Conlangs

Under Construction (pun intended)

Sample Conlang: Dal'a

Dal'a is a conlang designed for a regional language in the Dungeons & Dragons universe for use in a forthcoming campaign. The language is spoken by many races within the region as a lingua franca. This conlang--like most conlangs--is a work in progress; here is a recent version of the language. PDF.

Sample Conlang: Tekhwos

Tekhwos is a conlang designed for an ancient humanoid race in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. The language is no longer spoken, but writings of this language come to us from a Warlord who designed the writing system, and ultimately exterminated the people. This conlang--like most conlangs--is a work in progress. This file is written through a linguistic perspective and has not been adopted for a non-specialist audience; here is a recent version of the language. PDF.

Sample Conscripts

Several of the languages I designed for Conner Intress' novel series have original writing systems as well. Four of these writing systems are exampled below. Additional languages I created for Intress' novel series are: Darkfolk (uses the Common alphabet), Goblinoid (uses a derivation of the Orcish writing system with additional symbols for vowels), and Ogre (which also uses a derivation of the Orcish writing system with additional symbols for vowels). Examples comparing Orcish, Goblin, and Ogre can be seen below.

I don't always use the historical method when I create a conlang, but designing three languages from the same proto root language for Conner Intress' novel series was a lot of fun. In this screen shot from a talk I gave at Ohio State University in 2021, you can see the abjad used by Orcish and the alphabets used by Goblin and Ogre, and how the word for 'kin' changed over time in each of the different languages. The rigid straight lines of this original writing system look the way they do because the language was first written by axe chops, giving straight, wedge-shaped lines to the various letters.

Language Creation Conference 7 (LCC7) In Calgary, AB

I am the local host of the 7th Language Creation Conference being held at the University of Calgary on July 22-23, 2017. If you are looking for more information on this conference, or wish to present at it, check out the conference website.

Klingon linguistics and Conlanging

Windsor, Joseph W., & Robyn Stewart. 2017. Can unnatural stress patterns be learned: New evidence from Klingon. In Andrew Monti (ed.), Proceedings of the 2017 Annual Conference of the Canadian Linguistic Association. Paper.

Windsor, Joseph W. 2016. The history and theory of tlhIngan Hol (the Klingon language). Podcast on CJSW 90.9FM. Audio presentation. Slides.

Windsor, Joseph W. & Corey Telfer. 2016. From sounds to sentences: How to invent a language. Public lecture at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. May 1. Video.

Windsor, Joseph W. 2016. Conversational Klingon. Public lecture at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. April 28. Video. Slides.

Locke, Charley. 2016. 18 Klingon phrases that'll save your life one day. WIRED Magazine.

If you're keeping up with the media on Paramount/CBS v. Axanar and the role that the Klingon language plays in that copyright infringement case, you can check out the Language Creations Society's updates page for our brief (partially written in Klingon) and any further updates that happen.

Some material from my conlangs

A sample audio file of my conlang, Githzerai can be heard here: Translation of the Star Trek: TNG opening

A sample Dungeons & Dragons scenario featuring my conlang, Xill can be viewed here: Xill D&D scenario.

The conlang I created for Chad Queen's novel Phantom Pact: The Bearer's Burden included an original writing system designed based on the light bars of an old digital clock. The language can be seen in this clip created by Chad Queen; a couple sentences in the conlang can be heard at the end of the clip here: Starlistener

The Lizardine cipher wheel and two engravings from a recent D&D campaign: