It's been some time since I mentioned anything about Silyon*, my first conlang (created/constructed language). Since my last update on the project, I've only really added a few works to its lexicon. For the most part, it's in the past. There were some issues I couldn't figure out and/or things I didn't like.

I've started on creating a second language, still unnamed (I don't want to name it until I can pick a name that means something in the language). I'm still trying to figure out exactly what direction I want to take it. I've been tempted to create it more vocalic language (evidenced by carrying a Hawaiian dictionary around recently). This way I can create lots of vowels next to each other (as Pablo David Flores points out in his How to Construct a Language, "a word like Kilauea is not possible in many languages."

I still like the morphology of Iñupiaq (a northern Alaskan dialect of Inuit), which can be seen in the synthetic nature of my last language. This means my new language might be something similar to a combination of Hawaiian and Iñupiaq, although with a different root system (i.e., the actual "words" [roots] won't come from either, but will imitate them and their structure]. If I focus my efforts more on creating an Iñupiaq-like morphology, there's a very good chance my language will end up like Silyon. I'm not necessarily opposed to creating a "Reformed Silyon" language, because I would like to keep working on my first language.

I've also had thoughts about creating a more isolating language, simply to experiment with a different type of morphology. In this way, this new language would probably end up being more similar to Hawaiian, English, and Chinese (as far as grammar is concerned).

Basically, I'm still trying to decide what my "vision" is for this language. Once I can get that, it shouldn't be too difficult. I do have the phonetic inventory picked out, consisting of 11 consonants and 3 vowels (compared with 15 consonants, 7 vowels in Silyon; 8 consonants, 5+ vowels in Hawaiian; 21 consonants, 3+ vowels in Iñupiaq)**. In addition to the three vowels in this language, there is also a differentiation of vowel length. This means that "munga" and "muunga" could be considered two different words (or "latu" and "laatu"). I may abandon this idea, but it occurs in both Hawaiian and all Inuit dialects and generally seems interesting to me.

I did actually get some work on this language the other day. I've created a few words (won't post them yet- there still "experimental," just so I can play around with them). It's actually amazing at how I was able to get inspired at the new pub in Las Cruces. Yes- Las Cruces has a new pub: Brigid's Cross Irish Pub, located off of Picacho Hills Dr. It's actually pretty nice. I had my favorite, a white Russian. I even got to listen to a bit of Irish music: an Irish accordionist came in to play for the manager. I'm looking forward to their grand opening special the first Saturday in October.


*Note: Previously, I used the tag newlanguage or "new language," but have since renamed it to Silyon
**I use the terms 5+ and 3+ vowels because it depends on how you define a distinctive vowel and/or what a particular phoneme is.

I once told one of my... err... friends (for lack of a better term, I guess) about making my own language. He seems to criticize everything I do- this was no different. He wanted to know why I would create a language, commenting about how many languages there are in the world- why should I add more?

Aside from the obvious, "Why do anything? Why does a man climb a mountain?" response, I have figured out that language is a powerful tool. It possibly reflects how the world is viewed- for example, if objects are viewed as animate or inanimate, if they have spirits or not, alive or dead/not alive, and other views of consciousness. It reflects if something is viewed as "good" or "bad" through conotations and use. Realizing this, creating my own language has a sort of spiritual aspect to it- I'm molding my words to the way I think. Sure, languages that currently exist might be able to communicate my thoughts or beliefs, but maybe not in the way I want them expressed.

I guess that's one of the rasons I want to create a language. Other than that, it just seems like a neat thing to do. Language is a complex thing and I'd like to have a better understanding of it. Making my own language is a great way to learn what all goes into language. It can be time consuming (especially since I'm trying to do some research involving various aspects of language) and gives me something to do. More importantly, it's something to think about. It requires a lot of thought and planning. It's something that, once created, I'll really be able to call my own. My language.