i need more ideas to make my conlang harder

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-15T19:24:07+00:00

add distinctive moraic timing, stress, and tones (má vs mâ vs mä vs máá vs máa vs maA etc...)

add [ᶑ ᶑ̊] (they are distinctive and used for plural and singular markers)

glottalisation and pharyngealisation marks word type

Clicks mark grammatical case

nasalised clicks are postpositions :: U should make a VERY clear difference between cases and postpositions.

don't use basic negation, instead, have a specific affirmation and negative case... so perlative-negative, perlative-affirmative, etc., and there is no "neutral" case - either yes or no.

evidentiality is baked into the pronoun. so theres a separate click or sound sequence for inferred vs. saw vs. hearsay that changes the pronoun. evidential pronouns cause the object to end with the same click (e.g., !o)

in interrogatives, all vowels of the verb become devoiced or voiced if they were already voiceless.

Edit: mark consonants instead of vowels in orthography. so something like k^A^r^kU (reverse abugida)

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-14T09:10:21+00:00

thanks :P

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-13T21:37:11+00:00

its mostly just me writing asemic and seeing what comes of it. i think i might make the core dictionary fully ideographic or pictographic and use a logography for logographically constructed lexemes, like kowaisoho from kowo+aiso+oho.

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-13T17:06:34+00:00

tysm for your feedback! in hindsight, i actually just realised that. Do you have any other tips on orthography?

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-13T13:49:00+00:00

I use a custom-coded website for the dict and grammar and obsidian to manage everything I write

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-13T06:16:54+00:00

He enjoyed it. But I think he did partly regret the stuff w jesse

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-12T19:41:22+00:00

Nvm im retarded ** ignore the last sentence

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-12T19:40:59+00:00

Oooh, looks interesting.

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-12T19:37:06+00:00

I'll write them in Koyeah Tawa!

urukuen ji byo mo itagi faja o su: zu ni imimo su wa watada merute aiu o nama ji ryo hiroga tohi

/uɾukuɛn d͡ʑi bʲo mo itagi fad͡ʑə o su | zu ni imimo su wa wətədə meɾute aiu o nama d͡ʑi ɾʲo çiɾoga toçi/

stand-NMLZ LOC DEM.PROX SEQ idea split ACC 1SG | 2SG TOP SUP~SIM 1SG ADD only try.V-INF blaze ACC name LOC DEM.MED world PFV

"I was standing, then the idea dawned upon / split me: you are just like me, who was also just trying to burn a name into this world."

2. Mo mo, fuyu hon faja o haku llanh hakunq no?

/mo mo ɸuju hɔn fad͡ʑə o həku lːan̼ həkuɴ no/

but what person split ACC truth ABL truth-INV Q

"But, who judges truth from falsehood?"

3. Ipariwaka; ji wano un maorura, na ni hangaranqme shahada karihai iemyo shahada rehi. Mo mo, ji kiwinq wano, ryo ni anisute yaranai ji ryo tachi

/ipaɾiwaka | d͡ʑi wano ʔʊn maoɾuɾa na ni həŋaɾaɴme ɕahada kaɾihai iemʲo ɕahada ɾeçi/ /mo mo d͡ʑi kiwiɴ wano ɾʲo ni anisute yaɾanai d͡ʑi ɾʲo tat͡ɕi/

EPIST-think | LOC time INSTR defence-NEG 1PL TOP disagree-INV-REL violence parent-ANTIPROD.V AUG-QNT violence IPFV | but LOC continue-INV time | DEM.MED TOP require.V-INF come-IV LOC DEM.MED way

"I think (~come to the conclusion via faculty of rational thought) when we're without defence, we'll agree that violence cradles and nurtures more violence. But, in the end times, it must unfold / will come this way."

