The Cėlno Project

[Axthieb]

This is my worldbuilding project, which encompasses about as much worldbuilding as it does conlanging.
I've been working on it for about a year, developing parts of the world and even writing a story.

The people who speak [cʰeɮ.mnɔɸ] ("Voice of Thought") are the [cʰeɮ.nɔ] ("Advancers", "Progressors", "(The) Knowing").
The [cʰeɮ.nɔ] originally come from a country called [cʰeɮ.naɹ] and live on the main continent [ˌθʍɔˈɸyːxθ] ("Great Grounds").
[cʰeɮ.mnɔɸ] has long since become the government issued language throughout the worldwide federation.
Everyone is thusly (a) [cʰeɮ.nɔ] since everyone is a part of the federation, broadly speaking.

Other languages are usually on the verge of extinction, except maybe a few, in places where the federation can't get to easily. As such [cʰeɮ.mnɔɸ] with that name is usually the original dialect of the first [ˌθʍɔˈcʰyːɮθ] ("Overking", "Overlord", "High Ruler").

Although the federation might seem somewhat evil, bad or unfair, the [ˌθʍɔˈcʰyːɮθ] is usually very benevolent.
Besides the [ˌθʍɔˈcʰyːɮθ] there is a council on most political matters. Sometimes the [ˌθʍɔˈcʰyːɮθ] seeks counsel from a national council.

They live on a planet they call [ɸax.θaɔ] ("(The) Rock", etymologically made of the roots [ɸax] "Ground, Soil, Rock" and [θaɔ] "(obsolete) Body, Form {Matter}"):

Ice Desert (dark gray)|Tundra (pink)|Taiga (brown)|Grasslands (green)|Steppes (or Savannah)(orange)|Tropical Area (red)|Desert (yellow)|Mountainous Area (white to gray)

The planet is very similar to earth, as would be the concurrent technology.
The people on [ɸax.θaɔ] are humans, though I refrain from calling them that as much as I can, because I want human to mean only a real human.
In comparison, [cʰeɮ.nɔ] are 100 to 200 years ahead of humans.
This is not due to their superior research methods, but due to my choice of the setting being somewhat to strongly futuristic. In other words, the time in their universe is just that little bit ahead, if that explanation even makes a difference.

[elemtilas]

Cool! Thanks for sharing this world! Hopefully we'll see more.

I get the bit about not calling them "human", even though they are human. What do they call themselves? That might do for a name!

Have you worked out a romanisation for the language yet? IPA is wonderful, though it does wear on my brain after a while! "Cėlno" goes much smoother than seeing " [cʰeɮ.nɔ] " every time.

[eldin raigmore]

“Human” means (speaking etymologically) “made out of humus” or “made out of soil”.
It’s basically how every agricultural people have thought of themselves ever since the Neolithic Revolution was more than half accomplished.
Your conpeoples’ name for their species could be derived from “[ɸax]” on the same principle:
namely, that agriculture is, at its core, a way of turning dirt into people.
“Terran” and “Earthling” are in my opinion very similar ideas, as well.

Your conspeakers seem to distinguish followers of their conculture from other members of their species; they’re the wise ones, the others are not wise but are nevertheless members of their same species.
That’s a fairly moderate stance for them to take, compared to actual historical peoples.
...
I like what I’ve seen so far!

[Salmoneus]

I'm not entirely convinced by some of the climate - particularly the distribution of tropical rainforests (and no temperate rainforest?)

[Axthieb]

Hi, thanks for the welcoming attitude!
I do have more, but since I do almost everything on paper I'll have to write it again digitally, for a post.

The word for human is in my lexicon already as [ˈcʰʍyːɸ] (Human (Homo)), from the root [cʰʍy] (human existence, survival)..

I use romanization only rarely but basically I use the letters, that are closes to the IPA. I may use romanization more often for posts.

