"'Dune' And The Delicate Art Of Making Fictional Languages", The New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/dune-and-the-delicate-art-of-making-fictional-languages).

Even though I have a full conlang for the elves in my romantic fantasy novel, a lot of proper names in the world do not fit the rules/structure/patterns of lösàlvaren.

As imperial colonizers, the Republic of Belarion (and the Empire of Trees by extension) has destroyed dozens of cultures in the process of building the world the way they want it. Deep wounds leave bold scars. Tens or hundreds of thousands of years after the Àlvare waged war upon now-forgotten cultures, you can still see signs of those cultures' languages most prominently in the proper names.

Some of the out-of-place names in my book with pre-colonial origins--

Anedamma Winery: The double M is not used in contemporary lösàlvaren. It references the Handamma Valley, as once named by the now-extinct Cloud Forest Àlvar who spoke cärīn. MM, LL, and NN are both signs of cärīn left over in lösàlvaren, as often is the C-as-K sound and X-as-CH.

Drakalban: A police force originally comprised of highly disposable mortal Men, which is suggested by the non-lösàlvaren DR at the beginning. Drak is a word for dragon in Old Ilmern, a dead language of Men. Alban instead of Alvar actually come from the Tapwood in the region of the Aslas Barrens.

Murnloim Wing: Murn is another Cloud Forest word meaning shadow. I think I have like...six different linguistic ways to say "shadow" or "darkness" in this book, because I am so extra, and so gothic, and I listen to a LOT of Evanescence.

This is somewhat commentary on the fact that I am an English-speaking American person living on land unceded by Washoe and Northern Paiute nations, and most every single street/neighborhood around my house uses Spanish names. The scars of imperialism are everywhere if you pay attention because we are inside the empire. We still live alongside the native nations so it's not the same as my fantasy book, obviously, but I'm trying to paint an impressionistic fantasy version of the "the imperialism is still inside the building" feeling using the language.

Merveliosa! #Linguafrancanova va es un #lingua reconoseda en #Mastodon!

E ance: #Balaibalan / #Bâleybelen, #Laadan / #Láadan, #Lojban e #TokiPona.

https://bit.ly/mastolinguas

Me senti vera felis