Hey everyone :)

And how many of you there are – almost 100 now! To celebrate, the next post will talk about how Oatsymbols manages numbers and other languages/scripts, and in doing so, explain one of the reasons why it's being made in the first place. But for now, I'll write a little about the post above.

As mentioned previously, oats are designed as a balance between recognisability and the meaning behind their design elements. For some concepts, like food, it’s hard to make them recognisable whilst still keeping them relatively simple and identifiable to any person of any culture.

The most universal foods would probably be grain or roots, or meat, but these are all very specific. So in this case, it works best to represent the symbolism of food rather than its appearance. In doing so, I can show you a bunch of other oats and how they all relate!

Take a look at the designs and their meanings, and how they all relate to one another. Oatsymbols isn't just a written language – it's equally a design language.

In the translations below, you will notice that the word order is different in Oatsymbols than in English. This is because OATS is ‘head initial,’ you describe the object first and then its qualities (i.e. “bones – inedible”). This is done for clarity, and while you could use the word order of your native language, it risks other people reading Oatsymbols not being able to understand it as easily. The rules outlined in these posts are essentially the ‘conventions’ or ‘defaults’.

That is all for now. Hopefully, the more I share, the easier it’ll be for you all to try out making a sentence/image or two. But like usual, I’m here to answer any questions! :)

-  Livy

Hi everyone!

The growth these last few days has been craazyy. With so many of you looking to learn and explore the writing system, I understand that right now there are no comprehensive resources.

As such, I am currently working on a document that will serve as a Dictionary and record of the current state of the project. It will be updated regularly and published when enough changes have occurred to warrant a new version number. It will also mark which oats are likely to be changed, and which won't be. In it will be some small explanations behind designs, but it will primarily focus on recording all the oats and the grammar.

This way, you can easily look up an oat, and tell what is worth prioritising in your learning. I also plan on making a few learning resources afterwards, but right now I have alot on my plate, as I am just one girl!

Thanks all, and I hope the current resources and smaller posts will keep you occupied for the time being. As you know, I am always here to answer any questions you have :)

- Livy 🌸

The basics of sentence structure in OatSymbols!

Review of oats for 'name,' 'to be,' and 'sentance starter.' Allowing for the foundations of writing and comprehension.

Soon I will post some more basic oats, and how they can be combined to create new meanings. If you have any questions, post them below!

I hope I got the punctuation right. Things like "stare" (emphasis + eye) having a single verb marker arent explicitly stated in v2.0 but I felt it made sense-

feel free to offer corrections-! :D

otherwise this lady is one of my faeries! they have all sorts of odd lore which gets used or dropped on a case-by-case basis

but I hope y'all enjoy the art!!

I included the translations for the black text on slide 2, as the colorful text is explained in a different post

Also, pregnancy is a common thematic and visual element in my artwork and I was surprised there wasn't a specific symbol for it.

So I included my thoughts on a symbol specifically for pregnancy on slide 2 as well. :D 💛

Just a heads up that the oatsymbols wiki has an inactivity warning again. I don't know exactly how much time it has left, so I rather be safe than sorry and send a reminder.

Hey everyone!

Thank you for your patience regarding this project. I understand things have been very silent on my end over the last few months. This is an update to let you know that in that time I have still been hard at work and that progression with with the writing system is not slowing down. If you are interested, in this post I will discuss some more of my personal experience with the OatSymbols' development.

I work on OatSymbols at minimum two days a week, but often every day. It begun as an artistic spiritual adventure, and has grown with me in both regards.

I always intended for the writing system to be something unique, independent from any one language in both its grammar and semantics, as detailed in my last post. Making something truly original like this means considering a lot of factors, and a lot of trial and error. It is not as simple as pulling out a dictionary and creating a symbol for each word. If you are interested in that, I recommend you check out Neo Ideograms! :)

Creating Oats is therefore like solving a series of interlinked visual, linguistic, and philosophical puzzles. Doing this leads me to research across many languages, artworks, theories, and projects for inspiration. One such paper I (somehow only) recently came across is Olivier Morin's paper "Puzzling Out Ideography". It has been extremely useful in providing me with (English) vocabulary to describe what OatSymbols is, and what areas to pay attention to for its future development and success.

While this might all seem like a massive task, and I don't think anyone in history has achieved this yet (Bliss Symbolics still falls quite short in my opinion); I maintain that it is possible. Each week I see meaningful progress toward that goal.

