#language worldbuilding

[soapflavouredsoup]

languages, so many languages

non english inspired languages >>>> in terms of looking cool

[artanogon]

alright folks SIT DOWN it’s your local conlanger and language enjoyer here to give you a friendly lecture about putting fantasy language in your fics:

provide a DANG translation. if it’s paragraphs of text, consider writing them in english instead and specifying they’re speaking in another language. if you want several cryptic phrases to appear in dreams but not be understood in character, put a translation in the footnotes. if a character drops more than a few words in a language or heaven forbid a few important sentences, TRANSLATE IT. notes if you have to, but try and figure out some way to put it into the flow of the writing. maybe one character explains it to another. maybe they search for what it means. maybe the person saying it translates it to the person overhearing it later.  unless you have a valid reason for not translating—i.e, the story is written with a deliberate language barrier, the line has been dropped previously and already been translated, or it has to be unknown for now to create mystery—it’s just plain annoying to have to try and figure out what the characters are saying. even if it’s a language with translators online, having your readers go search for what every little sentence means gets tedious. nothing annoys me faster than being met with an author’s note saying “you can find out what they’re saying by yourself ;)”

language worldbuilding and poetic language is only useful if people can tell what the hell you’re saying. provide a GOT DAMN TRANSLATION.

[macabrecabra]

A little thing I did for fun regarding the teethling I draw...how to speak their language/what each sound of their language means c: The official name of their language is called “Teethling Chatter” and really only has a few “distinct” sounds. Meaning is created by repetition, drawing out sounds, and combinations of syllables. Knowing these basic sounds, a person can at least figure out a toothling’s mood c: Anyways, enjoy this bit of worldbuilding <3 

[soapflavouredsoup]

ari callthorn's notes - I made this language and sketch past midnight. sleepy me unlocks like 100% of the IQ points I have tbh, this language includes cultural influence, linguistic drift, supports characterisation, etc etc wowee

the language is known as wolfram btw. uhm i wanna post more of my own stuff on here, hopefully there's interest for that too...

[soapflavouredsoup]

when i walk in on my drinking buddy exploring the reclusive divine

let me post my own stuff i sure do hope this gets as much engagement! /lh

seriously tho. everything here has meaning. i could probably get a paragraph of explaining what everything means