Podcast: Play in new window | Download (95.3MB)
This podcast episode was special because it was a surprise livestream for the Patrons who joined us for the end-of-month Patron stream! We reveal the results of the first ever LTS Mini Relay, which ran during the month of December, and the episode features two very special guests: Jake and Miles from Let’s Have a Bouba!
Attached you’ll find the slides and the documents of the relay so you can follow along with all the texts.
Enjoy!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (95.3MB)
In this episode, I give David a sample miniature relay text written in Vuochanad, and he works his way through translating the text, narrating his thought process as he works. Once he has a working English translation, he then translates the tiny text into High Valyrian, again narrating his thought process.
At the end, we discuss areas where the translation had already shifted from my original intentions, and we introduce the upcoming challenge of this month: a very mini conlang relay!
If you are interested in participating, let me know as soon as possible, so we can get the ball rolling. The relay is super informal and will be a very short text, so it will be a good way to test out a language you’re working on, to get introduced to what a conlang relay is like, or to just spend an evening of conlang fun doing a little challenge!
Attached are the slides we used, the document David received (with the typos I found later…), and the document where David typed notes and did his translations.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (79.8MB)
We unveil the results of the a posteriori challenge introduced in episode 56. Patrons helped us create a whole family of WokuthÃzhű languages for communities of kangaroo rats, and the results are absolutely delightful!
I have attached the slides for this presentation (really, a must for seeing all the amazing data set comparisons), and I’ve also attached the documents so you can all see the work submitted. It truly is astounding to see how much you all put into this challenge, and we can’t thank you enough for making this challenge so delightful!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (97.9MB)
It’s the long-awaited episode, where we discuss results from the (in)famous FrameLang Challenge! This is a continuation of Episode 53, which introduces the challenge.
All participants worked with the same data set: a sampling of English names, phrases, and clauses, which had to be treated as a base for a new conlang. It’s the same kind of process David and I use when we have to work with existing material in books/shows that incorporate bits of “language” that aren’t actually part of a full language system (i.e. varying degrees of gibberish) and then create an actual language built from those bits.
Along with David and me, six Patrons submitted sketches based on the data. Attached to this post, you’ll find all the sketches and the slides we used in the podcast.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (76.2MB)
This episode begins a five-part miniseries exploring ways to conlang using pre-existing material.
In this episode, we discuss some of the processes we use when we need to incorporate material from books (material that was created without the structure of a language) in a conlang.
I set out a challenge for the month, which requires taking words and phrases in English and treating them as unknown entities, as source material collected from a book that needs a language built around it. Our next episode will present the results from that challenge.
If you are interested in participating and having your results included in the next episode, send me your work via email or a DM on Discord before July 27, 2024.
I’ve attached a PDF of the slides that accompany the episode, and I’ve also attached the Language Sketch document David and I will be using in three different formats (PDF, Pages, and Word). I have no idea how well the conversion from Pages to Word worked, so the formatting may be wonky on that version!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (86.0MB)
I submitted the manuscript of the textbook I’ve been writing for four years now, so David chose the book as the topic for this podcast. We talk about the overall structure of the book, my goals in writing it, and some features in its current state.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (93.1MB)
David and I discuss common expressions in languages, including greetings and thanks. We hope it inspires you to think about some of these kinds of expressions in your own languages!
(The slides used during the episode are attached here, though they really just provide the words we talk about. You can, however, see just how weird “Thank you” looks in the Noto Serif font!)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (91.3MB)
In this episode, we wrap up our discussion of some best practices and other advice for Romanizing a conlang. While chatting, we used a Pages document to take some random notes, and a PDF of that document is attached here. (When I say random, though, I mean it. The notes won’t make sense without listening to the episode.)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (92.4MB)
In this episode, we talk about the kinds of information that make a conlang’s written grammar more helpful and accessible to other conlangers who want to learn about your language. (And also that make it better for you to keep track of your own language!) We provide examples from conlangers’ grammars to show strategies you can use in your documentation.
The PDF of the Keynote presentation we use is included as an attachment (where you can see the fonts David was so excited about!).
Happy documenting!
***SPOILER ALERT!***
At the end of the episode is a suggestion for using the Grambank features list as a method for documenting and sharing information in a readily accessible way and for noting areas of your language that you haven’t yet addressed. Click herefor a link to a Google Sheet that includes all the features, links to descriptions of the features on Grambank’s website, dropdown menus for selecting the response best matching your language, and cells for you to provide information about your language.
The first sheet is the full list of features. There is a second sheet (look at the bottom of the screen to find the second sheet) called “Instructions” that provides more information about how the sheet is organized and what you can do with it.
The sheet is view-only, so you’ll need to make a copy (an option under the “File” menu) before you can edit it and use it for your language.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (71.1MB)
Jessie put together a trivia game for David based on language features provided in Grambank’s database (https://grambank.clld.org/)! You can play along as you listen, and you can also download the attached PDF to see all the features and examples discussed.