How to build a 'perfect' language
(MENAFN - The Conversation) It's well known that JRR Tolkien wrote the Lord of the Rings cycle to create people tospeak the languages he had invented . But, in the television age, artificially created or invented languages – we call them ' conlangs ' – have been gaining increasing attention with the popularity of television series such as Star Trek and Game of Thrones, and films such as Avatar.
Fantasy and science fiction are the ideal vehicles for conlangs. Marc Okrand, an American linguist whose core research area is Native American languages, invented Klingon for Star Trek, while Paul Frommer of the University of Southern California created the Na'vi language for Avatar.
The fantasy series Game of Thrones involved several languages, including Dothraki and Valyrian, which were created by David J Peterson, a 'conlanger' who has invented languages for several other shows. Most recently, fantasy thriller The City and The City featured the language Illitan, created byAlison Long of Keele Universityin the UK.
I teach how to construct languages and one question my students usually ask is: 'How do I make a perfect language?' I need to warn that it's impossible to make a language 'perfect' – or even 'complete'. Rather, an invented language is more likely to be appropriate for the context – convincing and developed just enough to work in the desired environment. But here are a few things to bear in mind.
Who will speak this language and why?
It is very important to be clear about the aims of the language and its (fictional or real) speakers. When conlangs are created for a specific fictional character, the aims and speakers are determined by the story, the author or producer.
In some cases, fragments or descriptions of the language do exist. This was the case for Illitan, which was described as having 'jarring' sounds in the novel The City and The City and there were a few Dothraki expressions in the first Game of Thrones novel. But what if there are no instructions? Ina survey I rana few years ago, many language creators pointed out that a sense of aesthetics and beauty guided them, along with the need to make the conlangs sound natural and a very pragmatic sense of how easily the languages could be pronounced.
There is also a strong link between language and culture, where some languages attract a large fan base because of the culture and community this language represents.A good example is Na'vi , which attracts many learners because of its welcoming community of speakers. In some cases the language itself has developed a strong culture and community, as is the case for Esperanto, whichaims to bring people togetherregardless of their background and supports a strong sense of solidarity.
Start with sounds
The sound system is typically the starting point for language creators. This makes sense, given that sound is usually the first thing that we encounter in a new language. Do we want our conlang to sound harsh, alien or even aggressive? Inthe Klingon sound systemthis effect is achieved as follows:
Ссылка: https://menafn.com/1098972425/How-to-build-a-perfect-language
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(MENAFN - The Conversation) It's well known that JRR Tolkien wrote the Lord of the Rings cycle to create people tospeak the languages he had invented . But, in the television age, artificially created or invented languages – we call them ' conlangs ' – have been gaining increasing attention with the popularity of television series such as Star Trek and Game of Thrones, and films such as Avatar.
Fantasy and science fiction are the ideal vehicles for conlangs. Marc Okrand, an American linguist whose core research area is Native American languages, invented Klingon for Star Trek, while Paul Frommer of the University of Southern California created the Na'vi language for Avatar.
The fantasy series Game of Thrones involved several languages, including Dothraki and Valyrian, which were created by David J Peterson, a 'conlanger' who has invented languages for several other shows. Most recently, fantasy thriller The City and The City featured the language Illitan, created byAlison Long of Keele Universityin the UK.
I teach how to construct languages and one question my students usually ask is: 'How do I make a perfect language?' I need to warn that it's impossible to make a language 'perfect' – or even 'complete'. Rather, an invented language is more likely to be appropriate for the context – convincing and developed just enough to work in the desired environment. But here are a few things to bear in mind.
Who will speak this language and why?
It is very important to be clear about the aims of the language and its (fictional or real) speakers. When conlangs are created for a specific fictional character, the aims and speakers are determined by the story, the author or producer.
