tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100373839462710495.post2824836374841832484..comments2023-11-03T08:19:23.868-04:00Comments on Elizabeth Poole: Ways to Effectively Use Constructed Languages in FictionElizabeth Poolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03214706118828699708noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100373839462710495.post-5735317182851673332010-09-06T11:30:12.307-04:002010-09-06T11:30:12.307-04:00Ewwww, yes...dialect. It always seems like a good ...Ewwww, yes...dialect. It always seems like a good idea at the time, but then as you read over what you've written, you realize it's just distracting.<br /><br />And I agree the naming structure shouldn't be too strict or it looks fake. Conlangs require a certain amount of...finesse shall we say.Elizabeth Poolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03214706118828699708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100373839462710495.post-31811189087544816902010-09-02T10:44:44.075-04:002010-09-02T10:44:44.075-04:00I'm very sensitive about language and have qui...I'm very sensitive about language and have quit books because the naming structure was too rigid to reflect any naturally evolving language. Throwing in cumbersome words for a sense of immersion actually pulls the reader out of the story as he or she stumbles through the word. For some reason fantasists pick the most guttural and difficult linguistic pairings to create their new languages. I think sitting down and listening to a variety of world languages and see how smooth most of them are.<br /><br />As for me, I always want to add a dialect or spell phonetically to show the differences in pronunciation or whatever. It always feels hackneyed and I back out. I'm struggling with that in my recent ms and my current ms.<br /><br />To date, I have only used one alternate language to any great effect, and I had Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (in the original Middle English) open and beside me the entire time I wrote that scene.Joseph L. Selbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16629531390894108695noreply@blogger.com