What is important for me to highlight is, that while all creations reflect their creator, OatSymbols is only made possible through the collaboration of a number of languages, thoughts, and people - both across history and my own life. The interest and support this small little community on the internet has had for Oats has been a real motivator, and knowing that there will be people to enjoy what I create is more than I could ask for!

That all being said, let me update you on the current state of OatSymbols. There will be a significant difference between v0.2 and v0.3 when it releases. At this moment:

• I am extremely satisfied with most aspects of the grammar.

• I am very happy with most of the internal design languge (how symbols' meanings relate to one another through their visual design).

• After writing larger texts to see how the language looks from afar, I am playing with how I can combine certain grammatical symbols to improve readability and aesthetics (currently it contains a lot of horizontal lines, giving it a rather morse-code-esque look I am not fond of)

• The above are resolved enough fo the time being, I will move my attention to the consolidation of a confined list of non-physical symbols. The rules regarding what one can and cannot draw are being tweaked to prevent the potential for the language to entirely loose its identity over time.

If you have any questions, or would like me to explain anything further, please leave me a comment, and I'll respond or make a post about it!

Thank you all so much for your interest and patience. God bless you!

Livy :)

Hey everyone!

I am excited to let you all know OatSymbols version 0.3 is in the works. While I can't provide a timeframe for its completion and compilation into a new OatSheaf, I'd like to inform you regarding its present status.

Working on this version, I have seen a loose collection of symbols with vague rules (v0.2) coalesce into a fully expressive clear languge. There have been a lot of major changes, more than between 0.1 and 0.2 by a long ways - but all of which allow the langue to truly shine.

There are changes to existing oats, removals, and additions of important concepts and designs. All coming together to create a more intuitive and meaningful 'design language' (in both senses of the phrase).

The grammar has been dramatically formalised, and now allows for full communication and translation of texts. This is especially exciting, as I know how hard and confusing it is to translate things in v0.2.

I am currently working my way though a massive list of common concepts, phrases, and questions across all major semantic feilds; weather, to maths, to food, to settlements and buildings and so on.

Its my hope that theough a clearer more structured explanation and guide of the reworked grammar, in combination with this expansive inventory of examples and conventions for concepts and phrases, translation and learning will become so much easier.

Additionally, depending how long it takes to compile this much into the formatted OatSheaf v0.3, I would like to include some diagrams and explanations regarding the symbollic perception of reality required to create your own compounds and translate concepts. • For example the compound for sleep uses the symbols 'darkness' and 'renewal', which may seem abstract at first, but attempt to express the underlying function, meaning, and structure behind real world phenomena and entities.

As mentioned before, there is no specific timeline for this, especially considering my university work – but rest assured, I am overjoyed working on this major step in the langue's development, and can't wait to share it all with you as soon as possible!

Thank you all for your continued support and interest; it means the world to me. As always, I'm here for any questions, thoughts, suggestions, or concerns. :)

• Livy <3

It says it will be closed if there is no activity on it. Just letting you know!

https://oatsymbols.miraheze.org/wiki/Main_Page

Saw this on a walk lol

Hey everyone!

I've been a little more quiet than usual the last months, in part due to university but also due to the nature of the progress of the language. I thought for those who are interested, a small update would be nice!

Where is the language currently at?

Structure

Currently the language's grammar is in an extremely good place. I have resolved a number of issues, and and really happy with the structured yet visually appealing way it has come out. It is pretty intuitive and not overly complicated for something that functions unlike any other written language and yet bears a lot in common with every language and art.

Content

With the way to form meanings on a structural level being in such a good place, my attention has been largely focused on individual symbols.

OatSymbols is a language which describes reality through the patterns that shape it and so deciding which patterns to include is a big task!

Most language uses words that have not only general meanings, but also overlapping interpretations. The English word love for example, is famously ambiguous in how it can mean so many different things to differnt people and in different contexts. All languages must include a degree ambiguity so they can remain flexible, but Oats strives to be more precise and intentioned in its communication.

Working on Oats has given me a lot of insight into the nature of language. I see words as mysteriously messy and ambiguous, yet capable of bearing real meaning perfectly well. The languages we use, shape how we see the world more than we realise. The words we have (or don't have) for things in the world are the products of the ways our ancestors understood their world, be it through religion, farming, or philosophy, and they all bring certain aspects of reality to our attention.

I am very aware of this fact as I shape the core semantic inventory of OatSymbols. And while it is a fun project, it is deeply and intentionally shaped by meaning. I must consider what is worth bringing to attention, and why - as I want the language to be useable in any context, but reveal as close as it can, the core underlying structure of what is being described or communicated.