In some cases, fragments or descriptions of the language do exist. This was the case for Illitan, which was described as having 'jarring' sounds in the novel The City and The City and there were a few Dothraki expressions in the first Game of Thrones novel. But what if there are no instructions? Ina survey I rana few years ago, many language creators pointed out that a sense of aesthetics and beauty guided them, along with the need to make the conlangs sound natural and a very pragmatic sense of how easily the languages could be pronounced.
There is also a strong link between language and culture, where some languages attract a large fan base because of the culture and community this language represents.A good example is Na'vi , which attracts many learners because of its welcoming community of speakers. In some cases the language itself has developed a strong culture and community, as is the case for Esperanto, whichaims to bring people togetherregardless of their background and supports a strong sense of solidarity.
Start with sounds
The sound system is typically the starting point for language creators. This makes sense, given that sound is usually the first thing that we encounter in a new language. Do we want our conlang to sound harsh, alien or even aggressive? Inthe Klingon sound systemthis effect is achieved as follows:
Ссылка: https://menafn.com/1098972425/How-to-build-a-perfect-language
Тел.: +7 (499) 769-58-15
Наш сайт – jobforarabists.com
#jobforarabists #ArabWorldNews #НовостиАрабскогоМира #JFA #arabic #арабский #arabiclanguage #arabist #арабскийязык #арабист #арабский #job #карьерадляпереводчиков #translatorscareer #новости_@jobforarabists
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How to build a 'perfect' language
(MENAFN - The Conversation) It's well known that JRR Tolkien wrote the Lord of the Rings cycle to create people tospeak the languages he had invent
Introductory Arabic Courses Offered On Campus in Fall, Spring
Following significant controversy last spring, Oberlin will once again offer introductory Arabic courses on campus this academic year. In April, a group of faculty petitioned the College Faculty Council with a proposal to offer a section each of Arabic 101 and 102. Visiting Assistant Professor of Arabic Mahmoud Meslat was hired over the summer to teach the introductory courses.
“As is our process, a group of faculty submitted a request for a temporary line in Arabic to the [Educational Plans and Policies Committee] and the [College Faculty Council],” acting Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences David Kamitsuka wrote in an email to the Review. “The CFC authorized two courses, one in the fall and one in the spring.”
The request followed news last spring that Oberlin would transition intermediate and upper-level Arabic courses to a digital classroom platform called the Shared Language Program, a partnership among several institutions in the Great Lakes Colleges Association. For some, the transition stoked fears that on-campus Arabic offerings would be eliminated, particularly after it was announced that former Visiting Assistant Professor of Arabic Basem Al-Raba’a would not return.
Meslat, Al-Raba’a’s replacement, has taught at Oberlin twice before, from 2011–2013 and 2014–2016. He was an integral part of building up Oberlin’s Arabic program to include celebrations of the Arabic language like Arabic Day, cultural activities, parties, and field trips.
“Students emailed me and wanted me to come back, and I also heard from [Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Elizabeth Hamilton that] they wanted me to come back,” Meslat said.
Initially, the plan was for Meslat’s introductory courses to complement higher-level courses offered digitally through the SLP. Over the summer, the College successfully participated in some workshops with the technology. However, logistical challenges with a faculty member at Denison University led to Oberlin pulling out of the program for this fall. College senior Simon Idelson was among those planning on taking advanced Arabic courses through the SLP before learning that these courses would no longer be offered.
“The instructor was unfortunately unable to teach the fall SLP courses in Arabic, so they had to be cancelled,” Hamilton said in an email to the Review. “Half-course private readings were arranged to accommodate the students who were enrolled in the distance learning courses.”
Despite the setback, Kamitsuka clarified that Oberlin plans to participate in the SLP in the future.
“The Shared Language Program is an exciting opportunity for all language and culture faculty from across the Great Lakes Colleges Association to collaborate for the purpose of offering as many learning opportunities as possible for students,” he wrote.