I really like the etymological explanation of human, though, and it does make good sense. I actually like the idea so much I may just change the word or have a second word with a differing etymology and make it archaic.

I know that the biomes are somewhat strange, but I've become attached to it now. The reason they look strange is that I didn't exactly understand what would have made the most sense. Eventually I just crossed my fingers and hoped my commom sense and the bits that I did understand would prove sufficient.
The landmass, on the other hand, was randomly generated by spilling glass pearls and correcting the resulting silhouette afterwards.
I hope that the map is not too much of a stretch in terms of sensibility. The setting is supposed to allow a somewhat small wiggle room for the impossible, but for the most part I think want to keep to the constraints of the sensibility of our world.

[elemtilas]

Hi, thanks for the welcoming attitude!
I do have more, but since I do almost everything on paper I'll have to write it again digitally, for a post.

No worries there. Whatever you care to share here will be received with all due excitement!

I use romanization only rarely but basically I use the letters, that are closes to the IPA. I may use romanization more often for posts.

That would be much appreciated!

I know that the biomes are somewhat strange, but I've become attached to it now. The reason they look strange is that I didn't exactly understand what would have made the most sense. Eventually I just crossed my fingers and hoped my common sense and the bits that I did understand would prove sufficient.

I suppose these kinds of things come down to how much the fantasy ought to mirror the real. Some folks like their fictional worlds to follow the letter of the law as it were while others don't care. If you've become attached to it, then it is what it is!

The landmass, on the other hand, was randomly generated by spilling glass pearls and correcting the resulting silhouette afterwards.

As good a way of generating a map as any!

I hope that the map is not too much of a stretch in terms of sensibility. The setting is supposed to allow a somewhat small wiggle room for the impossible, but for the most part I think want to keep to the constraints of the sensibility of our world.

[eldin raigmore]

The word for human is in my lexicon already as [ˈcʰʍyːɸ] (Human (Homo)), from the root [cʰʍy] (human existence, survival)..
I really like the etymological explanation of human, though, and it does make good sense. I actually like the idea so much I may just change the word or have a second word with a differing etymology and make it archaic.

The word you already have sounds like it would have become the scientific name of their species or genus once they developed Darwin’s theory of natural selection. If they’re a century or two ahead of RL us in certain areas that may have replaced the older, more Neolithic, term, in common speech. They may read the older term in discussions of how to classify themselves before their equivalent of Linnaeus.

...

When I said their attitude towards conspecifics not of their own culture was “moderate”, I meant this.

The ancient and medieval (if that word even applies to China) Chinese regarded barbarians — by which they meant everyone from outside China — as fellow subjects of the one and only Emperor, who were merely ignorant of the self-evident fact that he was their Emperor too.
That was an extremely liberal attitude.
“You’re just like me except you’re too ignorant to realize it. And maybe a little hard-headed because you apparently still haven’t realized.”
Every attempt of anyone else to defend themselves against the Chinese was a rebellion.

The Europeans of the Age of Discovery didn’t recognize the inhabitants of the lands they claimed as being human. Rather, they were part of the wildlife; a particularly humanoid kind of ape. So of course they didn’t own the land; in fact, once we claimed the land and it became ours, all its wildlife, including those apes, became ours too.
That’s an extremely non-liberal attitude.
“All your rituals and clothes and buildings and so on are not the products of humanity. It’s astonishing what apes do if left alone instead of harnessed and put to work like they ought to be.”

The ancient Greeks recognized that barbarians were human; but they didn’t speak a language. (Because Greek is the only language). So they were not capable of philosophy or strategy or geometry or any kind of abstract thought, because you can’t do those things unless you can speak. (That is, unless you can speak Greek.) However they were capable of learning Greek.
A barbarian was basically like a feral child.
This is a moderate attitude. And it seems to be the one your conculture’s people had back in their pre-modern historical past.

I think I gather from what I’ve read of them so far your people haven’t thought that way for centuries.
But before their Scientific Revolution or their Enlightenment — whatever analogs or alternative developments they had — I bet those attitudes were common, even if they weren’t majority opinions.

.....

Am I wrong? I’d be interested in finding out!

.....

Also; I probably overstated and/or oversimplified the attitudes I ascribed to the Greeks and Chinese and Europeans above.
Traders and missionaries probably had a mixture of attitudes, not all of which would be like those.

.....



That’s beautiful!
The northernmost continent seems to be “butterfly-shaped”. Is it? Is that on purpose (if so)?

[Axthieb]

Hi, I think this forum is a place to stay, I like it here.

I actually knew about the attitudes of the ancient Greeks, I just forgot to mention that in my last post.
I often get a similarly self important impression of the Roman people, but I can't remember having read or heard any particular evidence about that.

I didn't know that the ancient (?) chinese were such self important people, too. It sounds like a good way to start war for expansion without it being unjustified.
I do want to know more about chinese history too. Maybe I'll watch a few documentaries.

Reading that the Europeans thought of natives like that feels like an awful way to see brethren.
My impression of that issue had always been that the seddlers, or maybe just some of them, were a bit too greedy and sought too much might.
Actually that doesn't even eliminate that point of view, but seems to complement it.
Maybe those Europeans thought of the natives im such a way, because they wanted to claim those lands. The Europeas would have felt pretty awful if they had taken the lands of people, whom they thought of as equal. In the course of cognitive dissonance they adapted their impression of natives to one similar to how we may see a fly (or a fox if you have hens).

The Cėlno have that name due to a political affair.
At a time when the people of Cėlnar (or however it was called) were divided between people of two streams of ideologies. On the on hand were the more spiritual people, who sought enlightment, freedom and the meaning of life, and on the other hand there were the more scientific people, who sought wisdom and truth.
The spiritual people's numbers dwindled in a political uprising in which the government basically set up public relations, like free public courses, advertisements, speeches, and the likes.
Through this influence the spiritually inclined, which also included conspiracy theorists and others who believe only what they want, more or less converted. At the very least the numbers dwindled and eventually there was a ban on religion.
Those who felt strongly about the importance of science would call themselves Cėlno, maybe early on they'd have been Cėlcėdaci (Thinkers, quite literally). I guess it caugh on thrrough politics.

Now, I'm not perfect at worldbuilding or writiing stories, but it seemed mostly reasonable. The story of the first worldwide federation is still in the making. It's been a long process thus far.

I didn't make those icy lands in any particular shape deliberately. The only choice I'd made there was that I elongated it, due to the inaccuracies that the rectangular projection would cause.

Actually this is the very first time I've ever seen my map on a globe, and I'm happy to see how it turned out. I guess I can now pat my own shoulder.
Also thanks for posting that rotating globe gif!

(Often I just worry that my conlang and world are crap.)

[elemtilas]

Hi, I think this forum is a place to stay, I like it here.

Very glad to hear that!

Actually this is the very first time I've ever seen my map on a globe, and I'm happy to see how it turned out. I guess I can now pat my own shoulder.
Also thanks for posting that rotating globe gif!

You're welcome! I rather assumed Celno is supposed to be a globe!, but am glad you think it came out well. That's usually a good sign.

(Often I just worry that my conlang and world are crap.)

I've often thought that about my own; and I think it's a fairly common (and almost álways erroneous) self-criticism. I'm certain that as we see more of your work (should you choose to share any more) this will become apparent to you as well.

[eldin raigmore]

I often get a similarly self important impression of the Roman people, but I can't remember having read or heard any particular evidence about that.
I didn't know that the ancient (?) chinese were such self important people, too. It sounds like a good way to start war for expansion without it being unjustified.

Almost every large-enough group of people in the past who made much of an impression on history contained an influential minority who were “self-important” like that.

Completely unlike any modern group from the last half-century!