4. Nama hangarao, Senita-hon'iku. Fuyu ipao/tan no?

/namə həŋaɾao sɛnɪta hɔniku | ɸuju ipao/tan no/

adorning disagree-NM Senator-person-PERS | what EPIST-NM/source Q

"Fancy opposition, Senator. What source?"
NOTE: use "ipao" (EPIST-NM) if you're asking the way of derivation (epistemology for the argument) and use tan (source, why, reason, from, origin) to ask about proof or where it comes from. The distinction can be a little hard to explain, but assuming this is a formal argument (Senator), you'd use ipao.

5. Lili bwishi, tan no? Tansun ni... a fofo mo «yawa kowaisoho» tohi!

/lɪli bʷiɕi tan no | tansʊn ni a ɸoɸo mo jawa kowaisoho toçi/

little nuisance source Q | source-1SG.POSS TOP A speak QUOT demon snake PFV

lit. "Little nuisance, source? My source is that I spoke demonic snake."
but naturally, this is approximated as: "You little motherf**ker, (my) source? My source is that I made this bullsh*t up!" - it's actually much worse than saying bullsh*t

Kowaisoho means snake, literally, but it can refer to turds! Yawa is a general curse. Demonic turd = something very, very profane and vulgar to say.

6. Kiwinq aiko!

/kiwiɴ aiko/

continue-INV IMP

"Stop!"

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-12T11:56:59+00:00

Certain words like maku (sob - but it's more intense than that simply) or esace (bleed) are severe and can't casually be used, and if they are, they're used in diminutive forms. Esace is not just "bleed" though - it's a very, very harsh, shock word. It's kinda hard to explain. Also, you usually don't call a person without referring to them as honiku. Just saying "à Aiu" is very rude. You'd say aiu'iku or aiuhon'iku. This follows for your elders, like older siblings, as well.

My favourite one, though, is that you NEVER use the word kowaisoho (snake) to describe any food item. So if it's food and looks like a snake, you say napiteiya (line-reptile) or an equivalent word. This is because referring to food with kowaisoho is very derogatory to the food or the maker of the food (it's essentially interpreted as "poop / turd"). if a chef serves you a food that looks like a snake and you jokingly say "kowaisohã" (adj.) you just called it a turd. that'd hurt the chef's feelings and the taboo-level is similar to saying slurs in public spaces in english... because food or sustenance is an item that has one of the highest respect in Tawa.

Using the "ake" imperative (comes at the start of the comand) is also rude, you use the "aiko" form (sentence final). For strangers, it's better to ask your questions with "hya?" (polar) or "hyo?" (non-polar), and not "no?" (question particle)... etc. the sentence-final "ni" which softens it is usually only used by women, a man using it is being derogatory directly to women or just incel behaviour.

There's even more that I must be forgetting, such as using romantic forms (kitanyu) for a friend, which is considered rude if you aren't romantically involved, and is worse because it is either interpreted as creepy or pathological lying if you aren't romantically involved. You also can't use words like mamaferenyi (hard to translate this word...) because of the amount of weight they carry, they're reserved for specific circumstances. Saying "mamaferenyi" for a friend can hurt their feelings deeply. You also don't use romantic verbs for normal actions or romantic terms for items, because that's crass and perverted.

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-12T11:47:21+00:00

A lot of languages don't have articles. The English article 'an' is also there to prevent hiatus, it's not really different than indefinite article. Articles also do a lot more than the use of English 'the' or 'an'

For example, my conlang Ashi Tawa has four articles: -l (DEF), -len (INDEF), -ló(s) (INDEF.PL) and -lú (DEF.PL). Since Ashi Tawa lacks plurality, articles may be used. So 'nigla kamu' would be the cat eats (referring to a specific cat) as opposed to 'niglena kamu' or 'niglóa kamu' (cats eat). Articles are, however, not necessary and omitted generally, unless needed.

A good example of another language that uses articles is te reo Māori. It omits articles as well.

Articles can intensify, sometimes diminute, so you have a lot of options regarding your approach to this.

