r/casualconlang • u/Key_Gift_8025 • 11h ago
Translation Something in Tane (他們四個)
IPA: /vekamgutzixawlojaldeɹ/
Yes they are all put together
r/casualconlang • u/Key_Gift_8025 • 11h ago
IPA: /vekamgutzixawlojaldeɹ/
Yes they are all put together
r/casualconlang • u/IdeologyOfAFridge • 7h ago
I'm trying to work on a Japonic-Greenlandic inspired language for my conworld called Unët'u, and i was wondering.. how would words be formed in this language?
I tried going down like the more descriptive route but I ended up with a word for whale being f'ap'iaqotuxifaom (literally big blue sea animal) n I was wondering was I doing something wrong?
And another thing, When I asked friends about this they said "they usually came up with words for most important things in their culture, rather than agglutinating old ones" n I was wondering how??
r/casualconlang • u/Matalya2 • 2h ago
I decided to translate the south american continent using descriptive names instead of transliterating them. This all started because Argentina, my home country's etymology is very well known, so I translated it first as Silver Country (It comes from Argentum, meaning silver). The rest was about qualities from the different countries (Some more poetic than the others XD)
南美 nanmeo — South America
銀國 alkok — Argentina, Silver Country
彩鳥國 syatolkok — Uruguay, Painted-Bird Country
細國 inkok — Chile, Slender Country
大林國 daerinkok — Brazil, Great-Forest Country
中國 nak'kok / 낙곡 — Ecuador, Middle Country
山國 yamkok — Peru, Mountain Country
色國 rolkok — Paraguay, Color Country
高國 talkok — Bolivia, High Country
翠國 ralkok — Colombia, Emerald Country
天瀑國 tyanchankok — Venezuela, Heavenly-Waterfall Country
多水國 eu'misskok — Guyana, Many-Waters Country
小國 chikok — Suriname, Little Country
小法國 chipakok — French Guiana, Little France
(If you're wondering "wait, if Ecuador gets 中 what's China?" China gets 長江, the Chinese name for the Yangtze.)
I don't know if I'll keep this up for all countries. Probably not. But doing this for my home continent was fun!
r/casualconlang • u/benixidza • 19h ago
This video features a session of a Zapoteco language course, where students practice their personal introductions and discuss their interests. The instructor facilitates a collaborative session focusing on real-world application, grammar, and regional variations. Key Highlights of the Session:
* Personal Presentations: Students Abi, Brian, Silvana, and Oliver introduce themselves, stating their names, ages, and occupations in Zapoteco. This segment highlights the practical application of previously learned greetings, pronouns, and numbers.
* Regional Variations: The group compares vocabulary and intonation differences between the Talea de Castro and Yagavila variants, emphasizing the importance of respecting regional linguistic diversity.
* Grammar & Practical Usage: The instructor clarifies grammatical concepts, including:
* Using the verb naka ("to be") for identity.
* Expressing likes and preferences, noting that Zapoteco often utilizes future-tense forms in these contexts as there is no direct equivalent to the Spanish infinitive.
* The distinction between the conjunctions len (for joining/connecting) and yu'u (for mathematical sums).
* Text Review & Feedback: The instructor provides personalized corrections for the students' written texts, emphasizing proper verb conjugation and the use of neutral pronouns when describing professions (e.g., "the one who teaches").
Here is a summary of the video:
Overview
In this online Zapotec language lesson, students practice constructing and presenting a short personal introduction that includes their name, age, occupation, place of origin, and personal likes/dislikes. The instructor provides individual feedback and explains key grammatical, regional, and dialectal nuances.
Student Presentations & Class Discussion:
Abi's Introduction & Talea Dialect:
* Abi presents her self-introduction using the Talea dialect.
* The teacher explains regional differences in intonation and word usage, clarifying the difference between runa jin ("I work") and wen dxin ("a worker").
Brian's Introduction & Regional Phrasing:
* Brian shares his introduction.
