Conlang documentation

[Arayaz]

David J. Peterson has his template document

never heard of that- where can a view it? (if possible)

I don't know specifically, but it's probably somewhere on the LangTime Studios patreon.

[lurker]

I use a spreadsheet that I open using either Excel or LibreOffice Calc depending on which OS I’m currently booted into. Of particular importance is the auto filter that I use to search for words or definitions.

I have a sheet with a list of single morphemes and a list of compound words. I deliberately made Commonthroat’s phonetactics simple enough to programmatically generate every valid syllable with a Python script.

I find it easiest to document grammar and syntax using example glosses. I keep these in an Obsidian vault along with my worldbuilding notes.

These files are stored in a folder along with my stories and pictures on a NAS.


Most of the stuff that I post here starts out as obsidian notes, which is why some markdown syntax sneaks through sometimes.

[Visions1]

I write it down a lot.

I tend to use pages or word also.

I used to use notes on an iPad when I was a kid.

[Wenaya]

I mostly stick to Google Docs and Spreadsheets too. For me, having a central place for notes and a separate sheet for vocabulary helps keep things organized. I also use a wiki-style setup for easier navigation. It’s a good way to keep track of changes and updates.

[Knox Adjacent]

A simple Notepad on a laptop works wonders. Away from home, scraps of paper til I get back to the Notepad.

[Khemehekis]

the number of entries does not limit the risk of relex...
this type of list encourages you to match
an entry in one language with an entry in a conlang,
and therefore to build a conlang based on your usual language...
monolingual dictionaries are better...

That's not a relex.

A relex is when you create a conlang like this.

You are aware that even dictionaries of NATLANGS match up words in English with words in French/Spanish/German/Japanese/Arabic, right?

[lsd]

bilingual dictionaries are a stopgap for learners,
the problem is that semantic fields are disjointed from one language to another,
and without many examples you have no chance of making yourself understood,
so it's preferable to use monolingual dictionaries in the language as soon as you've sufficiently mastered it...

and speakers of natural languages use monolingual dictionaries to learn new words,
imagine a language where the only dictionary was a bilingual one,
it would undoubtedly be a language ready to die out...

and even if conlangs are stillborn languages for the most part,
what parent wouldn't try to give them every chance...

[Knox Adjacent]

I see an unsupported claim and two completely unrelated followup justifications. I doubt convincing will occur. Skip?

[lsd]

in conlang, there's no stakes
or goals to reach,
no advice to receive
or arguments to back up,
there's only one rule:
do what thou wilt...

for the rest we can only
talk about our adventures in Conlangistan,
sitting in a comfortable armchair,
a glass of whisky in our hand,
and a cigar in our mouth,
in that smoky private explorers club...