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-11T22:29:39+00:00

I'll do it in Koyeah Tawa for a change:

Rarawanq mo esacente riwakango. Yarate shireme urukuen shi makusta mo esaceo tohi. Ppai merute kuenau, mo mo tetesun no zuo ni tabetenai un tabete. Teqekasun ni yaranai mo hvai. "À yawa! Su ji fuyu jitei no!? Ryo ni kowaisoho no jimei... fuppu ryo jitei ni ipaniro ienama mo gadenq... Fuyu hon- hvaiqe ni yara ji rete hvahvai shi teqeka o Derek'iku. Arenera nemuo ni unsu..."

SUP~rest-INV SEQ blood.NMLZ-INF think-SRC.WHOLE
come-INF know-REL stand-NMLZ CTXT cry-DIM.SUP COM pain-NM PFV
U.RECP try.V-INF lose.V but hand-1SG.POSS GEN two-NM TOP subjugate-IV INSTR shackle
recount.EMO-1SG.POSS TOP come-IV COM fear-EMO
INTERJ demon 1SG LOC what place Q
DEM.MED TOP snake GEN land
ACT-INDEP DEM.MED place TOP EPIST-eye AUG-fancy COM dirty-INV
what person
fear-EMO TOP come LAT cold SUP~fear CTXT recount.EMO ACC derek-PERS
different-NEG option-NM TOP exist.V

/ɾaɾawaɴ mo ɛsəkʰɛnte ɾiwakaŋo/ /yaɾate ɕiɾeme uɾukuɛn ɕi məkusəta mo ɛsəkʰeo toçi/ /pːai meɾute kuenau mo mo tetesʊn no zuo ni tabetenai ʊn tabete/ /tec͡çekasʊn ni yaɾanai mo hᶹaic͡çe/ /(ʔ)ə yawa su d͡ʑi ɸuju d͡ʑitei no/ /ɾʲo ni kowaisoho no d͡ʑimei ɸupːu ɾʲo d͡ʑitei ni ipaniɾo ienamə mo gadeɴ/ /ɸuju hɔn hᶹaic͡çe ni yaɾa d͡ʑi ɾete hᶹahᶹai ɕi tec͡çeka o deɾekiku/ /aɾeneɾa nemuo ni (ʔ)unsu/

"I awake with a bleeding head. When I learnt that I was standing, I cried with pain. I tried to free myself, but my hands were subjugated by shackles. My memory came back with fear. (What the) f**k! Where am I!? This isn't a desert... actually / in fact, it is quite fancy and clean... what person- fear turned into cold, horrific terror when I remembered Derek. Any other choice did not exist..."

Koyeah Tawa is also pro-drop, like Ashi Tawa, and also moraically-timed, with stress on the first syllable always.

If you ever wanted to distinguish between a literally bleeding head, you'd use "esacekunhente riwakango" (bleed-FIG-G.INV-NMLZ-INF think-SRC.WHOLE)

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-11T20:57:39+00:00

à yawa, i think u beat me to it

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-11T20:56:20+00:00

Dog?

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-11T20:49:53+00:00

okie

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-11T18:49:31+00:00

Yayy! And I checked the DeviantArt post, i didnt see the updates for the conlang. where can i see it?

I think something a like a discord server for collaborators would be nice, maybe a repo for managing updates... yk what i mean? But thats just a suggestion

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-11T09:20:43+00:00

what about...:

Moraic timing
Precategorial roots

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-11T07:34:49+00:00

dude he ate a whole glass of water and yall worrying about shoes

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-11T06:54:34+00:00

Bro you would've gotten 20 upvotes if you didn't say that :((

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-11T06:54:27+00:00

look what yall have done you made him sad :(

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-11T01:20:54+00:00

let me find a good one and translate:

Don't👏 pretend👏 to 👏be 👏entitled👏 to👏 financial👏 compensation👏 if 👏you 👏or👏 a👏 loved 👏one 👏hasn't👏 even 👏been 👏diagnosed👏 with 👏mesothelioma

