A Guide to Constructed Languages

This is a guide to constructed languages. Where would you like to go?

INTRODUCTION

The introduction will cover some basic questions about conlanging:

• What is a constructed language or conlang?
• What is a constructed script or a conscript?
• Who can conlang? Examples?
• Why do people conlang?

INFORMATION TO HELP YOU CONSTRUCT A LANGUAGE

In each section, I try to include information, options, and exercises or questions to ask yourself in order for you to create a constructed language. It is up to you as a reader to choose whether you would like to make a simple or more complex language.

Writing systems:

• Alphabetic and Phonetic
• Ideographic --> Pictographic
• Logographic
• Direction
• Wikipedia list of writing systems

Rules and grammar:

• Sentence order - Subject-object-verb, subject-verb-object, and others.
• Other considerations - includes particles, possessive, masculine and feminine, politeness, pluralisation, definite and indefinite articles, negatives, and creating for a fictional world.
• Tense - Past, present, and future.
• Kinds of words - Nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.
• Create your words

Other:

• The language game method
• Combination alphabet method
• Questions you might ask yourself

LINKS

Here are some external links that have not been linked elsewhere, which you may find interesting or helpful.

• Omniglot - An amazing website for writing systems and some information. Also includes conscripts.
• A TED Talk on the un-deciphered Indus script - A very interesting YouTube video talking about the Indus script and basic methods that help translation.
• Language Creation Society - A website for conlangs. A fee to sign up and use the service.