Resources

Web Links

Awkwords- a great online generator for words!  Simply imput the structure of your language (for example, Japanese allows C(r)V (CV)) and click the generate button.  I wouldn’t suggest getting all of your vocabulary from this, but it sure helps when you get stuck.

Artificial Languages by Robert Isenberg-This is a very nice essay on artificial languages.  A nice introduction for the novice.

The Conlanger’s Library-a collection of articles about conlanging, with a very nice page of resources.  It aims to provide education and information about conlanging, and even has sections for poetry and such to inspire conlangers.

Conlang Wikia-a wiki geared towards conlangs.  A great quickie reference.

How to create a language by Pablo David Flores-a nice, indepth overview of how to get started.  A good start for the beginner, and a nice checklist for when creating your language.

The Language Construction Kit by Mark Rosenfelder-a very detailed guide to creating a language.  It’s available online for free, but I recommend buying the longer and more detailed book.  It’s definately worth it.  Online edition available in Portugese, Italian and Dutch.  Features a great resources page.

Language Creation Society-a website aimed at conlangers.  It offers membership services and education on conlangs.

lernu!-Lernu is a good basic website for those interested in learning Esperanto.  All of the stuff on this website is free.  Lessons available in many languages.

Links for the Masses-an extensive and very nice collection of links for the conlanger.

Ogden’s Basic English-based on a project to pare down English to the bare minimum of words.  This makes a good start for any vocabulary list, though you’ll likely need more than what is one this list.  Also, the list is geared for English, so you’ll likely use different pronouns, particles, etc.

Books

The first set of books deal with the structure of language.  They’ll be invaluable for making your language, since it really helps if you understand what you’re doing.  The books that are specifically on artificial languages are towards the back.

Language: It’s Structure and Use by Edward Finegan

Fundamentals of Linguistic Analysis by Ronald W. Langacker (esp. chapter 2)

Morphology by Francis Katamba and John Stonham

Introducing Phonetic Science by Michael Ashby and John Maidment

The Sounds of the World’s Languages by Peter Ladefoged and Ian Maddieson

Patterns of Sound by Ian Maddieson

Introducing Phonetic Science by Michael Ashby and John Maidment

Understanding Phonology by Carlos Gussenhoven and Haike Jacobs

Language Universals and Linguistic Typology: Syntax and Morphology by Bernard Comrie

Chomsky’s Universal Grammar: An Introduction by V.J. Cook and Mark Newson

The Science of Words by George A. Miller

Tense Aspect and Mood in Language Typology and Syntactic Decription by Timothy Shopen, ed.

Typology and Universals by William Croft

Principles of
Pragmatics by Geoffrey N. Leech

Pragmatics in Language Teaching by Kenneth R. Rose and Gabriele Kasper, ed.

The World’s Writing Systems by Peter T. Daniels and William Bright

Roots of Language by Derek Bickerton

A First Language: The Early Stages by Roger Brown

Child Language by Alison J. Elliot

The Development of Language by Jean Berko Gleason

The Search for the Perfect Language by Umbert Eco

A priori Artificial Languages (Languages of the World) by Alan Libert

The Language Construction Kit by Mark Rosenfelder http://www.zompist.com/kit.html

In the Land of Invented Languages: Adventures in Linguistic Creativity, Madness, and Genius by Arika Okrent

From Elvish to Klingon: Exploring Invented Languages by Michael Adams

The Unfolding of Language: An Evolutionary Tour by Guy Deutscher

The Dictionary of Made-Up Languages by Stephen D. Rogers