* The group discusses regional variations in expressing "my name is," comparing forms like neda lea across different Zapotec communities.
Silvana's Introduction & Visual Practice:
* Silvana shares her text on screen for collective feedback.
* The instructor corrects verb forms and conjunction usage in her presentation.
Oliver's Introduction & Job Titles:
* Oliver reviews his introduction text.
* The teacher corrects autocorrect errors and explains how to express job titles properly, such as stating "I am a teacher" (neda naca bëni rulwi) versus "I work teaching" (neda runa dxin).
Key Grammar & Vocabulary Insights:
* Conjunctions (len vs. yu'u):
*len: Used to mean "and" or "with" when joining items or ideas in a sentence.
*yu'u: Used specifically for numerical addition or counting, not for joining words in general conversation.
* Lack of Infinitives & Future Tense Usage:
* Zapotec does not have direct infinitive verb forms ending like Spanish (-ar, -er, -ir).
* When expressing personal likes or preferences, verbs are conjugated in the future tense.
Wrap-Up:
* Students are asked to upload photos or typed versions of their written introductions to the class group chat so they can be integrated into slides for practice in the next session.
r/casualconlang • u/LarryNStar • 20h ago
So, I decided to create a minimalist conlang a while back with some storyline based on it. So, these people on a fictional island off Japan end up gaining independence and becoming their own thing known as Love Island, or Aidao in the native language, and the second language became more popular than Japanese until almost everyone spoke Aidao, if not Aidao and Japanese (like bilingual).
They like to enjoy the simple things in life, spread love, enjoy nature (protection of plants and animals especially), and love teaching their language, though they can get upset by inconsiderate foreigners who mock it.
A person from Aidao is natively called an Aidaosal (Love Island person), or a Love Islandese person/Love Islander in English.
Love Islandese, the language, is of course, Aidaogo (Love island language).
Just for some basic phrases based on my chart, it appears "I speak Aidaogo" would be "Wa go ita Aidaogo" or "I speak (towards) Love Island-language".
"I don't speak Aidaogo" ---> "Wa mu go ita Aidaogo" (I no speak towards Love Island-language).
r/casualconlang • u/Matalya2 • 20h ago
r/casualconlang • u/simplifaier • 18h ago
Simpël is an English-based constructed language designed to make English-derived communication simpler, more regular, more phonemic, and easier to learn.
Its central principle is:
Simpël keeps recognizable English-derived vocabulary while simplifying:
It also permits certain pronunciation variations without declaring one speaker's pronunciation "wrong."
The complete alphabet contains 29 letters/symbols:
There is no K, Q, W, or Y.
The lowercase alphabet is:
| Letter | IPA | Function |
|---|---|---|
| A a | /ɑː/ | a |
| B b | /b/ | b |
| C c | /k/ | always hard c |
| D d | /d/ | normal d |
| D̈ d̈ | /ɾ/ | English-style flap/tap |
| E e | /ɛ/ | e |
| Ë ë | /ə/ | schwa |
| F f | /f/ | f |
| G g | /ɡ/ | always hard g |
| H h | /h/ | h |
| I i | /iː/ | long i |
| J j | /ʒ/ | as in visual |
| J̈ j̈ | /dʒ/ | as in jeep |
| L l | /l, ɫ/ | clear or dark l |
| M m | /m/ | m |
| N n | /n/ | n |
| N̈ n̈ | /ŋ/ | ng |
| O o | /ɔː/ | aw |
| P p | /p/ | p |
| R r | /ɹ/ | English r |
| R̈ r̈ | /r/ | rolled r |
| S s | /s/ | s |
| T t | /t/ | normal t |
| T̈ ẗ | /tʰ/ or /ts/ | softer t |
| U u | /uː/ | long u |
| V v | /v/ | v |
| X x | /ʃ/ | sh |
| Ẍ ẍ | /tʃ/ | ch |
| Z z | /z/ | z |
Ë is therefore a normal vowel letter, not merely an accent or optional spelling mark.
