This document provides an overview of constructed languages or conlangs. It discusses why people invent new languages, including for philosophical, scientific, and artistic purposes. Several specific conlangs are described, such as Esperanto which was created in 1887 to unite humanity with a neutral, easy-to-learn language. Other conlangs discussed include Toki Pona, Loglan, Solresol, and the constructed languages in J.R.R. Tolkien's works. The document also provides a mini-course on the basics of Esperanto, covering its sounds, dictionary formation, and simple grammar rules.

1. Esperanto,
Loglan,
Dothraki…
Why do people
invent new
languages?
Melanie Mueller NerdNite Amsterdam 2017-02-03

2. Mi nomiĝas Melanie.
I am-named Melanie.
Mi salutas vin en Esperanto.
I greet you in Esperanto.
Ne timu!
Don’t fear!
Mi ne daŭrigu prelegi en Esperanto.
I not shall-continue talking in Esperanto.
Bonan vesperon!
Good evening!

3. I like patterns, and playing with them.
So:
• I played with Lego,
• got a PhD in physics, and
• learned to speak Esperanto.
ESPERANTO?!?
Are you crazy?
Bonan vesperon!
Good evening!

4. 1) Constructed languages:
Why?
Outline
2) ConLanging 101:
Mini-course Esperanto

5. ConLangs
17th 18th 19th 20th century
EngeLangs
- philosophy
- science
AuxLangs ArtLangs

6. A language of the universe
• John Wilkins 1668:
An Essay towards a Real Character, and a Philosophical
Language

7. A language of the universe
• How to say ‘shit’?

8. A language of the universe
• How to say ‘shit’?
Category XXXI subcategory IV sub-sub category 9 right branch
(Motion) (purgation) (from gross parts) (downward)
Ce p u s
shit = a serous watery purgative motion
from the consistent and gross parts
from the guts downwards

9. ConLangs
17th 18th 19th 20th century
EngeLangs
- philosophy
- science
AuxLangs ArtLangs
Wilkins’ language

10. Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
Structure of language
determines / influences
thought
• Orwell “1984”: Newspeak
No word for ‘freedom’
~1930:

11. •Example: I woke up and drank a coffee.
• James Cooke Brown 1955 to test Sapir-Whorf
• Loglan = logical language, maximum precision
Loglan
• I woke up first and then drank a coffee.
• I simultaneously woke up and drank a coffee.
• I woke up a coffee and drank it.
At least 20 ways to say ‘and’ in Loglan.
and

12. ConLangs
17th 18th 19th 20th century
EngeLangs
- philosophy
- science
AuxLangs ArtLangs
Wilkins’ language
Loglan & Lojban

13. Toki Pona
• Sonja Lang 2001
• 120 root words, 14 sounds
• Minimalist happy Dada/Zen Sapir-Whorf
• Friend = jan pona = good person
• Motto: ale li pona = everything is good
• Toki Pona = “language good”

14. Toki Pona

15. ConLangs
17th 18th 19th 20th century
EngeLangs AuxLangs ArtLangs
- philosophy
- science
- idealism
- pragmatism
Wilkins’ language
Loglan & Lojban
Toki Pona

16. Esperanto
• Ludwig Zamenhof 1887 (‘Doktoro Esperanto’)
• Bielostok (Poland), 4 languages:
Russian, Polish, German, Yiddish
• Esperanto to unite humanity
Neutral, easy-to-learn language

17. 1,000 native
10,000 fluent
100,000 can use actively
1,000,000 understand passively
10,000,000 have studied sometime
Esperanto
• Translated literature
• Original literature, poems, music,…
• Esperanto-land: >100 meetings/year

18. ConLangs
17th 18th 19th 20th century
EngeLangs AuxLangs ArtLangs
- philosophy
- science
- idealism
- pragmatism
Wilkins’ language
Loglan & Lojban
Toki Pona
Esperanto

19. Solresol
• François Sudre, 1827
solresol = language
• Smallest alphabet: 7 letters / sounds
solresool = languages

20. ConLangs
17th 18th 19th 20th century
EngeLangs AuxLangs ArtLangs
- philosophy
- science
- idealism
- pragmatism
- art, creativity
- fun
Wilkins’ language
Loglan & Lojban
Toki Pona
Esperanto
Solresol

21. Nobody believes me when I say that my long
book [Lord of the Rings] is an attempt to
create a world in which a form of language
agreeable to my personal aesthetic might
seem real. But it is true.
JRR Tolkien
ArtLangs

22. • torgha essheyi
= under a roof
= in secret
Dothraki
• David J Peterson 2009
after ConLanger contest
• 3000 words,
8 words for horse,
no word for thank you

23. ConLangs
17th 18th 19th 20th century
EngeLangs AuxLangs ArtLangs
- philosophy
- science
- idealism
- pragmatism
- art, creativity
- fun
Wilkins’ language
Loglan & Lojban
Toki Pona
Esperanto
Solresol
Tolkien’s languages
Dothraki

24. 1) Constructed languages:
Why?
Outline
2) ConLanging 101:
Mini-course Esperanto

25. ConLanging 101
1. Purpose
2. Sounds
3. Dictionary
4. Grammar
: Unite the world (at least Europe)!
: 28 letters, 1 letter = 1 sound
: from ‘known’ languages
75% Romanic (Italian, French,…)
20% Germanic (German, Danish,…)
:
→Auxiliary language, easy to learn, neutral
a b c ĉ d e f g ĝ h ĥ i j ĵ k l m n o p r s ŝ t u ŭ v z
• 16 grammar rules, no exceptions
• Lego principle

26. The Lego principle
• Word formation
- analytic (Chinese, Toki Pona)
- synthetic (German, Esperanto)
Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz
(Beef labeling monitoring delegation act)

27. The Lego principle
La ĉielo estas blua. The sky is blue.
-o noun bluo = blue color
-a adjective blua = blue
-as verb (present) bluas = be blue
Word root: blu-
La ĉielo bluas. The sky is bluing.

28. ConLangs
17th 18th 19th 20th century
EngeLangs AuxLangs ArtLangs
- philosophy
- science
- idealism
- pragmatism
- art, creativity
- fun
Wilkins’ language
Loglan & Lojban
Toki Pona
Esperanto
Solresol
Tolkien’s languages
Dothraki

29. Koran
dankon!

30. Constructing Esperanto
ConLang World