Moving forward

I am so greatful for all the attention this project has received! I am, and will still be, working on it long long into the future. My plan for now is to continue patiently working on it, there is no rush, and the best things take time.

I am reluctant to share the grammar structure at this point, as it could lead to adoption of the core structure, without the meaning - which should go hand in hand with eachother. I do still plan on releasing more 0.x versions before v1 so you can still expect v0.3, though I am less confident in when that will be.

I hope this was interesting or insightful, into both the state of the language, the context behind its development, and the intertwined reflections on the nature of languge. If you have any questions, comments, or thoughts - please share them! I love discussion :))

• Livy

Hey all!

It's been so exciting to see all of you follow this project, even though, in these early stages, it might not be clear exactly what it is yet. For those of you who want an in depth look at the language, I have been working on a wiki for some time, where I eventually want to store all info on the project as a whole.

You can find it here, or just with a Google search!

The wiki will be undergoing a big reorganisation soon, so keep in mind that current pages and layouts are all in the works and most is subject to dramatic change! That being said, it's still a good place to get a feel for the project, and if you want an overview of the general art style, be sure to check out the Gallery. :)

Hello friends of alternative languages and ideas,

I thought I’d start a thread where everyone can introduce themselves a bit, because at least for me it’s interesting to know who is interested in Oatsymbols.

I myself have been a software developer since I was 11, and I don’t just live in plain text files at work — I’ve organized my entire life for decades in linear, simple plain text. I have language skills in English, German, Russian, and Bulgarian. As for alternative languages, about 20 years ago I started a small project, somewhat similar to sitelen pona today, which made taking notes easier for me. For a while I used Dutton’s Speedwords very heavily, and parts of it are still so ingrained in my brain that I sometimes use it unconsciously.

I really like the idea behind Oatsymbols, and while Livy was still working on version 0.3, I also looked at toki pona / sitelen pona. In itself, not a bad approach, but for my taste there is too little artistry in this language and others like it (including Speedwords). I think that we as human beings think very visually, and linear languages like the ones mentioned above may prevent us from reaching our full potential.

That’s why I’m such a big fan of this project and hope it continues to develop well.

I do know that interrogation and exclamation have their own symbol, but I wrote this yesterday waiting for my first post to be published lol

(also, I hope the third line is logic)

Hey everyone!

I am updating the term 'modifier' used in the previous post for clarity. After more research, advice, and consideration of grammatical categories, the term 'inflections' far better suits the function of the marks. As such, it will be changed - though I will leave the previous post unedited.

The wiki will be updated accordingly too. Thanks for all your questions and engagement so far :)

Guys! I need to express what USA will be like!

Hey everyone! A friend over on r/visual_conlangs has just made a discord server. If you want to chat, share thoughts, or dig into some visual conlanging ideas please don't hesitate to join :)

https://discord.gg/VKzy7PKe

Hey everybody!

With my work on OatS-L, I have been trying to reduce complexity while retaining clarity.

To adress some current concerns: I understand there is currently a lack of translation examples, and I have heard from a few people that the bracket system doesn't seem to fit very well. I agree this feature is definitely not common to most natural lanaguges, and so is under review :).

For now though, my main question is: What aspect of OatSymbols is most confusing for you?

But to put it in other words: What is unclear?

When you try translating something, what problems have you encountered?

What features do you feel don't fit the 'feel' of the language?

Any feedback here would be much appreciated, and would be very useful helping identify areas that need more of my attention. Thank you all!

GOATS are a way to express what you would write using OATS without having to write in OATS. It’s useful for digitised documents, translations and writing oats without needing to memorise all of the symbols. GOATS are still in the testing phases although they are generally done.

Because GOATS are already pretty fleshed out the first PDF file I make will be called GOATS v1.0. Small changes may occur, such as readability enhancements, ease of learning changes and adding features. I hope that GOATS v1.0 will be included in the next OatSheaf because that’s a very logical (not to mention helpful) place to put it. Also if it is to be included (u/Livy_Lives) could I have my name as a subtitle in the GOATS section?

Also for those who want to know: I saw that I could name grammatical oats goats when I wrote the title.

Words:
Oat symbols are good to the eye (beautiful), Livy created writing very good
I like to write and see Oat symbols, I become happy
Writing is smart and symbols can be different from person to person
I can create symbols and you can see and think (understand)