EVERYTHING You Need to Make a Fictional Language for Your Story | Conlang 101

[@klgraywill]

I briefly talked about linguistic easter eggs in this video and I did actually hide a linguistic easter egg in this video 👀tell me if you find it!!

[@MiMiBrokenbourgh]

ok whereeeee tell me

[@hustlewithhimanshu8899]

ईस्टरी अंडा।

[@klgraywill]

@@hustlewithhimanshu8899 nailed it 👏

[@pifflevariety]

Lol

[@Kostya2005]

​@@klgraywillso can i get avabic for free and free download font please

[@commanderpanda9356]

THANKYOU for a tutorial that isnt a seminar on language. Basically all tutorials on KZbin are just impossible to learn from, from an artists perspective.

[@EverflameArt]

This is why I'm so happy I found this video. I was nearly ready to give up. Those videos feel like I should already have studied language courses for a year. haha

[@deadmanomegagaming4061]

@@EverflameArt I ended up just experimenting and rewathcing them over and over again until it all clicked

[@goombacraft]

I think that because conlanging is an art in its own right, it takes a huge amount of effort to become good at it, just like digital art etc. If you're creating a conlang just for atmosphere, doing it by this video is more than enough. But if you're looking to go indepth, those video seminars are necessary

[@kitdubhran2968]

Omg the writing and font generators! I will be playing with these for days! Thank you!

[@klgraywill]

ofc! They are so much fun - you will have ideas for dayssss

[@fugosfork7907]

@@klgraywill hello, I'm creating a language that uses syllables. So my alphabet consists of things like "la, ka, ba", can I use calligrapher for this just like you showed in the video?

[@klgraywill]

@@fugosfork7907 Yes you can easily create a syllabary with the free calligraphr template, just treat each syllable as a unique character on the keyboard.

[@fugosfork7907]

@@klgraywill but how will I differentiate between Le, La, Lo etc? I can't put them all on L

[@klgraywill]

@@fugosfork7907 Correct, you can only do that if you use the paid ligatures feature on calligraphr (ligatures will allow a certain character to appear if letter L is followed by e, a, o, etc etc). With the free version, you will have to assign le to "L", la to a different key like "X," lo to "Y" etc. - you have to utilize every possible key on the keyboard (if you have a lot of sounds you could also create two fonts). It's not ideal to type with but that's the limitation of using an accessible and free method like this. If you watch from 16:35 this is exactly what I did for my abugida. If you will be typing in the language a lot, it might be worth getting into proper fontbuilding (check out David Peterson's videos)

[@darianchristie3260]

17:03 you can also do stacking characters in FontForge, just make the "start" line to the right instead of the left of the character. Fonts for Tolkein's Qenya use this kind of thing with four set 'locations' for the vowels, above a schwa-type stem for the vowel on its own "I", above a single luva (bow) like an n, above a mid size letter or one with a stem above like h, and above a double bow letter like m. Centered each time.

[@Venthryx]

This was super inspiring, like I wasn't even sure about adding a language until I saw this. I wish you still made videos but I'm thankful for the ones that are here

[@JartinVartinJlackwood]

I'm a filipino born in the uk and have been wanting to use baybayin and filipino languages as inspiration for various languages for a while now and this has been so much more helpful than the dothraki creators conlang video I saw before this

[@ChildishSoap]

Cool im learning baybayin myself and its a cool but kind of confusing

[@ccc-canine]

Thank you so much for making this video! It broke things down a bit further for me and wasn't just overwhelming like most conlang tutorials or videos. It's also really nice to see it tailored for those who are on the more visual side of the arts!

[@klgraywill]

I'm so glad it was helpful! Thank you for the kind comment, definitely encourages me to make more tutorials like this 💕

[@damie2545]

Thanks for this guide to conlangs. I originally watched this video out of curiosity, but now I have an idea of inventing a conlang that sounds similar to German or French but looks like Mandarin Chinese (but it has a lot of curved or calligraphic strokes).

[@randompost4180]

Can you type the phonts on cellphones also%

[@TheLivingBlobfish]

This was extremely helpful! I always struggle with getting a good vocabulary into my language, and Awkwords is helping with that SO much!!! Thank you!!

[@Poopick]

My influence is either something that only i can pronounce or some kind of a reflex of a language so i can eadily calculate words into a new form. But why do that when you can create an original conlang that sound also natural/fitting for the setting and also quirky and funny so the linguists around us can enjoy without cringing at another reflex of english.... yeah sorry for the rant the video was great

[@junodoesworldbuilding2956]

I really liked this! Its quite unusual to see tutorials for conlanging that are specifically for authors and artists, etc- really really great stuff Also your art is lovely ;u;

[@klgraywill]

thank you so much! glad you enjoyed :)

[@AphroditesCreativeChronicles]

This was AWESOME!!! Thank you!

[@dougquinn9705]

wow this was incredibly helpful....not only did you cover everything + but you actually gave me insight as to how I can research language...thanks again and great video!

[@parkerburr9556]

currently trying to write a character with a slightly middle eastern accent who speaks a different language than the other characters! so i think this will be very helpful :)

[@LutinKarau]

Awesome to see all the process !

[@klgraywill]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@daxx3232]

cool video! i liked the parts about fontmaking due to me having an ostrich brain when it comes to remembering instructions becuse of the simplicity xd

[@klgraywill]

omg aha not an ostrich brainnnn. I'm glad it was helpful tho!!

[@Iris.O]

This was very helpful as I’m currently hyper fixated on making a conlang. No I haven’t even started yet. I’m thinking though that it might not be based off real language cause it comes from a species that existed was before planet Earth. I’ll have to think on that though; I learned a few things in Spanish that I might consider when doing this.

