Conlang/Appendix/Glossary

Here some basic conlanging and linguistics terms.

Terms (in alphabetical order)

Adjective 

A word that modifies a noun.   (linguistics; Intermediate)

Adverb 

A word that modifies any part of language except a noun — verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, clauses, sentences.   (linguistics; Intermediate)

Affix 

A word-part that attaches to words and modifies their meaning.   (linguistics; Beginner, Intermediate)

Agent 

One of the thematic roles: The participant of a situation that carries out an action.   (linguistics)

Anadewism 

The phenomenon of discovering that a weird, supposedly original feature in your conlang already exists in some natural language. Coined in recognition that natural languages regularly turn out to be even more bizarre than what conlangers can devise. Acronym for (sic) another natlang already dunnit except worse.   (conlanging; FAQ)

A posteriori 

Of a feature, borrowed from natural languages rather than invented. Of a conlang, mostly composed of a posteriori features.   (conlanging; Types)

A priori 

Of a feature, invented rather than borrowed from natural languages. Of a conlang, mostly composed of a priori features.   (conlanging; Types)

Altlang 

Alternative history language. An artlang meant to be what some historical natlang would have evolved into in some alternative history.   (conlanging; Types)

Artlang 

Artistic language. A conlang created as art.   (conlanging; Types)

Auxlang 

Auxiliary language. A conlang meant as a common second language for people with different native languages.   (conlanging; Types)

Case 

Of a noun, its syntactic role in the sentence.   (linguistics; Intermediate)

Circumposition 

A pair of words that mark the beginning and end of a modifying phrase.   (linguistics)

Conlang 

Constructed language. A language deliberately invented by someone.   (conlanging; FAQ)

Diachronic 

Of a conlang, having its own internal fictional history.   (conlanging; Types)

Englang 

Engineered language. A conlang designed to meet objective criteria.   (conlanging; Types)

Euroclone 

An auxlang whose vocabulary is entirely Indo-European, often entirely Romance.   (conlanging; Types)

Evidentiality 

Of a verb, how the speaker knows the action happened.   (linguistics; Beginner)

Fauxlang 

Fictional auxlang. A supposed auxlang created by a character in a fictional setting.   (conlanging; Types)

Gender 

A way of classifying nouns into groups.   (linguistics; Beginner)

Grammar 

The study of the rules governing the use of a given language.   (linguistics; Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)

IAL 

International Auxillary Language. An auxlang intended for use on an international scale. Auxlangs are almost always IALs, to the point where the two terms are often treated as synonyms.   (conlanging; Types)

Kitchen sink 

Of a conlang, having many exotic features with no apparent reason or overall scheme.   (conlanging; Types)

Loglang 

Logical language. A conlang based on formal logic.   (conlanging; Types)

Mood 

Of a verb, the possibility and necessity of the verb — whether it happens, might happen, can happen, is commanded to happen, etc.   (linguistics; Beginner, Intermediate)

Morpheme 

A word-part that has a meaning of its own.   (linguistics; Intermediate)

Morphology 

The study of the internal structure of words.   (linguistics; Beginner)

Natlang 

Natural language. A human language that occurred naturally, as opposed to a conlang.   (conlanging; FAQ)

Noun 

A word that denotes a thing (concrete or abstract).   (linguistics; Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)

Number 

Of a noun, how many of the noun there are.   (linguistics; Beginner, Intermediate)

Object 

A part of a sentence that specifies a thing secondarily involved in the action of the verb. One of the three main parts of a sentence.   (linguistics)

Orthography 

The correct way of using a specific writing system to write the language.   (linguistics; Beginner, Intermediate)

Patient 

One of the thematic roles: The participant of a situation upon whom an action is carried out.   (linguistics)

Person 

Of a noun, how it relates to the speaker and the audience.   (linguistics)

Phonetics 

The study of the sounds of human speech.   (linguistics)

Phonology 

The study of the sound system of a specific language.   (linguistics)

Postposition 

A word that marks the end of a modifying phrase.   (linguistics)

Pragmatics 

The study of the ability of natural language speakers to communicate more than what is explicitly stated.   (linguistics; Beginner, Advanced)

Preposition 

A word that marks the start of a modifying phrase.   (linguistics)

Relex 

A conlang that too closely imitates a pre-existing language. Shortened from relexification.   (conlanging; Types)

Semantics 

Aspects of meaning, as expressed in language or other systems of signs.   (linguistics)

Subject 

One of the thematic roles: Only participant of an intransitive clause.   (linguistics)

Synchronic 

Of a conlang, not diachronic.   (conlanging; Types)

Syntax 

The study of how words are arranged into sentences.   (linguistics)

Tense 

Of a verb, when the action happens — past, present, future, etc.   (linguistics; Beginner, Intermediate)

Verb 

1. A word that denotes action performed by or on a thing (sometimes, the trivial action of being).

2. The part of a sentence that specifies the central action of the sentence. One of the three main parts of a sentence.   (linguistics)

Voice 

Of a verb, which participant in the action is the subject — whether the subject does the action, has the action done to it, or does it to itself.   (linguistics)