Linguistic resources you wish actually existed

[Xephyr]

No one's though of this yet?

How about an alien (or future, or magical, the specifics of how it works doesn't matter) device that contains information on every language that ever existed, and you simply have to hold it and think about what you want it to show (say, sound changes from X to Y, a full descriptive grammar on Ancient Egyptian, info on Proto-World, if it exits, at least, [if it doesn't, it would give the closest thing to it or something] anything you want, as long as it is language related) and it will show it, with annotations if you want them, or focused on a certain part if that is what you want. Oh, and conlangs are included as well, provided they have been made before you search for them. (If they are incomplete, that will be noted and only the parts that have been created will be shown, possibly with notes on stuff that not even the creator of the conlang is sure if it is correct. Basically, a warning that certain info may not be correct, there are multiple possibilities, or the language is currently being changed.)

It is compatible with and can be connected to any computer system that can connect to external devices/have external storage that ever existed, or that ever will exist. (But only relevant ports will be accessible. No need to provide a magnetic tape connection system of some sort if you can't use one, after all, or don't even want to use one.) It's also portable, about the size of a kindle, and doesn't run out of power, and is also very durable. The display interface can be also adjusted to what you want by thinking, so it can imitate a book, or act like a web page, or some other form that you think up. Or if you want, it could speak it to you, or download it directly to your brain if you really want it to. And bug-free, so there's no problems.

There something that should satisfy pretty much anyone... hopefully.

Hey Lyhoko, you know how they say Superman is a boring superhero because he has too many powers, can do anything, and is pretty much invincible?


No, of course you don't.

[Shm Jay]

Instead of a grammar, I'd want a series of high-school-level textbooks from grades 7/8 to 13 on PIE (or proto-Semitic, or Sumerian, or Akkadian, or Ancient Egyptian, or Old Chinese, etc. etc.) with lots of exercises so by the time you worked your way through the set you would have learned it via a gentle learning curve.

[Drydic]

No one's though of this yet?

How about an alien (or future, or magical, the specifics of how it works doesn't matter) device that contains information on every language that ever existed, and you simply have to hold it and think about what you want it to show (say, sound changes from X to Y, a full descriptive grammar on Ancient Egyptian, info on Proto-World, if it exits, at least, [if it doesn't, it would give the closest thing to it or something] anything you want, as long as it is language related) and it will show it, with annotations if you want them, or focused on a certain part if that is what you want. Oh, and conlangs are included as well, provided they have been made before you search for them. (If they are incomplete, that will be noted and only the parts that have been created will be shown, possibly with notes on stuff that not even the creator of the conlang is sure if it is correct. Basically, a warning that certain info may not be correct, there are multiple possibilities, or the language is currently being changed.)

It is compatible with and can be connected to any computer system that can connect to external devices/have external storage that ever existed, or that ever will exist. (But only relevant ports will be accessible. No need to provide a magnetic tape connection system of some sort if you can't use one, after all, or don't even want to use one.) It's also portable, about the size of a kindle, and doesn't run out of power, and is also very durable. The display interface can be also adjusted to what you want by thinking, so it can imitate a book, or act like a web page, or some other form that you think up. Or if you want, it could speak it to you, or download it directly to your brain if you really want it to. And bug-free, so there's no problems.

There something that should satisfy pretty much anyone... hopefully.

Do you shoot magic into the darkness?

[Ser]

Instead of a grammar, I'd want a series of high-school-level textbooks from grades 7/8 to 13 on PIE (or proto-Semitic, or Sumerian, or Akkadian, or Ancient Egyptian, or Old Chinese, etc. etc.) with lots of exercises so by the time you worked your way through the set you would have learned it via a gentle learning curve.

Those exist for pre-Classical/Classical/Literary Chinese ("Old Chinese" is more of a term used in historical Chinese linguistics when reconstructing phonology...), the ones they use in elementary/middle/high schools in China, HK and Taiwan I believe, but you'd need to learn modern standard Chinese first.

[Eyowa]

[magical device]

Hey Lyhoko, you know how they say Superman is a boring superhero because he has too many powers, can do anything, and is pretty much invincible?


No, of course you don't.

Yeah, I agree that a comic book with that device as the protagonist would be pretty shitty

I wish there were a good IPA text-to-speech synthesizer that allowed you to control prosody easily. It would make it so much easier for me to get a feel for languages that I can't pronounce

[Dewrad]

A document (in English) that explains Breton orthography well,

Out of interest, what on earth do you find so confusing about it? Peurunvan is probably more phonemic for most dialects than, say, Spanish orthography is.

[TaylorS]

Oh and a complete history of Egyptian's phonology and grammar from the earliest attestations to modern Coptic.

You mean something along the lines of Loprieno's Ancient Egyptian but heftier?

Yup.

[Qwynegold]

I wish there were a good IPA text-to-speech synthesizer that allowed you to control prosody easily. It would make it so much easier for me to get a feel for languages that I can't pronounce

Oh yeah, that would be nice too.

[Eyowa]

Oh, and I want a grammar of Pirahã.

[Drydic]

I want a pony.

[Jipí]

And a database of idioms in the world's languages, to 'be inspired by' when conlanging. Basically, like the I'm Not Hanging Noodles on Your Ears book, except sciencier and properly searchable. Actually, such a resource might exist, I've not looked for it yet, though.

[sucaeyl]

Good Nahuatl sources: dictionary, grammer, thesaurus and etymology

[Drydic]

Good Nahuatl sources: dictionary, grammer, thesaurus and etymology

Come on to IRC and talk to vlad. He's a walking talking insulting version of that.

[Jipí]

Good Nahuatl sources: dictionary, grammer, thesaurus and etymology

Come on to IRC and talk to vlad. He's a walking talking insulting version of that.

But don't spell it grammer :]~

[sucaeyl]

Good Nahuatl sources: dictionary, grammer, thesaurus and etymology

Come on to IRC and talk to vlad. He's a walking talking insulting version of that.

But don't spell it grammer :]~

You don't know Billy Grammer? American country music singer and noted guitar player?

[Tropylium]

Why is everyone asking for single monographies/dictionaries on single topics? Dream bigger, guys. I'd like a Global Linguistics Wiki supplainting all current linguistics journals; preferrably coupled to a grand etymological database of some sort, which would double as a dictionary of all known languages.

It's doable. It'll be attempted sooner or later. I'd rather have it sooner.

[Jipí]

www.glottopedia.de

[Viktor77]

An English grammar and reader of the Even language complete with recordings.

[Jipí]

An English grammar

The fuck? Like, I've got one on my shelf. In English even. *not catching possibly intended sarcasm*

[Viktor77]

An English grammar

The fuck? Like, I've got one on my shelf. In English even. *not catching possibly intended sarcasm*

You have an Even grammar in English????

[Yng]

I think he means

An [English [grammar and reader of the Even language]] complete with recordings.

As opposed to

An [English grammar] and [reader of the Even language] complete with recordings.

[Yng]

If Even is the same as Evenki, incidentally, I have a grammar. In English.

[Jipí]

An [English grammar] and [reader of the Even language] complete with recordings.

I thought Viktor intended to say this. On an afterthought, something like a free online grammar of English.

[Viktor77]

If Even is the same as Evenki, incidentally, I have a grammar. In English.

It is of the same family, Northern Tungusic, but not the same language.

[Herr Dunkel]

Oh, and I want a grammar of Pirahã.

I actually have that somewhere.