Equestrian Language Institute [OOC, Open]

by **Frenequesta** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 3:26 pm

Que'terrso'ta'tchiejé
Equestrian Language Institute

Hello everybody, or should I say everypony. I created this thread in order to better facilitate the development of the Equestrian Language Institute (hereafter ELI), especially among countries that already claim to speak Equestrian. Inspired by both the Académie française and the Klingon Language Institute, I decided to create a institution for the language itself in order to promote and regulate it amongst MLP:FiM-based nations around here, and, like the two examples given, will do this by such things as creating a dictionary (both bilingual and monolingual) and promoting Equestrian-language contests.

Now that is just the IC. Since beings who already speak their own language don't go about creating basic words as they need them, nor negotiate its grammar and general style, I decided to make an OOC component to do just that. As such, in this thread we will:

--Report on new words coined by members to ensure that they follow Equestrian conventions (that is, do not already have exact equivalents and are properly structured)
--Discuss and negotiate (in some cases) grammar and other language rules, especially in cases where there is ambiguity in the Learner's Guide or otherwise unaddressed within
--Discuss projects that involve the Equestrian language (translations of literary works, episodes of MLP:FiM, etc.)
--Coin common phrases and idioms that may be used in everyday Equestrian, and
--Negotiate events and other things that may take place in the IC ELI thread and other IC threads that at least have something to do with the Equestrian language.

You need not be fluent in Equestrian to join this group (if any one actually is, in fact, even the creator makes a lot of mistakes with his own language) but must at least be willing to learn the language. I hope that our efforts to form a coherent conlang for at least NationStates will become fruitful.

And remember, naufthérrsedjüê kef (Language is Magic)!

PS, I will be using my puppet the Equestrian Language to represent the Institute itself.

Threads

The Equestrian Language Institute

Projects

Frenequesta

by **Urmanian** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 5:05 pm

Tagged for interest!

by **Sanctus saxa** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 5:56 pm

Two queries from me:
1) Are lessons to be written and/or taught for the sake of learning, er, "que’terrso?"
2) Will the Institute develop an English-Equestrian dictionary?

by **Frenequesta** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:49 pm

Sanctus saxa wrote:Two queries from me:
1) Are lessons to be written and/or taught for the sake of learning, er, "que’terrso?"
2) Will the Institute develop an English-Equestrian dictionary?

To both, yes. I'm thinking it would be beneficial for everyone if I develop a series of lessons to learn Equestrian modelled, of course, off of IRL foreign language textbooks/classes. For now, though, the Learner's Guide, which now has become sort of a treatise on the language, will be the sole source for learning. I'll have to get going on Lesson One though.

And as to bilingual dictionaries, that is of course one of our goals. The vocabulary lists I have in the Learner's Guide are not organized alphabetically, and not all words have been categorized within. That is, of course, a project I hope everyone who becomes part of the Institute will partake in.

by **Carriberra** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:52 pm

Dieɪɑrɛn.

by **Frenequesta** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 7:00 pm

Carriberra wrote:Dieɪɑrɛn.

Fje tchaum'äsh? (Pardon?)

If you had tried to create your own version of Equestrian, I'm sorry I didn't hear of it. Since the language is still not complete, you might be able to contribute some words from your own into mine.

But otherwise... don't be daunted. I don't expect any of us to really get to know it through the back of our hands, after all, it's little more than a written language now.

by **Carriberra** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 7:08 pm

Frenequesta wrote:
Carriberra wrote:Dieɪɑrɛn.

Fje tchaum'äsh? (Pardon?)

If you had tried to create your own version of Equestrian, I'm sorry I didn't hear of it. Since the language is still not complete, you might be able to contribute some words from your own into mine.

But otherwise... don't be daunted. I don't expect any of us to really get to know it through the back of our hands, after all, it's little more than a written language now.

It's Carriberran, but I might want to learn your language, though.

by **Frenequesta** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 7:11 pm

Carriberra wrote:
Frenequesta wrote:Fje tchaum'äsh? (Pardon?)

If you had tried to create your own version of Equestrian, I'm sorry I didn't hear of it. Since the language is still not complete, you might be able to contribute some words from your own into mine.

But otherwise... don't be daunted. I don't expect any of us to really get to know it through the back of our hands, after all, it's little more than a written language now.

It's Carriberran, but I might want to learn your language, though.

Go right ahead.

