at 6:48
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up vote 15 down vote
How much important is Zipf's Law in order to my conlang seem natural enough?
added by Tanatarca Aug 8 '16 at 18:08
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up vote 14 down vote
Can conlangs have patents ? Is there any already ?
added by davneet Aug 18 '16 at 9:23
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up vote 12 down vote
Is Minion really a language (with set grammar and such), or is it made up as they go along?
added by kristan Aug 11 '16 at 20:25
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up vote 12 down vote
I want to create a family of languages. Should I do one first or should I concentrate on all of them parallelly?
added by Jan Aug 16 '16 at 15:10
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up vote 11 down vote
Can a language have subjects flexing to match verb tense, instead of verbs flexing to match subject number and person?
added by Luís Henrique Jul 16 '16 at 16:39
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up vote 11 down vote
Which pitfalls should I avoid when designing a romanization system for my conlang?
added by Crissov Jul 17 '16 at 6:50
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up vote 11 down vote
How can I capture a physical or social feature of a fantasy race in their dialect of a common tongue, e.g. grumpy solitary dwarves?
added by Crissov Jul 17 '16 at 6:50
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up vote 11 down vote
Auxiliary language: how to reach a neutral vocabulary for all cultures?
added by Vanege Aug 4 '16 at 20:46
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up vote 10 down vote
Is there a free, proper Unicode font for Elvish?
added by Crissov Jul 17 '16 at 6:49
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up vote 10 down vote
Has anyone made a proper conlang out of reconstructed PIE (Proto-Indo-European)?
added by Crissov Jul 17 '16 at 6:51
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up vote 10 down vote
Is it possible to create a purely ideographic language, that consists entirely in an ideographic script, without a spoken version?
added by Luís Henrique Jul 30 '16 at 12:47
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I think this might be more appropiate on linguistics.SE and the answer at least since Leibniz and Hegel is a categoric No (despite Bliss Symbols). – Crissov Sep 30 '16 at 9:24
We do have sign languages, don't we? Why would those be different from an ideographic language? – Luís Henrique Oct 18 '16 at 22:29
up vote 10 down vote
Where can you find users to test your constructed language?
added by Vanege Aug 4 '16 at 20:36
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up vote 10 down vote
Is there any other pronunciation notation system equivalent to IPA ? Preferably something more regular.
added by davneet Aug 18 '16 at 8:40
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up vote 10 down vote
Where can I find a list of sound changes that have occurred in natural languages, in order to make my conlang's simulated history more naturalistic?
added by cedh Aug 20 '16 at 8:32
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up vote 10 down vote
Is there a good software tool for generating words in a conlang?
added by cedh Aug 20 '16 at 8:40
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up vote 10 down vote
What is a "Conlang Relay"?
added by cedh Aug 20 '16 at 8:52
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up vote 10 down vote
Is ample usage of derivational morphology needed for a naturalistic language?
added by Miguel Bartelsman Sep 25 '16 at 2:47
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up vote 10 down vote
How do constructed languages vary when designed by people from notably-different linguistic backgrounds?
added by warren Oct 10 '16 at 18:33
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up vote 10 down vote
Given global linguistic differences (rtl-vs-ltr, columnar-vs-row-by-row, etc), how can a language be constructed to be most learnable & adoptable?
added by warren Oct 10 '16 at 18:35
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Probably best for the real question to ask about a certain feature or group of features of the language, and then ask multiple questions if necessary to cover other aspects? Like in this example, to ask about the language's orientation when written. – Dan Getz Nov 18 '16 at 12:54
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@DanGetz yes, a real question would have more detail. – warren Nov 18 '16 at 14:07
up vote 10 down vote
Are there any non-linear constructed languages? For example, this could be analogous to the programming language Befunge being famously non-linear.
added by Robert Columbia Oct 19 '16 at 15:16
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up vote 10 down vote
Is there a ranking showing which constructed languages have most speakers?
added by michau Oct 20 '16 at 11:34
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up vote 10 down vote
Which fully-developed constructed language has smallest vocabulary?
added by michau Oct 20 '16 at 11:35
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up vote 10 down vote
What are the practical benefits of learning a constructed language?
added by michau Oct 20 '16 at 12:22
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up vote 10 down vote
How do you become familiar with speaking and writing your own constructed language when no one else speaks/writes it?
added by rtpax Oct 25 '16 at 18:22
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up vote 10 down vote
Has any constructed language acquired so many speakers that it has started to evolve?
added by Luís Henrique Nov 1 '16 at 18:24
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up vote 10 down vote
Which constructed language has the largest body of literature?
added by Helmar Nov 13 '16 at 11:42
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up vote 10 down vote
How can I create realistic conlang evolution over time?
added by fi12 Nov 16 '16 at 21:24
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up vote 10 down vote
How common is it for the creator of a conlang to be fluent in that conlang?
added by CHEESE Nov 30 '16 at 19:33
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up vote 10 down vote
Is it better to start building a conlang by designing the grammar or by inventing words and building the grammar as you go along?
added by Christian Dec 26 '16 at 16:34
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up vote 10 down vote
Is there a list of grammar concepts every language needs to have?
added by Christian Dec 26 '16 at 16:36
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up vote 9 down vote
Where can I find the translation of "x" into Elfish?
added by Ken Graham Jul 24 '16 at 21:58
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up vote 9 down vote
Are there any exceptions to the rule ' ' in klingon?
added by Aric Fowler Aug 18 '16 at 8:32
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up vote 9 down vote
Is there a software that can apply sound changes to a conlang automatically?
added by cedh Aug 20 '16 at 8:44
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up vote 9 down vote
What is a relex, why are they frowned upon, and how can I avoid making one?
added by Sam Sep 22 '16 at 15:08
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up vote 9 down vote
Under what circumstances might a language develop circumpositions rather than pre- or postpositions?
added by CNakai Sep 29 '16 at 0:50
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up vote 9 down vote
Do any conlangs have formal competency tests? For example, can you be certified as a Level 3 speaker of Klingon or as a fluent speaker of Sindarin?
added by Robert Columbia Oct 31 '16 at 0:55
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up vote 9 down vote
Is there a graph showing influences between different International Auxiliary Languages? (Volapük influenced Esperanto, Esperanto influenced Ido etc.)
added by michau Nov 3 '16 at 12:40
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up vote 9 down vote
What is a good test text to translate to my conlang so I can show its basic functionality? (e.g.: Lord's prayer or Schleicher's fable)
added by Tanatarca Jan 13 '17 at 8:59
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up vote 8 down vote
What are linguistic universals and how can they help my constructed language feel more naturalistic?
added by Miles Rout Jan 4 '17 at 3:11
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