1st of January - Day 1

Set the intention of the conlang.

The language I'm creating is technically an overhaul of one I already have, just repurposed for my conworld. Originally I made to be a void language. It was my first attempt at a conlang, and I didn't get far.

So the goals are: Actually have something to show for my first ever attempt at a conlang. Create something that fits in my conworld. Name some places and people in my conworld. Technically, I suppose, this just needs to be a naming language. But I'd like to flesh it out at least a little beyond that

2nd of January - Day 2

Set the intention for sharing the conlang.

Well. Yeah. Uh. I'm sharing here. Hi. That said I am intending to include the conlang in my conworld, which mostly means it'll be used in that stuff. ✨

This page is for. Proof? That I'm actually making progress and working on it. Accountability. With the added benefit of having the details of the language all written out on this page. If you're reading this. Please don't expect it to be entirely coherent.

3rd of January - Day 3

Determine your speakers and conworld.

So this is already something I decided: Birdfolk from my conworld. The first birdfolk lived on floating islands in low orbit around the planet. They, of course, can be found all over the world in the modern era, but were rare previously (and even believed to be myths in some places).

4th of January - Day 4

Describe (or design) your speakers.

Birdfolk.

What do they look like? What basic body parts do they have?

Two birdlike legs, two feathered wings, birdlike feet (talons included). While modern birdfolk have evolved to have flatter feet that can walk around more easily. noses are unpronounced, only the nostrils visible, and ears are the same, though usually entirely hidden by the hair. Noticably smaller than other races.

Do they have any unique markings or characteristics?

Feathers may have patterns. Hair and skin has sparse feathers growing also, and some patches of denser feather coverage, differing from person to person.

How do they move about in their environment?

They hop between trees, fly over/between the islands, and can walk if necessary, some more easily than others.

5th of January - Day 5

Describe (or design) your conworld terrain.

They're on floating islands. The surface of these islands are woodland, interspersed with rocky terrain. Water usually forms bodies no larger than small streams and ponds, but these are incredibly common.

6th of January - Day 6

Describe your conworld’s climate and weather patterns.

The planet itself has only a very small tilt of a few degrees, meaning seasonal differences are incredibly minor. Unfortunately, the birdfolk live on a body orbiting the planet and their orbit shifts over the year. A full orbit takes a month (ish) and usually takes them through the hottest and coldest climates.

7th of January - Day 7

Describe (or design) native flora.

I'm really struggling with this one. For the sake of just getting in done I'm going to do just vague descriptions, maybe come back later. I know I'm meant to be fully designing them but.

All the trees probably have similar adaptations to evergreen trees. At least one type of tree, possibly a couple. Large branches that can support the weight of birdfolk.

Most flowers, grasses, and other plants are probably fast growing, to account for the rapidly changing seasons. They're also very small.

So, The list:

• Evergreen tree 1 - Big branches. Big tree, Bigger leaves.
• Evergreen tree 2 - Smaller branches, Cannot support the weight of a person, needle leaves.
• Grass
• Flower 1 - multiple flowers, does not fruit, wind seed dispersal, comes in many vibrant colours.
• Flower 2 - single flower, pale blue, forms small fruits.
• Flower 3 - Flower 1, Pale purple, pointier petals, toxic.
• Leafy thing 1 - Edible leaves. Has some flowering bodies.
• Insert several fungi here also I imagine.

8th of January - Day 8

Describe (or design) native fauna.

I was so relieved that I'd finished the plants. Now I gotta make animals too???

The fact is this is perfectly sensible and reasonable and makes sense to do after flora. Unfortunately pain and suffering.

Like plants, these are mostly smaller and fast growing. Insectlike and birdlike creatures are common.

• Placeholder for Insectish creature 1
• Placeholder for Insectish creature 2
• Placeholder for Insectish creature 3
• Placeholder for Insectish creature 4
• Placeholder for Birdish creature 1
• Placeholder for Birdish creature 2
• Placeholder for Birdish creature 3
• Placeholder for Birdish creature 4

9th of January - Day 9

Summarize your speakers and their world

This is just recording the previous days more formally. The prompt suggests this is when to write the worldbuilding in a document or even LaTeX file, and gives advice on how to manage it if you're completing this on pen-and paper. I already documented my worldbuilding on this page, which means this is effectively a free day for me.

10th of January - Day 10

Choose “series” of consonants to incorporate

Bilabial, Plosive, Approximate, Lateral Approximate, and, of course, w.

11th of January - Day 11

Decide if there will be a voicing distinction

Yes.

12th of January - Day 12

Research other consonant articulations

Clicks, I feel, are a must for this language. As discussed previously, this is technically remake of a previous conlang.

The previous version of the language used t͡s and t͡ʃ.

For now, with this, I'm going to stick with the clicks.

13th of January - Day 13

Choose monophthongs

I looked at my original set of around 7 or 8? Uh. I don't like them!

New set:

i, u, a, æ, e

14th of January - Day 14

Choose diphthongs

I've not deliberately done diphthongs in any of my conlangs yet so, this is kind of exciting 💛

ia, iu, ie

15th of January - Day 15

Compile IPA charts for your conlang

Vowels

Pulmonic onsonants

Clicks

16th of January - Day 16

Play around with syllable structures

With V, C and K for clicks:

CVC, CVK, CV

17th of January - Day 17

Create nonce forms of varying lengths

βeǃ ʈiutiaɭqaciuɹʔiuʙ ɟæjʎeǁɰu ɭiakuguǂ ciuwɹæpkæʎæcæǃ te biate wiʘ juʘqiaǀʈæʘʈeʘbiw diǂ liu wi bia ʟie ʈiaǃ biʘɻieʎ ɖæjʋiu ɢieǃʔæpiɰi wiuɭ ʙeǃβæɖuʔ ɰuǃpeɖ læ ʟeǃɭæ ʋiaʘ beɖɹaʘciadiβ wiaǁɢaw βiuǀ ɰeʘβæɟwieʟdu ɖiuɢkambi ɢicæǃkie biaʋgæɭbiuǃciʈʔiu ɖe ɟaɭia ʙieǃʙiuʋ ʈiuǁ tiuǃ ɰæbaɻʈæ ʔiǁ pej ʋiaʈuʙ ʔætɸiaǃcæɰieɹ tiʎiuɰ ɻiʘmæpabkiugæ ʋæǀɭiaǃʋiaʙʔaɹiuǁ ɹa ʟa piuǁpiaǂjiqɸu giʘɸieʘcieǃ weǂɭiaǃqiaǁ ɢæʘ βielieɰeǃβiaǀ ɸæǃjieɭiuɹiuɭu biʙ ɹuɰuʙaǂɸeɹʙieɰ bæɻki ɰiuqæc ji ɹiaɟ ga guǁdiɟi dæǁ kiac ʙieǁɹie ɢæʈ we bubiuǂɸiuǀɢiu wawaǃ ɻaǃpaɰɟiapaǂ ɻe peʋiugieɟkie dew taǀʙeǂ piaʘgiaʘʙeǀʔiaɰ ɟiɸæɖɹiǀciuʟiek ɸuǁqiaʘʎibɰiaɻiag wieʘwe ʎiǀʟuʘɭiabʟaǁɢi ɰegɭewqæ ɖaʘgiaǀ keǂmuɸ ciu ʈeʘpaɟɻuǂjuǀtub βiqeb diɟwiaɸæǃpieqie ɻab jæǂ ʋiaʎdeʙlaɹ ɖuǂqe cuǃjaʙpa qæɹ βiuʎieʘʋiumaʔɸieǀ qieʟ ʎeɻɰiuʔuʘɢiuʙ ɻæɰɹeba ʋakaǀɰeʋuʘ ɹeʎguǁ

Aside from wishing the clicks were less common, this is nice, actually, I like these words.

Success.

Also. stress the last syllable.

Words should be no longer than 4 syllables.

18th of January - Day 18

Write a section on syllables and stress

... see previous two days.

19th of January - Day 19

Create proto-forms for body terms

1st of February - Day 20

Create proto-forms for terrain features

You may notice it's february. I went on two sidequests: Work on my videogame, and figure out how I wanted the dictionary for this language to be displayed on the website.

The dictionary is an array of javascript word objects, the table is generated wehen the page is loaded.

I'm hoping to add a way to search the table.

See the full dictionary on the dictionary page!

2nd of February - Day 21

Create five proto-forms for weather

3rd of February - Day 22

Create five proto-forms for flora