General Conlang Discussion

[Massimiliano B]

I have asked ChatGPT to invent a new constructed language and here is what I obtained:






"User
Invent a constructed language

ChatGPT
Certainly! Here's an example of a constructed language called "Lumina" along with some of its key features:

Language: Lumina

Phonology:

Lumina has a relatively simple phonetic inventory consisting of 20 consonants and 6 vowels.
Consonants: p, t, k, m, n, s, h, f, v, r, l, j, w, y, b, d, g, z, x, and c.
Vowels: a, e, i, o, u, and ä (pronounced as "uh").
Grammar:

Lumina follows a subject-verb-object (SVO) word order.
It employs a system of noun classes, where nouns are categorized into different classes (e.g., animate, inanimate, abstract).
Verbs are conjugated to indicate tense (past, present, future), aspect (continuous, perfect), and mood (indicative, subjunctive).
The language has a set of prepositions to express spatial relationships.
Plurals are formed by adding the suffix "-s" to the noun.
Vocabulary:

The Lumina vocabulary draws inspiration from nature, emotions, and basic concepts.
Examples: lumis (light), florän (flower), aqua (water), koru (tree), amik (friend), bela (beautiful), feliç (happy), kora (heart), savi (knowledge), and spira (spirit).
Sample Phrases:

Hello - Lumisande
How are you? - Kora esas vu?
I love Lumina - Me ama Lumina.
Where is the book? - Ubi esas la libra?
Can you help me? - Pu esas posibla helpi me?
Remember, this is just a basic outline of a constructed language, and you can expand and develop Lumina further by incorporating more complex grammar rules, a larger vocabulary, and cultural nuances."

[Dormouse559]

I have asked ChatGPT to invent a new constructed language and here is what I obtained:

Oh my! Robot baby’s first conlang. It even conflates phonemes with letters, gives an Anglocentric pronunciation hint and produces a thinly veiled reskin of Esperanto.

Leaving the sarcasm aside, it is interesting that it used a few words from its example vocabulary in the sample phrases. But the contextual awareness didn’t fully extend to the alphabet, which doesn’t include q (or ç, but that’s a plausible choice).

[Massimiliano B]

Yes, it's has some Esperanto in it.


And now I have asked Chatgpt to write an entire parafraph in a conlang. Here it is:

Draznikul shiromba kalanota sifalona trembela. Prikolantha brilondula shandorika frimbola nasintha. Flondomina silondra tramboloka plandeshira korolinda. Klimbosha zalondra stendula nafrasta noshimbola. Chendolika splandora zolinda krimbola sibroshira.

Translation:
Awakened nature dances softly in the trees. The colorful flowers sparkle with delight. The crystalline rivers flow melodiously. The blue sky stretches endlessly. The fresh air smells of sweet fragrances.

[Linguaphile]

Yes, it's has some Esperanto in it.


And now I have asked Chatgpt to write an entire parafraph in a conlang. Here it is:

Draznikul shiromba kalanota sifalona trembela. Prikolantha brilondula shandorika frimbola nasintha. Flondomina silondra tramboloka plandeshira korolinda. Klimbosha zalondra stendula nafrasta noshimbola. Chendolika splandora zolinda krimbola sibroshira.

Translation:
Awakened nature dances softly in the trees. The colorful flowers sparkle with delight. The crystalline rivers flow melodiously. The blue sky stretches endlessly. The fresh air smells of sweet fragrances.

Why does every sentence have five words? Why does every word have three or four syllables? Why is draznikul the only word that doesn't end with -a? Why...
Never mind.
It didn't produce a paragraph in a machine-generated conlang, but instead produced a machine-generated idea of what a paragraph in a human-generated conlang might look like. Fascinating.

[Massimiliano B]

I think it's fascinating too...

Here is a list of invented personal pronouns for this fictional language:

First person singular: draxa
Second person singular: shirba
Third person singular (masculine): kalonda
Third person singular (feminine): shiromba
First person plural: nixtra
Second person plural: zorin
Third person plural: plindor

The last two pronouns don't end in a!


