[YG Conlang Archives] > [romanceconlang group] > messages [Date Index] [Thread Index] >


[Date Prev] [Date Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next]

Re: [romanceconlang] Wenedyk



Hello Eamon, thank you for your kind words!

Skrzypszys': 

> As I understand your language comes around through the contact of
> Latin and Slavic, I wonder if you looked at any of the ways the
> Slavic substrate and contact influenced the development of Romanian,
> being a Romance language with significant Slavic influence in
> phonology, grammar and vocabulary (and other influences too).  Even
> the inflection of nouns is thought to have been retained in Romanian
> from Latin under Slavic influence.  The Slavic influence on the
> development of Romanian may or may not fit in with your plan (and I
> think you probably wanted something a lot more thoroughly Slavic
> than Romanian) but I was curious if you had considered it.

Of course I have considered it! My original idea was nothing more than creating
a Romance language with Slavic substratum. The first thing I started wondering
about, is where such a language would be most likely to emerge. In a thread on
Conlang about the subject, Tom Wier and Peter Clark provided me with very
useful input. The conclusion was (and I fulheartely agree with it) that the
best place for such a language would be somewhere close to Romania.

But you are right: I tried to avoid Romanian.

First of all, I am far from well-informed about the peculiarities of the
Romanian language. I find it a very beautiful language, though.

Secondly, the substratum of Romanian is not Slavic, but Dacian (a tribe related
to the Thracians). The Slavs must rather be considered a superstratum: when
they appeared on the stage, the merger of Latin with the local Dacian language
had already taken place centuries before. Their influence, however, can surely
not be underestimated.

Furthermore, I would have to deal with Balkan or Ukrainian history and find a
solutation for the invasions of Huns, Avars, Magyars, Turks, etc.

And the most important argument: I wanted my substratum to be West-Slavic, and
my orthography to be Polish. In the very beginning of my project, I have been
experimenting with an alternative, more South-Slavic orthography, but it made
me feel uncomfortable.

But some of the characteristics of Romanian you mention will also exist in
Wenedyk. One of my simple "rules" is the following: if something exists in both
Latin and Slavic, then there is no reason at all to change it. For example,
Wenedyk will not have articles (as far as I know, it is the only Romance
language or conlang with that feature. Besides, the Latin case system will (of
course) survive.

BTW All this doesn't mean that it wouldn't be a great idea to build a
South-Slavic-based Romance language as well. Old Church Slavonic (Old
Bulgarian) provides us with every tool necessary for creating it; I just don't
feel that I am the right person for it.

> Again, I really enjoy watching your progress and learning from your
> methods.

Thank you again!

Best,
Jan

=====
"Originality is the art of concealing your source." - Franklin P. Jones

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Everything you'll ever need on one web page
from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts
http://uk.my.yahoo.com