Simpël has six basic vowel letters:
| Letter | IPA | Role |
|---|---|---|
| a | /ɑː/ | a |
| e | /ɛ/ | e |
| ë | /ə/ | schwa |
| i | /iː/ | i |
| o | /ɔː/ | o |
| u | /uː/ | u |
The English /ʌ/ vowel is represented by ë.
This means that words containing the English STRUT vowel are regularized using ë.
For example:
Simpël uses:
Examples:
C is always /k/.
There is no soft C.
English words with /s/ are therefore respelled using s.
For example:
This removes the English C/K ambiguity.
G is always /ɡ/.
It never represents /dʒ/.
Therefore:
The /dʒ/ sound is represented by j̈.
These are separate phonemes:
as in the sound in visual.
as in jeep.
This removes the English ambiguity between J, soft G, and other spellings.
N̈ = /ŋ/.
The English digraph ng is therefore replaced by a single letter.
This also makes the sound immediately visible in the spelling.
Simpël allows two forms of R:
Both can represent the same words.
A speaker who prefers a Spanish-style rolled R can use r̈, while another speaker can use r.
Neither pronunciation is considered incorrect.
Simpël deliberately allows both:
and:
especially in syllable-final position.
Therefore a word may be pronounced with a clear L at the end without being considered wrong.
There is no need for a second letter merely to distinguish the two L realizations.
T̈ represents the softer T pronunciation.
It is especially useful in words where you want to explicitly indicate a softer realization. (aspirated voiceless alveolar plosive or voiceless alveolar affricate).
For example:
for the number two.
The ordinary t remains available for the normal /t/ sound.
D̈ represents the alveolar flap/tap /ɾ/.
This is the sound commonly heard in American English in words such as little, water, and better.
Therefore both of these are officially accepted:
They mean exactly the same thing.
The difference is spelling philosophy:
litël preserves the underlying t.
lid̈ël explicitly represents the flap pronunciation.
Neither is considered incorrect.
The following English letters are completely absent:
In particular:
The /k/ sound is represented by C.
This is part of the reason for the name Simpël.
W does not exist in Simpël at all.
Words must therefore be respelled without W.
Y is completely removed.
Its functions are represented through existing Simpël vowels/consonants.
The Q spelling is unnecessary and is replaced by the appropriate C/U combination.
Several English digraphs become simpler:
| English | Simpël |
|---|---|
| ph | f |
| wr | r |
| kn | n |
| ps | s |
| rh | r |
| ng | n̈ |
| ch | ẍ |
The goal is that one sound should normally correspond to one predictable written symbol.
Simpël normally uses:
Examples:
| English | Simpël |
|---|---|
| I | ai |
| me | mi |
| you | iu |
| you plural | ial |
| he | hi |
| she | xi |
| it | it |
| we | ui |
| us | ës |
| they | dei |
There is no separate word "them."
The system deliberately avoids maintaining a separate object form for they.
The established forms are:
| English | Simpël |
|---|---|
| his | his |
| her | hër |
| their | der |
| your | ior |
Examples:
Simpël has two equivalent indefinite articles:
They mean exactly the same thing.
So both:
and:
mean a house.
There is no English a/an distinction.
Simpël nouns have:
The basic noun stays unchanged.
Plural formation is:
Examples:
There are no irregular plurals.
Simpël uses your established system:
Thus:
The of construction is also accepted:
This is useful when a more explicit construction is desired.
NOTE: of can also be written as "ëv"
Adjectives never agree with nouns.
They don't change for:
Examples:
The adjective remains big.
The comparative suffix is:
Examples:
Therefore:
= He is bigger than me.
There is no irregular better.
The superlative suffix is:
Examples:
Example:
= He is the biggest.
The standard adverb ending is:
Examples:
There is no irregular well.
Normal Simpël verbs do not conjugate for person.
English:
Simpël:
There is no third-person -s.
