Conlang Workshop 1: Introduction to Conlangs
by Jam Ham
Introduction to Conlangs
What defines a conlang and how it differs from natural languages
The different types of conlangs (artlangs, auxlangs, engelangs, and more)
The difference between a priori and a posteriori languages
What conlangs aren’t (codes, relexes, or "fake" languages)
Exploration of existing conlangs like High Valyrian, Klingon, and Esperanto
Jam Ham’s personal conlangs – a look into his creations, thought processes, and anecdotes behind their languages
First step in the conlanging process—ideating your own language!
Practical Tasks to Build Your Own Conlang
Submit your entries in our #conlang-table channel!
Task #1: Ideate Your Conlang!
For this week, please ideate an idea you have for a conlang that you would be working on throughout the workshop series!
For the task, please mention:
The purpose of your conlang. - Why do you plan on making this conlang? What kind of conlang are you making?
Who speaks your conlang? - Is this for a worldbuilding project, and if so, who in your world speaks it? If this is a personal conlang, you can just mention yourself.
Start conceptualizing grammatical/written aspects! - What do you want the sounds, grammar, or writing system to look like (if applicable)? Are you taking inspiration from other natlangs (natural languages), and if so, what languages? Are you deriving from other natlangs? You're not making a fully-fledged grammatical system here; you're just brainstorming ideas.
Please use complete sentences in either bullet points or in [short] paragraph form, and feel free to describe or show us an image of your ideation process! Are you making random doodles to think more about your conlang? Are you making a bunch of connected sticky notes? Whatever it may be to get your creative juices flowing, tell us more about how you brainstorm your conlang idea!