Conlangery Podcast

We didn’t get a full episode out this week, but George didn’t want to have a week with nothing at all, so he “reads”* the date in Tagalog, then goes on a ramble about loanwords a bit. Top of Show Greeting: Lingwa de Planeta Text of that date and time expression, for the curious: Ika-4 ng Nobiembre, 2012, alas 4:30 ng hapon. (all words): Ika-apat ng Nobiembre, twenty-twelve,...

Today we eventually get to talking about Khangaþyagon, and get a lot of interesting stuff out of it.  Also, George forgets a notable conlanger who has been featured before on the show.  *headdesk* Top of Show Greeting: Shokitin Featured Conlang:  Khangaþyagon Email: Conglangerists: A while ago I finished my trawl through the Conlangery backlog, and I’m quite happy to say that I’ve now...

Today, we have a barely controlled, but good, discussion of relative clauses. David’s presentation on the Defiance langs is on YouTube . Links and Resources:  Wikipedia on Relative Clauses WALS: Relativization on Subjects WALS: Relativization on Obliques Internally headed relative clauses in Japanese and Navajo Relative clauses in Lojban Feedback: Email from Logan: Thanks for the shout-out,...

Today, we all talk about the wonderful nuclear-fricitiveness of Ogami, a real life natural language in the Ryukyuan family.  It’s got lots of little bits to inspire you in your conlangs.  Enjoy! Top of Show Greeting: Mandarin Chinese (translation help and recording by Starrie Li (李昕)) Featured NATLANG: Ogami

Kickstarter I mentioned at the top of the show. Today, we finally get to talk about why David hates morphemes, among other things. Top of Show Greeting: Tslure Thujekatsoth Links and Resources: David’s LCC1 talk about Morphemes More explanation from David And more and more I don’t know why David put all his own stuff in the shownotes, but this one is a funny bit Zhyler vowel harmony (a...

This week we talk about one of the older languages in the conlang community, Arthaey’s Asha’ille.  And no, that spelling has nothing at all to do with the language’s phonology.  You’ll learn a bit about that in the episode. Top of Show Greeting: Ostunese Featured Conlang: Asha’ille

We are super excited to reveal that our third host for (we hope) the duration of William’s absence will be none other than David J. Peterson!  Take a listen as we talk through the challenges of making an agglutinative language that isn’t depressingly boring. Top of Show Greeting: Kihā́mmic Feedback: Email from (another) Michael: Hey guys, I’ve been having a bear of a time getting...

Bianca joins us as we tackle a fun and wacky conlang with some serious phonological processes. Top of Show Greeting: Neo-Simikaka Featured Conlang:  Alũbetah Feedback: Email: Hi guys, Greetings from Melbourne, Australia. Loving the podcast, keep up the good work.  Only discovered it a few weeks ago, but have worked my way back through most of your back catalogue. I had a question which you might h...

Today we have a very enlightening discussion about conceptual metaphors and how thinking about them can help you avoid a relex as well as have loads of fun in usage and translation.  Also, this will be William’s last episode for a while Top of Show Greeting: Arahau Links and Resources: List of English conceptual metaphors (in categories) Metaphors in Iraqi Arabic John Quijada on cognitive li...

William is leaving (temporarily), but don’t worry, we have one more episode before he goes.  Also, we talk with Eric about his lovely language Tayéin Top of Show Greeting: Frixàð Featured Conlang: Tayéin Feedback: Email from Sai: George, William, & Mike – Howdy. Alex & I were just listening to your podcast #62 while on a road trip, and you mentioned a couple things we’d l...

Today we tackle a very interesting typology topic: head-marking and dependant-marking.  Turns out that whether your language leans one way or another affects (or depends on) a wide variety of grammatical features.  Be sure to check the links below for additional info. Top of Show Greeting: Toki Pona (translated by Vadim Fomin) Links and Resources: Great paper on the subject WALS: Locus of Marking...

Today, we cover one of the weird and wonderful languages of Papua New Guinea.  It turns out to be surprisingly not so weird, but there’s still quite a few things in it to inspire conlangers.  Do check out the crazy verbs though — that bit is quite nuts. Top of Show Greeting: Pøplish Featured NATLANG: Kuot

Today we tackle a big grammar and discourse topic: anaphora and co-referentiality.  We go through a list of options you have for cleaning up ambiguities and keeping your discourse coherent.  Just don’t throw them all into the same conlang. Top of Show Greeting: Minhast Links and Resources: Indexicality, Logophorality, and Plural Pronouns Logophor in Ogonoid languages Switch reference in Pomo...

