CONLANG
Translated from the original Japanese.
In 2016, I had something I planned to write. (by na2co3)
When writing the rest of the text, I put each character's words in a colour because I didn't want to to end each line of dialogue with who said it.
I wanted to look the every day system of conlangs, so I'll ask someone to continue (I'm no writer so I'll rely on others).
Episode 1
"So what should we do now?"
From this year on, I'm in senior high school. The entrance ceremony ended yesterday, and today was the first day of class.
The school district system was abolished this year, and I could choose between more schools. On the other hand, the chances of being separated from my middle-school friends increased.
I too was affected. I came to high school knowing no acquaintances, let alone my friends until middle school, although I didn't do too well on the entrance exam.
I, unsure of whether my friends did well, decided to get involved in clubs at once. That decision was a good idea, but I have no idea which club to join. I haven't joined a single club until now.
"For now, should I join the culture club?"
While I was pondering upon such matters, I looked at the list of clubs when I spotted some unfamiliar symbols.
"Language construction research club...? Not the manga club?"
How on earth could you create a language?
"I don't know much, so it's off the list."
"Itete..."
I was walking down the halls after school when I seemed to bump into someone.
"Whoa, sorry. Are you okay?"
The person speaking was a woman with a sense of some unsteadiness.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Okay. Hey, judging by the colour of your indoor shoes, you're perhaps a first-year student?"
"Huh? Yes. I'm a first-year, but –"
"Still a first-year! Well, haven't you heard of conlangs?"
Are languages fashionable in this school? I wonder.
"Con-langs? No, I haven't heard of them."
Then another girl came from the back and spoke to the senior I bumped into.
"Hey, hey, there's no way she'd know!"
"But if she doesn't do even that, then imagine if she didn't join."
"Hmm... Well, even then."
The senior I bumped into returned her gaze toward me and addressed me.
" Sorry, ask us what you don't understand well."
"No, I'm especially fine. By the way... what's a conlang?"
"Hmm? Are you interested by any chance? A conlang is, well, a language created by a person."
"Oh well. Some are fictional languages used in a fictional world; others are made to be a common world language; there are various languages."
"People... how do they make such languages?"
"They make them! From Esperanto to Arka, there are actually many languages created by people."
The senior speaks a little happily.
"Well, well, why don't you join LangRes if you're interested? The Language Construction Research Club, that is."
That club that I crossed off my list some time ago.
Well... I'll go ahead if I feel like it.
The senior, looking serious, pulled another person's hand and said:
"Sorry, it's fine if you really feel like it. Look, let's go, Miyu."
"Wait, Haruka –"
They were being noisy.
"Huh? This is..."
One of them dropped her handkerchief.
"It'd be better to send this, wouldn't it?"
At last, I arrived in front of the room of the Language Construction Research Club. Surely, the senior from before abbreviated it as "LangRes".
On the door is a sheet of paper reading "Language Construction Research Club: Recruiting new members!" The lights in the room are on.
"I'm just here to give this back."
Slightly nervous, I open the door.
"Excuse me –"
"Oh, you're the first-year from before! You came!"
"No, I came here just to return this."
"Oh, thanks! I dropped this when we bumped into each other. I didn't notice!"
"Th... Then sorry about that..."
"Oh my, you entered the room. Maybe because there are sweets and tea."
"Oh, sweets... Then I'll take them."
"Wow –"
"Con-langs? That was it, wasn't it? They're really a thing?"
"Yep, they are. Usually I speak a conlang called Arka."
"I mainly work with Lojban."
"Arka... Lojban...?"
"You're talking about conlangs, but aren't languages created by people as a whole?"
"That's right, that question."
"?"
"That question isn't asked much. Aren't natlangs created by people too? you asked."
"Natlangs are definitely created by people too, but who created Japanese, and when? You can ask that question, but there's no clear answer, is there?"
"In contrast, a conlang is one where you can clearly identify who made it, and when. Of course, there might also be a goal in making it."
"Not only one person, but a group can make a language for it to be called a conlang."
"For the Arka language and the Lojban language... what would be the answers?"
"Arka is the main work of Seren Arbazard, worked on since 1991."
"Really, it's been that old?"
"Lojban is from 1987. It was created by a group called LLG."
"Huh!? Since that long ago?"
"And we usually don't say 'the Arka language' or the 'Lojban language', but rather Arka or Lojban [1]."
"Oh, there's no need to say 'language'. Sorry about that."
"It's okay; we don't mind that much."
"This... this is the Language Creation Research Club, if I remember. What activities do you do here?"
"Well, we jabber about conlangs... activities?"
"Don't call it 'jabbering'. We 'research' about conlangs."
"In practice, all we do is jabber, right?"
"W... well, you're right."
"So are you the only two in this club?"
"Yep. Only the two of us."
"The other members left or stopped showing up, so we joined last year."
"I see. Seems there's close to no one who knows about conlangs and such."
"Right. It's lonely because nobody joins, because nobody knows about them."
"Even our aggressive solicitation didn't work."
"But –"
"I'll join LangRes."
"Really? Thanks –"
"Neither of us mind, so it's fine. Join the activities you want to..."
"No, at first, I found out about this club but didn't have any intention of joining, but you seem fun to talk with, and languages... I'm starting to be interested in those too."
"Is that it? If so, nice to meet you again. I'm Haruka Uesaki, a second-year student."
"Nice to meet you. I'm a second-year too, Miyu Sasaki."
"I'm a first-year, Kana Asakura. Nice to meet you as well."
"Mm-hmm. Well, just write that you joined."
"Yes."
[1] This is tricky to translate from Japanese. In Japanese, language names usually get a <~語> suffix. Miyu explains that this is not the case with Arka or Lojban at least.
Setting
A high school in Saitama Prefecture, Language Creation Research Club
Year 1 / Kana Asakura
Lively and healthy.
Doesn't know about conlangs, but ended up joining on a whim through a course of events.
High in curiosity and intelligence gathering ability, shows interest in various languages and finds a new language in front of her senior.
"Senpaai, what's this?"
"Senpai, senpai! I discovered an interesting language!"
Uses the
Year 2 / Miyu Sasaki
Arka, Nagili.
Humanities. Fluffy. Reads novels a lot. Interested in conworlds and history.
"Arka really has a long history."
Uses the
Year 2 / Haruka Uesaki
Lojban, and sometimes Toki Pona
Sciences. Wears glasses. Calm.
"Lojban, well, is a language based on predicate calculus."
"Pona pona."
Year 1 / Eri Fujisawa
Joins the club shortly after the protagonist.
Has been conlanging since middle school.
Prone to recklessness. Can program.
Within LangRes, proposed making languages for a shared world.