Conlang Diachronics Relay II (now with schedule!)

TzirTzi · Post by **TzirTzi** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 9:39 am

We could have it as free as "when the person's turn begins they choose which of any of the existing langs to derive their daughter from". That way we get relatively random number of splits per generation.

eodrakken · Post by **eodrakken** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 9:46 am

TzirTzi wrote:We could have it as free as "when the person's turn begins they choose which of any of the existing langs to derive their daughter from". That way we get relatively random number of splits per generation.

I like that idea. Then no one would get saddled with a lang they didn't find that inspiring when they'd have more ideas for another.

Yng · Post by **Yng** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 9:59 am

Here sir

Qwynegold · Post by **Qwynegold** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 10:26 am

I've never been in one of these relays, but it sounds interesting. But I don't know if I have time to commit for it. Can I just pop in later on (like a lot later) if I have decided that I want to join?

TzirTzi · Post by **TzirTzi** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 11:27 am

Yes

As cedh said, anyone can join as long as the relay is still running.

the duke of nuke · Post by **the duke of nuke** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 12:37 pm

eodrakken wrote:
TzirTzi wrote:We could have it as free as "when the person's turn begins they choose which of any of the existing langs to derive their daughter from". That way we get relatively random number of splits per generation.
I like that idea. Then no one would get saddled with a lang they didn't find that inspiring when they'd have more ideas for another.

Seconded. The original relay produced about a grillion different descendants of Adata, but with hardly any branching - which seems a little odd.

dhok · Post by **dhok** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 1:25 pm

What if we paired up, so that one person dealt with the sound changes, and passed it on to someone else, who would have to figure the syntax out?

(A paradigm sound change applier may be useful here.)

Radius Solis · Post by **Radius Solis** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 3:32 pm

Those who choose may certainly team up together and work as a pairs. But it's probably best not to impose such a structure on the whole relay.

As far as splitting goes, I propose drawing up the initial plan with one split for every language for every generation, such that the number of participants doubles each generation - but then not trying to retain this structure when changes happen to the lineup. So as people drop out or can't complete, or need to go sooner than their originally planned turn, or need to be moved to another branch due to a dropout earlier in their own, the family tree simply changes shape to accomodate this. The result would probably be a rather organic-looking tree.

ing · Post by **ing** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 3:32 pm

Count me in. My diachronics skills are in dire need of practice.

I vote for proto-western.
I think I'd like to go fairly early

Cadeshadow · Post by **Cadeshadow** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 4:03 pm

Radius Solis wrote:Those who choose may certainly team up together and work as a pairs. But it's probably best not to impose such a structure on the whole relay.

As far as splitting goes, I propose drawing up the initial plan with one split for every language for every generation, such that the number of participants doubles each generation - but then not trying to retain this structure when changes happen to the lineup. So as people drop out or can't complete, or need to go sooner than their originally planned turn, or need to be moved to another branch due to a dropout earlier in their own, the family tree simply changes shape to accomodate this. The result would probably be a rather organic-looking tree.

I was about to recommend this idea, but then read this. The only thing I might say is that we plan where people would fit onto the splitting plot by when they posted, and then as people needing to go earlier or later would get moved up or down the tree.

Drydic · Post by **Drydic** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 4:34 pm

Me wants in on this. Deadlines are good; I'll end up writing up >90% of it in the two days before the deadline, but that's how I work. Plus with a preexisting reasonable grammarish thing to work from, it'll be muchly easier.

As for times, I'm online c. 16 hours a day right now, so I think I can afford to take a few off it here and there, so anyplace in the structure works. Hell, if it works out well, I might be interested in doing another in a different section (or possibly that 2nd family which was bandied about).

Abi · Post by **Abi** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 5:46 pm

Just wondering, how far does the language evolve each go? Like does each language have to be intelligible with the ones around it?

roninbodhisattva · Post by **roninbodhisattva** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 5:57 pm

Oh yeah, I was wondering something similar: hos much time depth are we talking for each step?

dunomapuka · Post by **dunomapuka** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 6:58 pm

Radius Solis wrote:As far as splitting goes, I propose drawing up the initial plan with one split for every language for every generation, such that the number of participants doubles each generation - but then not trying to retain this structure when changes happen to the lineup. So as people drop out or can't complete, or need to go sooner than their originally planned turn, or need to be moved to another branch due to a dropout earlier in their own, the family tree simply changes shape to accomodate this. The result would probably be a rather organic-looking tree.

That sounds like a pretty cool idea.

Radius Solis · Post by **Radius Solis** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:33 pm

Time depth is up to you. Most people have tended to choose depths of one to two millennia; but there's no reason you couldn't do less, or more, if it suits you to. But whatever you choose, please indicate it in your language description, or elsewhere, so that we can all know which languages are roughly contemporary with each other. That makes it easier to borrow words between languages.

Legion · Post by **Legion** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:34 pm

800~1500 years should be a good time span, just enough so that it becomes a different language but keep a strong familiarity (see Latin to romance).

dunomapuka · Post by **dunomapuka** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:41 pm

I for one would prefer if people not jump ahead more than maybe 1500 years at a time. Those big gaps could get a bit unwieldy, if say we want to fill in the intervening history later...

dhok · Post by **dhok** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 8:07 pm

Maybe we could have a descendant that changed an original linear time system to a cubic one.

Maybe I'll try my hand at that...

Nesescosac · Post by **Nesescosac** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 8:51 pm

ingolemo wrote:Count me in. My diachronics skills are in dire need of practice.

We need skill for this? Aw. I'll try and fake some.

Tiamat · Post by **Tiamat** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 9:28 pm

I like proto-peninsular so I would like to be on a team that uses that.

Kohorik · Post by **Kohorik** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 12:50 am

I would like to join. I vote for PW, but it doesn't matter much to me.

Arzena · Post by **Arzena** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:11 am

I want to take a shot at deriving a daughter from proto-Western; I kinda got excited when I saw this thread and found myself conlanging at some ungodly hour of the night.

Cedh · Post by **Cedh** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 3:35 am

We have more than twenty people signed in already!

Five of them want to work with Western, and three with Peninsular. I think we should use both language families then. Anyone specifically interested in going first round?

the duke of nuke · Post by **the duke of nuke** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 3:38 am

Hm. I've got a decent amount of free time this week, so I wouldn't mind

EDIT: but after Saturday I will be overwhelmed. So probably better not.

roninbodhisattva · Post by **roninbodhisattva** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:39 am

I would be willing to go first for the Peninsular team, if that's open.