I take it your nation isn't pony though.

by **Montesardo-East Adanzi** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 10:03 am

Tagged for interest. So if republic is Deque, what would federal republic be? Also, since que means monarchy, does de mean no?

by **Lysset** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 10:08 am

Tagged for interest. Since Ponies are a majority species in Lysset it would be nice to have a language for them.

by **Frenequesta** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 10:51 am

Montesardo-East Adanzi wrote:Tagged for interest. So if republic is Deque, what would federal republic be? Also, since que means monarchy, does de mean no?

I haven't coined a word for "federal" yet, but it would be derived from the words for "divided and purposefully distributed" and "power". I've been thinking that the general word that I have coined for "magic", djüê, can also mean "power", so perhaps that may be a part of it.

My official definition of de is "without", but "no" works too. Just be careful, since "no" in response to a question is jno.

by **Frenequesta** » Sat Aug 02, 2014 5:53 pm

I finally posted the IC thread!

Lysset wrote:Tagged for interest. Since Ponies are a majority species in Lysset it would be nice to have a language for them.

I actually noticed that in here that you had made up a sort of Equestrian language family, but not quite Equestrian itself, but, if I understand correctly, the Equestrian language as spoken by dragons. It doesn't seem to share any similarities with mine, at least not in its orthography. Have you expanded on this? It might be a source for loanwords, etc.

by **Orveleca** » Sat Aug 02, 2014 6:02 pm

Wow, smart people. It amazes me how devoted people are. I happen to be an idiot, so I can't help too much, but I am interested as hell in this.

by **Frenequesta** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 11:01 am

Bumping this up.

Urmanian and Monte, you should see the responses for your applications to the ELI tomorrow. It's taking a while to write the acceptance/denial (don't worry, you both were accepted) letters due to the complex language involved.

by **Lysset** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 12:36 pm

Frenequesta wrote:I finally posted the IC thread!

Lysset wrote:Tagged for interest. Since Ponies are a majority species in Lysset it would be nice to have a language for them.

I actually noticed that in here that you had made up a sort of Equestrian language family, but not quite Equestrian itself, but, if I understand correctly, the Equestrian language as spoken by dragons. It doesn't seem to share any similarities with mine, at least not in its orthography. Have you expanded on this? It might be a source for loanwords, etc.

I'm no linguist, and I haven't really expanded on Fel'lan much, but yeah, I have made a language for Equestrian Dragons to speak independent of the Equestrian language.

by **Frenequesta** » Thu Aug 07, 2014 5:16 am

By the way, for all of you who are wondering, I intend the induction ceremony to the Equestrian Language Institute to be an actual event, roleplayed out on one of the forums here. I hope that it will give you all a chance to practice Equestrian (though all of the background action will take place in English).¸

Which reminds me, I need to start actually creating a lesson plan.

by **Frenequesta** » Thu Aug 14, 2014 7:16 am

Bumping this up yet again. Be sure to invite people to the thread!

Also, I need some help for constructing my modules. (You can see my progress for No. 1 here.) Would any of you be so kind to suggest words for the following? No need to be a member to contribute, and I will credit you in both the Learner's Guide and the Modules once I have accepted a word. (Words that have already been coined, as examples, are given in parentheses, and conditions in brackets.)

Rules for word construction:
1. Obviously, do not use words that have already been coined, unless the word taken will clearly be grammatically different than the new word, or else it is used in combination with other words (see Rule 8 ).
2. The possible letters/digraphs/trigraphs that may be used are: m, n, jn, tn, p, t, d, k, g, f, fj, s, sh, dj, j, tz, h, qu, th, gh, rr, tch, w, ll, a, e, i, o, u, ei, ie, ou, iu, au, eu, æ (ae), é, ê, â, ö, ü, and ä.
3. The digraphs dj, tch, qu, ll, fj, and gh can never end a word/syllable, as well as the letters k, j, d, h, and w.
4. The letter "p" may only end a syllable if the syllable begins with a vowel or vowel digraph.
5. The digraphs “rr” and “ou” can never begin a word/syllable.
6. If your word has a letter combination to be distinguished from a set digraph, such as “s-h” from “sh”, or has a vowel to be clearly separated from a preceding consonant that is allowed to end a word/syllable (see Rule 2), please separate the two letters with an apostrophe.
7. Outside of the set digraphs/trigraphs, the only consonant combinations allowed are "rrt", "mt", "ft", and "mf", and then only at the end of a syllable.
8. When you combine morphemes to make a new word, do not separate them with a marker (see Learner's Guide).

Equestrian Language Institute [OOC, Open]

Equestrian Language Institute [OOC, Open]

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