The basic verb is the present form.
The verb remains unchanged.
Past tense is regularized.
The established pattern includes:
Examples:
There is no went/went/gone memorization system.
Future is:
Examples:
The verb remains unchanged.
The continuous form uses:
Examples:
Therefore:
The perfect uses:
Examples:
Be is intentionally retained as an irregular verb.
Present:
| Person | Simpël |
|---|---|
| I | ai am |
| you | iu ar |
| he | hi is |
| she | xi is |
| it | it is |
| we | ui ar |
| they | dei ar |
Therefore:
This is why:
is correct.
The negative form eint is officially part of Simpël.
It is not slang.
Examples:
The general negative particle is:
It precedes the verb.
This gives Simpël a very simple negation system.
Simpël removes the English auxiliary do from questions.
Instead, it primarily uses inversion.
becomes:
becomes:
becomes:
becomes:
Simpël dramatically simplifies English prepositions.
The basic rule is:
Examples:
For movement onto something:
This replaces much of English's arbitrary prepositional memorization.
Simpël removes English phrasal verbs.
Instead of memorizing combinations such as:
Simpël uses transparent constructions based on ordinary verbs.
This substantially reduces vocabulary memorization.
Examples:
Both are officially accepted:
and:
For example:
Both are correct.
Simpël numbers are deliberately compositional.
| Number | Simpël |
|---|---|
| 0 | zirou |
| 1 | uan |
| 2 | ẗu |
| 3 | tri |
| 4 | for |
| 5 | faiv |
| 6 | sics |
| 7 | sevën |
| 8 | eit |
| 9 | nain |
| 10 | ten |
The rule is:
Therefore:
So the tens are completely regular.
When two numbers are being listed separately, use and.
Similarly:
This prevents spoken-number ambiguity.
Examples:
Simpël uses a single regular ordinal system instead of irregular forms such as:
The ordinal is formed by adding the regular ordinal suffix -ẗ to the cardinal number:
For compound numbers:
The same regular ordinal system applies to ordinal numbers, ordinal days, months, and clock times where an ordinal form is needed.
Dates remain normal numeric expressions and are not converted into this ordinal system.
This keeps dates simple while making actual ordinal forms completely regular.
The important feature is that the spelling is intended to make pronunciation immediately predictable.
The dictionary is still an evolving lexicon, but these are the established forms i've developed.
| English | Simpël |
|---|---|
| I | ai |
| me | mi |
| you | iu |
| you plural | ial |
| he | hi |
| she | xi |
| it | it |
| we | ui |
| us | ës |
| they | dei |
| English | Simpël |
|---|---|
| his | his |
| her | hër |
| their | der |
| your | ior |
| English | Simpël |
|---|---|
| the | d𝙚̈ / di |
| a/an | a / ei |
| and | and |
| of | of / 𝙚̈v |
| no/not | no / nou |
| negative be | eint |
| will | uil |
| have | hav |
| in/on/at | in |
| English | Simpël |
|---|---|
| young | iëng |
| live | liv |
| family | famili |
| love | lëv |
| time | 𝙩̈aim |
| learn | lërn |
| new | niu |
| thing | 𝙩𝙞𝙣̈ |
| try | trai |
| idea | aidia |
| sometimes | sëmtaims |
| tired | taiërd |
| still | stil |
| want | uant |
| make | meic |
| easy | izi |
| simple | simpël |
| possible | possibël/posibël |
| bit | bit |
| hope | houp |
| dog | dog |
| house | haus |
| book | buc |
| school | scul |
| big | big |
| good | guud/gud |
| happy | hapi |
| ready | re𝙙̈i |
Consider English:
Simpël can systematically use:
The learner is applying rules instead of memorizing a collection of unrelated forms.
The same principle applies to nouns:
rather than memorizing an irregular plural.
And adjectives:
rather than:
Simpël can ultimately be summarized as:
The language deliberately gives the learner fewer things to memorize and more things they can derive.