Newest Questions
647 questions
6
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Saying "hello" in khuzdul
Khuzdul, Tolkien's mysterious dwarvish language, is limited in vocabulary (we don't know most of the words) and I can't find hello anywhere. Some notes:
According to this, "good" is "gamut" and "day" ...
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16
votes
1
answer
559
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What is the oldest known constructed language?
Historically speaking, what is the oldest known constructed language that we are able to determine with historical evidence?
- 411
17
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2
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495
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Which constructed language has the largest body of literature?
Which is the constructed language which has the largest body of literature, including both works that have been originally created in that language as well as works written in natural languages which ...
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12
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1
answer
132
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How much Dothraki was created prior to "Game of Thrones"?
Reading A Song of Ice and Fire and watching Game of Thrones are two different experiences. One difference that pops out to me is the language that the Dothraki speak, known by the same name.
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19
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1
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Is Tolkien's Dwarvish really based on Hebrew?
Many sources say that Tolkien's Dwarvish resembles the Hebrew language. The Lord of the Rings Wikia states that:
It appears to be structured, like real-world Semitic languages, around the ...
- 1,237
11
votes
2
answers
2k
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How would having a logographic writing system work in a conlang?
Creating a logographic writing system for a language can quickly become overwhelming; having a different symbol/image for each word can quickly become overwhelming; it’s why Sequoyah switched to a ...
- 2,169
3
votes
1
answer
105
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How does the Wede:i language reflect their cultural focus on government?
We can see that the Wede:i have a focus on the state in their culture:
The central fact of existence has always been the state, always essential. The southern religions had always preached support ...
- 2,169
-5
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2
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146
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Which constructed languages have been used to write scientific articles? [closed]
One of the most interesting aspects of Interlingua is that during its early days there were a number of scientific articles published in it. This is in contrast with most other constructed languages, ...
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31
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7
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2k
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Are there conlangs using constructed sounds?
Usually, constructed languages of all kind (naturalistic or not) draw their sounds from existing natural languages.
Are there conlangs with constructed sounds, i.e., sounds that do not occur in ...
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12
votes
3
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277
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How much of Slovio is based on Esperanto?
According to Wikipedia,
Slovio (from the Slavic word "slovo") is a constructed language begun in 1999 by Mark Hučko. Hučko claims that the language should be relatively easy for non-Slavs ...
- 2,169
13
votes
2
answers
193
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Have language regulators ever made concessions and changed the language to adopt naturally occurring changes?
A few conlangs have language regulators or academies. Have any of these ever been faced with naturally occurring linguistic change and changed the official version of the language to match?
Please ...
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23
votes
2
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832
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Is there a constructed language in existence that has graduated to "natural" status?
That is, are there any such languages in use today that are in use for day to day activities, or are formally recognized, etc?
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17
votes
2
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193
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By what criteria can we say that a conlang has a functional speech community?
On another question I commented that I doubted that if Lojban had a functional speech community that its purity would last very long.
By what criteria can we say that a conlang has a functional ...
- 3,770
17
votes
3
answers
539
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How could a syllabary be adapted for a language with a complex syllable structure?
By definition, a syllabary has separate glyphs for each possible syllable (and usually unrelated or at least not systematically related ones for similar syllables, unlike alphasyllabaries). This ...
- 3,532
5
votes
1
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300
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Are words for "machine" and the like in Tolkien present in Elvish/Westron?
Tolkien was very much known to be a bit of a Luddite - no fan of technology; Treebeard says in reference to Saruman
He is plotting to become a Power. He has a mind of metal and wheels; and he does ...
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