Observing phonological and semantic oddities in child language can inspire conlangers to create unique phonological patterns in constructed languages.
Exploring alternative approaches to pronoun usage in child language can prompt conlangers to reconsider pronoun systems in their constructed languages.
Deep dives
Phonological and Semantic Oddities in Early Child Language Acquisition
During the early stages of language acquisition, children exhibit phonological and semantic oddities. For example, the speaker's daughter, Maria, displayed consonant harmonies, with words like 'diaper' becoming 'biper' and 'catch' becoming 'chatch.' Additionally, her vowel sounds were unstable, resulting in variations in word pronunciation. These observations can inspire conlangers to explore unique phonological phenomena and assimilation patterns in their constructed languages.
Confusion of Pronouns and Language Change Potential
Around the age of two, Maria encountered confusion with pronouns, mistaking the pronoun 'you' to only refer to herself. Although this is a common phenomenon in child language, it can prompt conlangers to consider alternative approaches to pronoun usage. The speaker suggests exploring the possibility of languages with no pronouns or pronouns that do not denote specific persons. This opens up intriguing questions about how languages can convey information without relying on pronouns.
Lexical and Morphological Quirks in Rhea's Language
As Maria's language skills mature, the speaker notes interesting lexical and morphological aspects. Rhea's perception of time and space differs from adults, using 'yesterday' to refer to any point in the past. Furthermore, Maria's language tends to be high-context, assuming shared knowledge and leading to communication challenges. The speaker also highlights lexical errors, such as 'potato' used to mean both potato and tomato. These observations can spark conlangers' exploration of alternative ways to express time, context, and lexical meaning in their constructed languages.
George talks a little about little tidbits of his daughter’s linguistic development, and talks about how listening to child language might help conlangers find inspiration.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode