Keeping track of derived terms?
Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 8:32 am
When deriving a conlang from a real life language, how do you keep track of compounds?
It's one thing if it's a compound that dates back to when the conlang "split off" or before, or if one or more of the elements could only be borrowed after a certain point (for example, my language borrows a lot from Japanese so any compounds involving パン would date to after contact between Japan and Portugal). But there are also compounds made from old roots for new concepts where each root might date back to Old Japanese, but the actual compound might only date a few hundred years back.
Currently I'm using color coding. While not perfect, I give each stage of the language a color; words coming directly from Old Japanese are written in red, then when I apply sound changes in the next stage, the new forms are orange, then the next is yellow, then green, etc. If a word is borrowed at a certain stage, or a compound is made at that point, then it's colored for that stage at the beginning of its entry. I'm just wondering what other strategies people have used.
It's one thing if it's a compound that dates back to when the conlang "split off" or before, or if one or more of the elements could only be borrowed after a certain point (for example, my language borrows a lot from Japanese so any compounds involving パン would date to after contact between Japan and Portugal). But there are also compounds made from old roots for new concepts where each root might date back to Old Japanese, but the actual compound might only date a few hundred years back.
Currently I'm using color coding. While not perfect, I give each stage of the language a color; words coming directly from Old Japanese are written in red, then when I apply sound changes in the next stage, the new forms are orange, then the next is yellow, then green, etc. If a word is borrowed at a certain stage, or a compound is made at that point, then it's colored for that stage at the beginning of its entry. I'm just wondering what other strategies people have used.