The BG Language Creation Guide

Before You Begin

• Your language must be transcribable. That means, if you want to create a signed language or a language made by puffs of scented gases, you will nevertheless have to develop, and consistently use, something much like a spoken language to create and record it.
• Be as creative as you like, but remember that you have to deal consistently with anything you create. All innovations persist: that is, rules you make up will stick around for the entire semester and you will have to remain aware of and able to employ them. Be reasonably cautious, therefore.
• On the other hand, the more intricate, charming, poetic and idiosyncratic your language is, the more fun you will have developing it. So, don't be too cautious.
• It's fine to base your language on an already-established community (fictional or existing) but please do not begin with a group which already has an established language. That means, Santa's elves, the dust mice under your bed or ET's relatives are fine, but no Tolkien elves, no Klingons, and no giant blue guys from Pandora.
• Recall that your work is public to some extent: I'll see it as will at least three of your classmates so choose accordingly. that means, let's keep this PG13 at worst and remember that your mother (or Santa Claus or moral compass of your choice) is watching you... or might be anyhow.
• For now, hold off on giving your language a name. Think only about what the English translation (if any is possible) might be of that name). You'll name it officially after you know what sounds are possible in your language.
• Feel free to consult the examples provided for you by me or to poke around on- and off-line to see what other natural and created languages are like. This language, however, will be your own creation. Be inspired by what you find, but take care that what you present as your own work truly comes from you and not from someone else.
• I have not attempted to create a whole online course in linguistics here. These pages rely on your understanding of material from class lectures and readings.
• The worst thing that you can do in this course is fall behind. These modules build on one another. That means, if you don't fully understand part 1, your mastery of part 2 will be shakey at best. By the time you reach part 5, you'll be ... insert colorful idiom of your choice here. Please feel free to come see me if you feel confused or overwhelmed; I'll be very glad to lend a hand.
• Important: The final project should look and feel like a technical document. Write in an academic style, avoiding the first and second person and using technical linguistic terminology. After the discussion of the culture in which your language exists (existed/will exist), you should also avoid chatty asides about the culture. If you need to refer to the cultural description, you may do this, but do it in a serious, professional tone. Remember: these are technical linguistic descriptions of languages from a scientific perspective. Have fun, but don't break character as you write. This in no way limits your ability to be creative or even outright weird. Just channel your energy. Someday, someone might find your work; your goal is to have that reader convinced that your language is real and that you are its describer rather than its creator.
• Finally, I am continually trying to improve the usefulness, accuracy and appeal of these pages. As you work through them, please let me know of errors you find or improvements that occur to you. If you are currently enrolled in one of my classes, I'll be very glad to give you extra points for your trouble. If you are not in any of my classes, I'll give you the points just the same and wait with interest to see how you use them!

Please click to send me an email confirming that you have read these initial admonitions and are ready to get started!

Somewhere else interesting such as the homepage of The Speculative Grammarian