The decision to continue introductory Arabic courses on campus follows significant student activism around the issue last spring. The student campaign, known as “Save Arabic,” launched a petition calling for a sustainable funding model for an Arabic program that garnered over 1,500 signatures, coordinated in part by College senior Caitlin Kelley.
Ссылка:https://oberlinreview.org/19061/news/introductory-arabic-courses-offered-on-campus-in-fall-spring/
Тел.: +7 (499) 769-58-15
Наш сайт – jobforarabists.com
#jobforarabists #ArabWorldNews #НовостиАрабскогоМира #JFA #arabic #арабский #arabiclanguage #arabist #арабскийязык #арабист #арабский #job #карьерадляпереводчиков #translatorscareer #новости_@jobforarabists
Following significant controversy last spring, Oberlin will once again offer introductory Arabic courses on campus this academic year. In April, a group of faculty petitioned the College Faculty Council with a proposal to offer a section each of Arabic 101 and 102. Visiting Assistant Professor of Arabic Mahmoud Meslat was hired over the summer to teach the introductory courses.
“As is our process, a group of faculty submitted a request for a temporary line in Arabic to the [Educational Plans and Policies Committee] and the [College Faculty Council],” acting Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences David Kamitsuka wrote in an email to the Review. “The CFC authorized two courses, one in the fall and one in the spring.”
The request followed news last spring that Oberlin would transition intermediate and upper-level Arabic courses to a digital classroom platform called the Shared Language Program, a partnership among several institutions in the Great Lakes Colleges Association. For some, the transition stoked fears that on-campus Arabic offerings would be eliminated, particularly after it was announced that former Visiting Assistant Professor of Arabic Basem Al-Raba’a would not return.
Meslat, Al-Raba’a’s replacement, has taught at Oberlin twice before, from 2011–2013 and 2014–2016. He was an integral part of building up Oberlin’s Arabic program to include celebrations of the Arabic language like Arabic Day, cultural activities, parties, and field trips.
“Students emailed me and wanted me to come back, and I also heard from [Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Elizabeth Hamilton that] they wanted me to come back,” Meslat said.
Initially, the plan was for Meslat’s introductory courses to complement higher-level courses offered digitally through the SLP. Over the summer, the College successfully participated in some workshops with the technology. However, logistical challenges with a faculty member at Denison University led to Oberlin pulling out of the program for this fall. College senior Simon Idelson was among those planning on taking advanced Arabic courses through the SLP before learning that these courses would no longer be offered.
“The instructor was unfortunately unable to teach the fall SLP courses in Arabic, so they had to be cancelled,” Hamilton said in an email to the Review. “Half-course private readings were arranged to accommodate the students who were enrolled in the distance learning courses.”
Despite the setback, Kamitsuka clarified that Oberlin plans to participate in the SLP in the future.
“The Shared Language Program is an exciting opportunity for all language and culture faculty from across the Great Lakes Colleges Association to collaborate for the purpose of offering as many learning opportunities as possible for students,” he wrote.
The decision to continue introductory Arabic courses on campus follows significant student activism around the issue last spring. The student campaign, known as “Save Arabic,” launched a petition calling for a sustainable funding model for an Arabic program that garnered over 1,500 signatures, coordinated in part by College senior Caitlin Kelley.
Ссылка:https://oberlinreview.org/19061/news/introductory-arabic-courses-offered-on-campus-in-fall-spring/
Тел.: +7 (499) 769-58-15
Наш сайт – jobforarabists.com
#jobforarabists #ArabWorldNews #НовостиАрабскогоМира #JFA #arabic #арабский #arabiclanguage #arabist #арабскийязык #арабист #арабский #job #карьерадляпереводчиков #translatorscareer #новости_@jobforarabists
The Oberlin Review
Introductory Arabic Courses Offered On Campus in Fall, Spring
Following significant controversy last spring, Oberlin will once again offer introductory Arabic courses on campus this academic year. In April, a group of faculty petitioned the College Faculty Council with a proposal to offer a section each of Arabic 101…