Here is a list of 10 invented verbs for the fictional language:

Draxanba (to love)
Shirboka (running)
Kalondira (speak)
Shirombula (eat)
Nixtrama (create)
Zorinka (see)
Plindorsha (to sleep)
Draxashira (jump)
Shirbantha (listen)
Kalondrula (to walk)

And here is the verb "Shirboka" (to run) in the present tense:

First person singular: Shirboko (I run)

Second person singular: Shirbokas (You run)

Third person singular: Shirbokal (He/She runs)

First person plural: Shirbokan (We run)

Second person plural: Shirbokaz (You run)

Third person plural: Shirbokapl (They run)


Chatgpt says the name of this fictional language is "Virenda".

[Naava]

Yes, it's has some Esperanto in it.


And now I have asked Chatgpt to write an entire parafraph in a conlang. Here it is:

Draznikul shiromba kalanota sifalona trembela. Prikolantha brilondula shandorika frimbola nasintha. Flondomina silondra tramboloka plandeshira korolinda. Klimbosha zalondra stendula nafrasta noshimbola. Chendolika splandora zolinda krimbola sibroshira.

Translation:
Awakened nature dances softly in the trees. The colorful flowers sparkle with delight. The crystalline rivers flow melodiously. The blue sky stretches endlessly. The fresh air smells of sweet fragrances.

Why does every sentence have five words? Why does every word have three or four syllables? Why is draznikul the only word that doesn't end with -a? Why...
Never mind.
It didn't produce a paragraph in a machine-generated conlang, but instead produced a machine-generated idea of what a paragraph in a human-generated conlang might look like. Fascinating.

It in some ways reminds me of this clip of a kid speaking his own language. He says it means "Dad is going to pick me up [from daycare]". (If the link doesn't direct you to the right part, it's at 4:49.)

[Massimiliano B]

ChatGPT 3.5 is terrible


Me:
Can you invent a language?

ChatGPT:
Certainly! Creating a new language involves establishing unique grammar rules, vocabulary, and possibly a writing system. What kind of language are you envisioning?



Me:
A language similar to Iroquoian languages

ChatGPT:
Sure, let's call this hypothetical language "IroqoSimilis." In IroqoSimilis, we could incorporate complex verb structures, animacy distinctions, and polysynthetic elements similar to Iroquoian languages. Additionally, it could feature agglutination, where prefixes, suffixes, and infixes combine to convey nuanced meanings. The vocabulary might draw inspiration from nature, reflecting the cultural and environmental context. Would you like me to create a sample sentence in IroqoSimilis?



Me:
Yes!

ChatGPT:
In IroqoSimilis:

Níha wiskatóni nahírónisónha.

Translation: The river peacefully flows.

In this example, "Níha" represents the river, "wiskatóni" indicates the peaceful flow, and "nahírónisónha" conveys the ongoing action.



Me:
Can you give me the conjugation of a verb?

ChatGPT:
Certainly! Let's take the verb "onísa" (to speak) in IroqoSimilis:

Conjugation of "onísa" (to speak):

I speak: Onísa’tha
You speak (singular): Onísa’kwe
He/She/It speaks: Onísa’ri
We speak: Onísa’tek
You speak (plural): Onísa’kwak
They speak: Onísa’risewa
In this example, the verb "onísa" is conjugated based on the subject and includes suffixes that indicate person and number.

[I have to say that Iroquoian languages use prefixes, not suffixes!]

Me:
This is the present tense?

ChatGPT:
Yes, the conjugation provided is in the present tense for the verb "onísa" (to speak) in IroqoSimilis. If you're interested in other tenses or aspects, feel free to specify, and I can provide conjugations accordingly.


Me:
I would like to see the past tense

ChatGPT:
Certainly! Here's the past tense conjugation for the verb "onísa" (to speak) in IroqoSimilis:

**Past Tense Conjugation:**

1. **I spoke:** Onísa’then
2. **You spoke (singular):** Onísa’kwen
3. **He/She/It spoke:** Onísa’ritha
4. **We spoke:** Onísa’teg
5. **You spoke (plural):** Onísa’kweng
6. **They spoke:** Onísa’rithewa

In the past tense, the verb undergoes changes to reflect the timing of the action.


Me:
Does this language uses prepositions or postpositions?

ChatGPT:
In IroqoSimilis, the language can use postpositions rather than prepositions. Postpositions are words that come after the noun or pronoun they relate to, indicating relationships such as location, direction, or possession. This is a common feature in many languages, including some within the Iroquoian language family.