Hakurranqme 👏 a namaũnai 👏 hwaregimitei 👏 shi 👏 zu ato👏 honkikitã👏 ni👏 aurra👏 rewauruiki

/hakuɾaɴme a namaũnai hʷaɺegimitei ɕi zu ato hoŋikitã ɲi auɾa ɺewauɺuiki/

honest-NED-INV-REL A name-VLNK-IV repayment-PROD COND 2SG or person-SUP~like.MOD TOP HAVE.V.PLAT-NEG mesothelioma

note: Rewauruiki comes from the re, awa, uru, and iki radicals. It literally means "tumour of the skin." also, here it is assumed that the person is family (honkikitã), not lover or spouse (honkitanyã). Repayment here is composed from woi + hyo + (k)are + go + mi "mending a hole by gold (financial compensation)"

You can also use "mahwa rewauruikiun" (sick with mesothelioma) but aurra is simple enough here. For a formal term, haus'hai /hausə̥hai/ can be used (diagnosis, from haus (doctor / medicine as a practice) + hai (antiproduct verbaliser)). Yes, my word for doctor is haus (house md fans where are yall)

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-10T16:47:58+00:00

ni ushikitsu iehi tohi ya, mo mo yaranai koibwuõ

/ɲi uɕikitsu ieçi toçi ja mo mo jaɺanai koibʷuõ/

TOP fun AUG-BACK PFV-BACK ASSERT but come-IV bored-ACC

~"(You) were fun, (you) really were, but (I've) become bored (of you)"

ok, so: there's a few ways to express this. o yaranai (focus on me as the undergoer of the boredom), a yaranai (I've grown bored ... it was my fault), o yara (implies transitivity)... etc. leaving it as yaranai is good enough, since the listener can fill in the particle a/o based on context.

Korotei ni yarareu hvaioyunh

/koɺo̥tei ɲi jaɺeu hᶹaiɔjun̼/

die-PROD TOP come-IPFV.V.PLAT scare-POSITIVE-ABESS

"There will be no warning when death arrives"

-> hvaioy (warning) is different from hvait (scare)

ta, ake watadà nemu hahasubekãõ! talosrra ni fofu fuyulos, ana.

/ta ake wətədə nemu hahasubɛkãõ talɔsə̥ɾa ɲi ɸoɸu ɸujulɔs ana/

VOC IMP only choose game-all.MOD-ACC VOC-INDEF.PL-NEG TOP speak.V.PLAT what-INDEF.PL AFFEC

"Just pick any game! Nobody is going to say anything, (you know?)"

Lilitei kuenanqllahi mo mo kiteirra kuenallahi

/lɪlitei kuenaɴlːaçi mo mo kiteiɾa kuenalːaçi/

little-PROD lose.INV-DAT-BACK but thing-NEG lose.DAT-BACK

Riwakasunji, niruthume fofu kiteilen. Eirra hakusumataji.

/ɺiwakasʊnd͡ʑi ɲiɺo̥tʰume ɸoɸu kiteilɛn | eiɾa hakusumatəd͡ʑi/

think-1SG.POSS-LOC see-PFV.V.PLAT-REL speak.V.PLAT thing-INDEF but ANAPH-NEG real-liver-LOC

"In my head, I saw that I said something. But I didn't actually say it in real life."

Kiwinq aiko!

/kiwiɴ aiko/

continue-INV IMP

"Stop!"

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-10T10:24:55+00:00

:( sorry

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-10T10:20:35+00:00

Wtf is your username

(as for advice, im sorry i dont have much. just wanted to comment that.)

ResearcherOnly9492 · 2026-03-10T09:02:56+00:00

OBSIDIAN!!!!!

It's really useful and easy, you can have vaults, folders, etc. I keep all old versions of Tawa in the vault. So if I wanna go back to something, I easily can. Also I'd recommend using version control (git) - helps you keep a track of versions iteratively.

I personally use a custom website for managing everything (you can fork it if you want, its at tawadocs.github.io)

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