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Post by timjr on Feb 19, 2005 23:18:42 GMT -5
Normally languages evolve over time in one of two ways: -contractions -accent shifts due to conquering people with a different language Since none of that is happening here in Lavalon, I have to tweak the language like it were a piece of art. It's called conlanging, and lots of people do it. I have not an ounce of willingness to make a conlang for anything other than Lavalon, because any other conlang would have not an ounce of the appreciation it would get from you guys. I have completely redesigned the Lavalonian language, called Lavang. A word suggestion thread will be restarted, however I am converting all the old words to the new writing format, which will be fully compatible with Greek letters. This time Lavang will have a steeper learning curve, but that will make for a more beautiful and ornate language. I promise you, it will be comparable to Russian in terms of sound and complexity. I remember words like "seibal", our colors, and those will remain virtually the same.
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Post by Bartholomew Henzelli on Feb 20, 2005 1:24:15 GMT -5
Woo! Good luck. Make it great!
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Post by csmith on Feb 21, 2005 15:31:40 GMT -5
I for one do not like this changing the language like a piece of artwork. It's not natural evolution, why do we need it?
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Post by timjr on Feb 21, 2005 17:18:02 GMT -5
The reason I am re-designing the language is so that the language is useable. Many of the words from Late Middle Lavang will be present in what will become current Lavang, however the grammar and transliteration scheme will be different.
I should mention my proposed grammatical changes, since Henzelli and Carson are, as Francis Bodmer would say "language-concious".
First, I wanted to make the verbs be conjugated for the present tense, like in spanish. The past and future tenses dont have to be conjugated.
Second, I wanted nouns to have suffix-derived genders, plus a dual number in addition to the plural number.
Third, I wanted adjectives to agree with the nouns.
Fourth, I wanted prepositions that could be tacked onto one-noun prepositional phrases, but as postprepositional suffixes.
I should also mention the changes in the transliteration scheme: they are centered around making writing Lavang in either Greek or Roman script as easy, but sonorously, as possible.
I am thinking about making my Second Proposed Change to the grammar unnecessary. What are your thoughts on this?
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Post by csmith on Feb 21, 2005 17:35:23 GMT -5
Why didn't you do it the first time instead of modifying it after realizing it wasn't usable?
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Post by timjr on Feb 21, 2005 18:10:31 GMT -5
Language is art. Lavang is a language. I created Lavang and so therefore I created a work of art.
Consider this change Lavang 2.0. If anyone wishes to continue speaking/writing "Old Lavang", they may feel free to do so. However, as an artist, I feel compelled to mold my creation as I see fit.
I will seek official approval from the government of the new language I am creating, so that it is set in stone and will not change at my whims. I might create further "Revisions" of Lavang after this one, but they wouldn't be official changes and so would not be reflected in the speech/writing that everyone else uses.
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Post by csmith on Feb 22, 2005 13:20:44 GMT -5
Fine. You can have your way this time, but I for one will not tolerate this changing the language every month...
Keep in mind that changes of this mass only take place in macronational languages every couple hundred, even thousand years!
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Post by X on Feb 22, 2005 15:41:59 GMT -5
That is why the official language will be set in stone by the General Assembly, as I alluded to in my previous post.
I know, and I alluded to that in my first post. However, micronations work under a constrained timeline, which is also exhibited by our one-year presidential terms and measures of inactivity. Kieran Bennett's been gone from Breuddwyd for less than a week and one of its citizens is already proposing electing a Lord Regent.
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Post by Xon on Feb 22, 2005 15:43:52 GMT -5
If other things in micronations are faster than the "speed of life", then their artificially-created languages, I assume, can be also.
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Post by csmith on Feb 22, 2005 17:58:01 GMT -5
Well, I don't like the idea of having the culture and language laid down by the government. That makes it seem really artificial and not like a true culture.
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Post by neem on Feb 22, 2005 18:25:08 GMT -5
Meh.
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Post by timjr on Feb 22, 2005 19:53:45 GMT -5
meh inded
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Post by admin on Feb 22, 2005 20:12:40 GMT -5
Are you suggesting to make the grammar and vocabulary of Lavang a law, or just making a law that says "Lavang is an official language?"
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Post by timjr on Feb 22, 2005 20:52:31 GMT -5
Yes, like many real-life countries' languages, I want Lavang to have both an official grammar and vocabulary. The General Assembly will set this (democratically) since the Regent does not have the power to set language specifications. In addition I would like laws providing the University of Lavalon utmost authority on the Official Dictionary and Official Usage.
[sarcasm]Nobody's used the language but me so far, so why should anyone else care?[/sarcasm]
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Post by admin on Feb 22, 2005 21:05:39 GMT -5
Yeah, why would we care. I don't care what you do with the language, knock yourself out.
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