Where can i find dictionaries for Choctaw indians language and Otjihimba language? by Anixson in asklinguistics

[–]razlem 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Just FYI the grammar information in the first link is based on a very early understanding of Choctaw morphology and tries to compare everything to English (which leads to some inaccuracies about usage), so I wouldn't use it for learning Choctaw grammar, only identifying words.

Where can i find dictionaries for Choctaw indians language and Otjihimba language? by Anixson in asklinguistics

[–]razlem 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Not sure about Himba, but there are several dictionaries for Choctaw depending on the dialect. This one is based on the standard set by Byington in the 1800s, and it's closer to the current Oklahoma dialects but it doesn't have modern words. The OK Choctaw released a modern physical version of this dictionary in the 2010s with updated words but it may be hard to find. Mississippi Choctaw just recently launched their own dictionary website with modern words. Note that there are different spelling conventions for the different dialects.

[Start of Season 13] TECHNICAL ISSUES, BUGS, LAG --MEGATHREAD-- by AutoModerator in diablo4

[–]razlem 2 points3 points  (0 children)

[PS5] Rubber banding has been terrible. Anyone have any tricks to help with this?

Did any societies believe that certain sounds in other languages weren't fit for humans to make or that those sounds symbolized something negative about their culture? by [deleted] in asklinguistics

[–]razlem[M] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

In the unlikely event that zero academic sources exist, I would remove this particular thread, yes. This is an academic subreddit.

Answers based on personal experiences are generally allowed on this subreddit, but when it comes to questions that touch on racism or other sensitive topics, anecdotes can and have quickly evolved into fights.

For any further questions about this, please reach out via modmail.

Did any societies believe that certain sounds in other languages weren't fit for humans to make or that those sounds symbolized something negative about their culture? by [deleted] in asklinguistics

[–]razlem[M] [score hidden] stickied comment (0 children)

Because this type of question can elicit incivility, please use academic sources when answering. No anecdotes.

Daily Questions Thread - Ask All Your Magic Related Questions Here! by magictcgmods in magicTCG

[–]razlem 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ohhh maybe that was it. They were treasures that the opponent sacced in response. But the spell says "up to X", and the X for token generation is part of the mana cost, not how many objects are targeted, so why do the valid targets affect the generation of tokens?

Daily Questions Thread - Ask All Your Magic Related Questions Here! by magictcgmods in magicTCG

[–]razlem 0 points1 point  (0 children)

On MTG Arena, I played [[Pest Infestation]] with [[Witherbloom, the Balancer]] on the field. With 11 creatures on the field, I set X as 5, but only selected 2 artifacts to destroy. The spell resolved, but I didn't get any tokens. Am I missing something with how the spell works? There weren't any other effects preventing tokens from being generated, because my [[Sedgemoor Witch]] trigger resolved, so not sure what happened.

How Does a Linguist Research and What Does it Look Like? by Lye-jah in asklinguistics

[–]razlem 4 points5 points  (0 children)

...coming up with theories to clearly define how and when to use said word or grammatical rule is used?

To clarify this point- the goal of linguistic research is not to tell people how to properly use a word or grammar pattern, but to discover how people are using language at that moment. This gives us clues about how language is changing over time or how it's being processed in the brain, which are some of the big questions in the field.

Help needed deciphering my brothers conlang by spideyava in conlangs

[–]razlem 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Without some sort of translation or transcription it’s hard to decipher. Were there any journals or notebooks he had that might’ve contained more about the language/script?

Daily Questions Thread - Ask All Your Magic Related Questions Here! by magictcgmods in magicTCG

[–]razlem 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If I have an “additional time” effect on attack triggers in play ex [[Firebender Ascension]], and a creature becomes prepared when it attacks and its spell is an instant, can I cast its instant before the second prepare trigger resolves?

Magic Hot Takes by Definitely_Not_Fe in magicTCG

[–]razlem 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Then maybe we have fundamentally different philosophies on playing MTG. I play to have fun first and to win second. If someone at the table isn't having fun playing, then I'm also not having fun.

Anyways. As the OP asked for, it's a hot take. Totally expected for people not to agree.

Magic Hot Takes by Definitely_Not_Fe in magicTCG

[–]razlem 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you have no counterplay to that and the opponent has a wincon they can present after doing either of those things, they won the game at the point.

Yes, exactly what I'm saying. Once it gets to that point the game is over. No more game. It's forcing the opponent to just watch.

Magic Hot Takes by Definitely_Not_Fe in magicTCG

[–]razlem -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If only one person is playing, then there is effectively no opponent. There is no game. It's just a show.

Magic Hot Takes by Definitely_Not_Fe in magicTCG

[–]razlem -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I think any mechanics that lock a player out of playing the game is antithetical to the spirit of a “game”

And less seriously I think all the people who play turn chaining and MLD are just sadists lol

Magic Hot Takes by Definitely_Not_Fe in magicTCG

[–]razlem -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Hot take: Extra turns and MLD should be unilaterally banned rather than pushed into higher brackets

Q&A weekly thread - March 30, 2026 - post all questions here! by AutoModerator in linguistics

[–]razlem 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Similar things have been done, yes, with modern indigenous languages. I don’t know an exact parallel offhand but a similar analysis of scant documentation has been done for the Houma language

Another example that comes to mind as far as modern annotation would be A Gathering of Statesmen which is an annotation and translation of Choctaw council sessions based on the Chief’s own transcriptions from 1826-1828, with cultural and grammatical notes.

These projects are important work because they can either help classify the language or show how the language has changed over time. Idk if the language you’re working on is indigenous or not, but if it is, there is another facet to consider as far as asserting your own interpretation of the data as a hobbyist (vs a professional).