Me:
I know, I know...
How do I say "I live in Italy"?

ChatGPT:
To express "I live in Italy" in IroqoSimilis, you can say:

**Onikén: Itália.**

In this sentence, "Onikén" represents "I live," and "Itália" denotes Italy.

Me:
And in that sentence where is the postposition - if there is one?

ChatGPT:
In the sentence "Onikén: Itália," the postposition indicating location is implicit in the structure. In IroqoSimilis, the verb "Onikén" itself implies the notion of living or being located somewhere. The word "Itália" then serves as the location or place where the action of living is happening. Therefore, you don't explicitly need a separate postposition for location in this case.

Me:
Ok, like in many languages

ChatGPT:
Exactly! This structure is similar to how many languages express location or residence implicitly within the verb without the need for an additional preposition or postposition. If you have more language-related questions or anything else on your mind, feel free to ask!

Me:
So, if I want to say that something is happening inside something else (for example: "The man is trapped inside a car" how could I say?

ChatGPT:
To convey "The man is trapped inside a car" in IroqoSimilis, you can use:

**Oka'kwi'na: Ahséha ronwat'kwe.**

In this sentence:
- **Oka'kwi'na** implies being trapped or confined.
- **Ahséha** represents the man.
- **ronwat'kwe** signifies inside the car.

The word order and verb structure implicitly convey the idea that the man is trapped inside the car.

Me:
So, give me a list of postpositions and some sentences where they are used

ChatGPT:
Certainly! In IroqoSimilis, postpositions play a crucial role in indicating relationships between nouns and other elements in a sentence. Here are some postpositions along with example sentences:

1. **ronwat'kwe** - inside
- *Example:* **Oka'kwi'na: Ahséha ronwat'kwe.** (The man is trapped inside a car.)

2. **nókwaha** - beside, next to
- *Example:* **Wí: Otsis nókwaha.** (Sit beside the tree.)

3. **ontihwe** - in front of
- *Example:* **Ahséha ontihwe: Onísa'tha.** (The man is speaking in front of the audience.)

4. **tóhsa** - behind
- *Example:* **Níha tóhsa: Onísa'kwe.** (The river is behind you.)

5. **karoni** - between
- *Example:* **Kahkwa karoni: Tekwa'ron.** (Like between the mountains: a valley.)

These postpositions, when combined with nouns and verbs, help convey specific spatial relationships in sentences.


Me:
You say that Níha tóhsa: Onísa'kwe means "The river is behind you". But before you told me that Onísa’kwe means "you speak". You are making confusion, I am sorry.


ChatGPT:
My apologies for the confusion. Let me clarify:

1. **Níha tóhsa: Onísa'kwe.**
- This sentence means "The river is behind you." In this context, "Onísa'kwe" is used to refer to the second person singular, meaning "you." It doesn't directly mean "you speak" in this specific sentence.

2. **Onísa'kwe**
- When used independently, "Onísa'kwe" means "you speak" or "you are speaking."

I appreciate your patience. If you have more questions or if there's anything else you'd like clarification on, feel free to ask!

Me:
Your explanation of the use of Onísa'kwe is illogical. You are not good at creating languages.

[Sumsum]

What are the basic colour terms in Latin?

[linguoboy]

What are the basic colour terms in Latin?

Interesting question.

You can find a basic list here: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Latin/Colors. Wiktionary has an expanded list.

The main caveat, though, is that the Latin color system seems to have been structured differently to our own. Note, in particular, the duplication of terms for "black" (āter, niger) and "white" (albus, candidus). The first term in each pair describes a duller, more matte version of the colour whereas the latter is bright and/or shining.

This is a clue to the fact that, for Latin-speakers, hue was only one element when it came to categorising colours and luminosity and saturation seem to have been nearly or even equally important. Note, for instance, the contrast between flāvus, which is the colour of blond hair or ripe wheat, and lūteus, which describes sallow skin or yellowed leaves.

It's striking to me that--almost across the board--Romance speakers retained relatively few of these original terms (often restricting the meanings of those terms they did preserve), replacing most of them with new coinages or terms borrowed from Germanic (such as blancus and blavus) or Arabic. A very similar shift took place in Modern Welsh, which has mapped its colour terms to those of English, creating new distinctions and eliminating others.