This week we cover the monumental and yet incomplete amman îar, a heavily Tolkien-inspired language that nevertheless manages to have its own flavor. Top of Show Greeting: Uskra Featured Conlang: amman îar Feedback: Email from FE: Howdy, I don’t know if someone has already addressed this, however, in episode 40 you discussed the ubiquity of British-esque varieties in fantasy media and introd...

So, for various reasons we have now changed the format of the show.  Now we will be doing only one topic per show, alternating weeks between discussion topics and featured conlangs.  We hope that this addresses the issues some people have had with show length while still allowing us to have thick, meaty discussions.  As such, this week’s show is all about phonotactics and how the way you all...

Today we take some time to talk to you about a conworldy topic: loan words in your conlang.  What words are likely to be borrowed?  What kinds of situations cause borrowing?  And how does grammar work for loan words?  Also, we talk about Kebreni, our second feature of an Almean language. Top of Show Greeting: Lojban Links and Resources: Presentation on “Borrowability” World Loanword Da...

This week, we talk all about the middle voice and the many things that that covers, as well as give you all sorts of options to make your own creative use of this feature.  We also have a featured natlang today that has very interesting features as well as some hilarious crackpot historical theories around it. Top of Show Greeting: Fäesek Links and Resources: Paper about middle voice Wikipedia Lin...

After a short update on George’s grad school situation and some musing over our tagline, we get to talking about the very complex interactions that animacy and agency can have with the rest of your grammar.  Then we talk about Interlingua, a very boring auxlang that appears to be comfortably readable by anyone who speaks a Romance language. Top of Show Greeting: Kiswona Links and Resources:...

David Peterson joins us for a wonderful Supersize episode where we talk all about growing your lexicon, from generating roots to creating realistic polysemy and semantic fields.  Also, we finally feature an obscure little language we’ve wanted to talk about for a while Top of Show Greeting: Oltengo Links and Resources: Analysis of English phrasal verbs with out John Quijada on cognitive ling...

We give you a podcast today about how you can do without tense, and what other things in the language can be used to fill in the gaps.  Also, we have special guest Jeffrey Jones on to talk about his conlang. Top of Show: Sheewan Links and Resources: Vietnamese tense/aspect marking Telicity (Wikipedia) Featured Conlang:  K’tlê Feedback: Email from JS: Conlangery hosts: I’m writing to sa...

Today is a big show where we tackle the topic of reduplication, something we think more conlangers should employ.  Then we talk about a wonderfully crazy click langauge called Sandawe — and it’s natural! Top of Show Greeting: Chudihr Links and Resources Iyo Grammar (see p. 21) Spokan (reduplication talk begins on p. 111) Reduplication in Kikerewe Turkish reduplication for intensives Mo...

After a short update on rain in Wisconsin and ankle injuries, we try to make sense of the topic of topicalization and topic prominent languages.  Then we talk about Talmit, a language created by active Conlangery listener and commenter Roman Rausch Top of Show Greeting: Grewa Resources: Nice paper on topicalization Featured Conlang: Talmit  ( LCC talk , pdf grammar , more stuff ) Feedback: Email f...

For our 52nd episode we decided to take a break from our usual format and just have a good time talking about movies and TV shows — with a conlang twist.  So, here we are listening to a bunch of conlang (and pseudo-conlang) dialogue from various properties and talking a little about what we like and don’t like.  Enjoy! Top of Show Greeting: Doon Properties Featured: Inkubo Star Trek Al...

We go a little out of our comfort zone and talk about language history — particularly as involves the diachronic method of creating a conlang.  Then we move on to some talk about a language called Dimana Lokud. Top of Show Greeting: Oupe Links and Resources: Wikipedia on the Neogrammarians Book with some information on sound changes from Latin to Old Occitan Uto-Aztecan Uto-Aztecan Phonology...

In today’s bonus-size episode we have Carsten Becker on to join in a great discussion on the technologies of writing:  implements, media, formats, and even literacy itself.  Then we have an invigorating discussion with Larry Sulky about his “artlangy-engelang” Qakwan, among other things. Top of Show Greeting: Treyll Links and Resources: Palm Leaves as a writing medium Brāhmī scri...