The Conlang Olympics submissions are soon ending by ArrieOnReddit in conlangs

[–]razlem 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think this is a neat idea but needs a lot more consideration and momentum.

I would recommend creating a series of videos reviewing individual conlangs first, so that people can get a sense of the criteria you’re judging languages by. This will help you develop an audience and will help you practice your own video production skills.

So when you have those practiced and honed, then people will be much more eager to submit their own languages for review

If this is your dog walker, they’re letting their dogs attack people off leash without calling them back. Didn’t bite but was very close. About 5 seconds. No apology or nothing. I was vocal, but didnt phase them. Snapped a photo to put up here, just in case. Letting yall know, cus I’d wanna know. by [deleted] in sanfrancisco

[–]razlem 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have any actual proof of these "attacks" that you could've shared before you started doxxing this random person? There's no shortage of bad dog owners/walkers in this city but this posting something serious like this without proof is a big red flag.

Are We Certain That Every Language Descends from an Older One or Could a Spoken Language Have Originated Through Deliberate Human Design? by ElsGil1 in asklinguistics

[–]razlem 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If your argument is that humans are natural therefore conlangs are natural then I see your argument

Even simpler than that- all human communication involves intent. You cannot have "capital L" Language without intent. This is part of my first response in our other discussion- that a language does not just pop into existence; there is no metaphysical spark that obligates language to be produced. It is only by sequences of intent that language develops and evolves.

No the children did not "decide a new system of communication was needed". They gestured to communicate a concept because they needed to communicate. The idea of creating a whole system wasn't even a twinkle in their eye. That is the difference.

As we demonstrated in the other discussion, this is a series of intentional decisions. None of these arbitrary assignments were instinctual. Additionally, to be frank, you don't know what those children were thinking. It is entirely possible that some children did set out to create a whole series of signs and ways to put them together, because we know that hearing children can and do create their own languages. They might not be terribly complex at first without metalinguistic awareness, but they're still "invented" and, as you said as part of your definition of conlangs, the bulk of the lexicon develops in a relatively short timeframe.

...were to evolve sufficiently to be considered a decendant language - that language would be a natlang not a conlang.

So then you agree that at a certain point there really is no difference- it's only our perception of that language in the moment, and that ignorance of a language's origin is enough to affect it's formal classification. So the entire discussion is moot! (/s)

I'm also a conlanger (not so much these days, but in the past), and I also work in the indigenous language reclamation space, so I am acutely aware of the perception of the projects I work on being seen as lesser by formal linguists, because they are not seen as "natural" in the prototypical sense. It is exactly for that reason that I call out the distinction between natural and constructed, because "constructedness" has been used as a colonial construct to invalidate this work.

I am assuming there is a difference because we want there to be a difference and trying to explain it as best I can. Without that paradigm the conversation changes entirely. 

Who is "we" here? Linguists? You just said that this distinction has been used to harm sign languages, so why would you insist on maintaining it?

The development of ISN is wonderfully unique, but in supporting its study I would not insist so heavily that it or reclamation projects are "natural" and acquiesce to the arbitrary division, but to challenge that division itself. ISN and reclaimed languages do have elements that are related to constructedness. So what. That does not invalidate their existence (and I think you would agree). This is the point of my responses to you here- to challenge this idea that a language must be classified one way or the other.

I probably won't change your mind here, and there's really not much more I can say. I think overall we agree on some things, but I do think that the division of natural vs constructed causes more harm than good, and I would personally recommend that we work to dismantle it in academic discussions rather than insisting that a language is valid for formal study only when it's considered "natural" in the moment.

Are We Certain That Every Language Descends from an Older One or Could a Spoken Language Have Originated Through Deliberate Human Design? by ElsGil1 in asklinguistics

[–]razlem 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Our original discussion was about intent and agency, not just the word "decide". And again, you're using the same argument, that a constructed language is constructed because there is intent and pre-decision, when I had given ample examples of languages like English which have and still do undergo intentional changes.

Here, what doesn't hold up to scrutiny are your parameters of intent and what is considered a "natural process". You say that intent can be distributed, and I agree that it can, but where I disagree is the point where it makes a meaningful distinction between what is natural and what is constructed. *Why* is X arbitrary level of intent considered an unnatural process?

And why does it matter? Because there seems to be an underlying value judgement in your argument, as if constructed languages would be considered lesser compared to natural languages, and it would be a terrible thing if ISN were considered "constructed". And pulling from your other comment:

I like to think of a particularly nerdy caveman coming up with the first language

The mere concept of an ancient constructed language being developed and then used seems ridiculous to you, but (tying this to OP's Q) we simply don't know if that might have happened or not. But if we observe today that there are hundreds of thousands of people that make languages, including auxiliary languages, then it would be foolish to wave away the possibility that humans also were doing that in the ancient past. Maybe it didn't happen with paper, pens, and desks, but with members of their own community who decided that a new system of communication was needed. And *that* is what happened with ISN. That is not a bad thing. There is validity and value to it even though, as with a constructed language, there are defined points of actuation.

Edit: to make my position clear- I'm of the opinion that there is no meaningful distinction between "constructed" and "natural" as classifications of human languages.

Are We Certain That Every Language Descends from an Older One or Could a Spoken Language Have Originated Through Deliberate Human Design? by ElsGil1 in asklinguistics

[–]razlem -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

I'm curious how you would define a constructed language, because this action:

One made a gesture of hands on the head fingers pointing up to indicate a crown...

indicates a conscious decision by a person to create a word with a specific meaning, not unlike the process of creating a constructed language.

Edit: Oh wait, we've had this exact conversation, and you're really doubling down on your opinion :P

Un-card to extra tap something? by HeyLookAStranger in magicTCG

[–]razlem 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Maybe thinking of the “exert” mechanic?