[@mr.shahriar]

I actually want to create a font like hangul for my conlang. Because my conlang script is inspired from Arabic and korean. I thing I need to do a lot of ligatures for that.

[@heliomachit5651]

I really enjoyed this guide, this is exactly what I was looking for to generate conlangs for my worldbuilding project. I like how you included the tid bit about languages that read top to bottom, Im basing a conlang on Mongolian.

[@Private-Potato]

This is going to be really helpful for the book I’m planning. Thanks so much for this.

[@abiodunade8242]

Thank you so much for this

[@klgraywill]

I hope it was helpful!

[@jaminsoncampbell7507]

i like your art style, and how you simplified Conlangs',. i'm trying to make my own languge for a race of elves for my book so thanks again.

[@_silver_sun_]

I was literally just wondering how the hell I was going to further my current language. I thank you profusely for saving me from a future of many hours spent not knowing where to begin within the process.

[@redlemonsydney]

been wanting to redo a conlang for a wip webcomic, + make a few more for it. this could come in handy!

[@klgraywill]

do itttt do it do it

[@keirapendragon5486]

THANK YOU! These tools are Amazing!

[@VinylFoxx23]

The fact that Welsh has an influence on your world is amazing, you make me proud to be Welsh. Diolch i chi am eich holl waith

[@StarlasAiko]

Subbed and thanks for all the links.

[@alex_the_confused_2773]

Thank you sm! I was actually able to make a font for my conlang (though I can't get it to write right to left) I'll take any tips I can get for libre office writer

[@kaikirito]

Ohh this could come in handy for Ley Line.

[@klgraywill]

ooo yes you could do some cool celtic inspired languages!

[@kaikirito]

@@klgraywill might have to give it a try :P

[@tianoninanana]

Thank u so much for this video! We'll said and so insightful!

[@klgraywill]

thank you!! I'm glad you thought so ahhh

[@terrydakingslay]

My language is based on stacking the alphabet in 3 blocks, one with the first consonant, the 2nd which always has a vowel and the last block contains a consonant that almost always changes its look, although I am a little disappointed how my conlang can't be typed, I can use the old form of my language which was written from left to right and it looked hideous and took up tons of space, so that's why I removed it

[@seiros575]

I'm writing a fiction novel, and the main character is the first to learn that magic is a language, and spells are just words or word fragments. Putting power and emotion into spells is what gives them power.

[@klgraywill]

that sounds so cool!

[@L4g__]

Im thinking about using the wistle language, Silbo Gomero, from the canary islands

[@pentelegomenon1175]

Cuneiform wasn't chiseled into stone, it was indented into soft clay, which is why it lacks lines. I actually can't figure out why lineless scripts never caught on, other than Braille I guess.

[@animanya394]

This is very useful!

[@roadman_hanzi]

Eh , I am conlanger and I wanted something more in the conlang font thingy but eh.. I kinda have this script that is basically an abjad alphabet kanji mix which is easy for me but I can't get it in like a keyboard

[@hamuandgeo8798]

I personally don’t intentionally take any influence from real life languages because I like the chaos of it, it’s sorta my conlang brand. However I’ve noticed instinctually I insert a lot of Japanese and English influence because those are the languages I speak

[@hamuandgeo8798]

By this I don’t mean I don’t use natural constructions, grammar, systems, etc I just don’t think about specific languages that use the. When making my languages

[@hamuandgeo8798]

And yes, this creates many unnatural constructions, but the languages still appear mostly natural so its sorta uncanny and that’s my style

[@leelewis926]

I have spoken my Conlang (Ashoke [aka "Chok"], since I was about 7 years old (over 50 years). It is not based on a fictional realm. It was just a language which I created to express myself, and I taught my little sister to speak it with me as well. We used it for many years as a private language. As time went by, she grew apart from my linguistic interests and she only Speaks Ashoke limitedly as an adult. Meanwhile, I developed the language further, defining rules, identifying "irregulars" and so forth. I designed a script which I now use as a TTF font. I share this only to provide you with a further perspective of Conlanging aside from fiction. I have used my Conlang outside of the fictional realm in diaries, personal notes, journals, staff meeting minutes and more. It is a part of my life. I share with you a link to my "Ashoke album" which share many images from my Ashoke experience. photos.app.goo.gl/gmYpctkH1t68T9ya6

[@internetaltar]

is it possible to make a ligature font for diacritics or syllabaries (where if you for example type t and a, it’ll turn into whatever symbol stands for “ta”) ? i have no idea if it’s a thing people can do but ligatures seemed like a way more sensible option than just making diacritics out of number keys or something

[@klgraywill]

Yes most def! Calligraphr, the program I used in this vid, allows you to make custom characters for ligatures, but it's a paid feature. If you trawl the comments someone else shared a link that goes in depth on using ligatures with other softwares!

[@mushythemushroomwizard7712]

Aah, im not sure where to start u know? With my world I just picked sounds from the IPA that sounded somewhat what I wanted it to, made root words and Ill go from there, it will be a proto-lang so I dont really mind if every word doesnt fit the bill. Not sure if I should do more research!? Just unsure how to-

[@Lynn-pw9nw]

Lol, in my current language (It's in testing phase really, nothing official yet, just playing around with cases) - there are exactly 26 cases, and words can get super cluttered because of this. For an example: “She” is “Sésva” Is it a nominative case? Yes? Then it would be “Sésvaa” Is it a nominative case/plural? Yes? Then it would be “Sésvaa'k” Is it an object form? Yes? Then it would be “Sésvae” Alright, if it's a nominative case, as well as a plural, (it's also a possessive subject pronoun), it would be written as “Sésvaa'kej” Yep. I'm even frying my brain with this one. Also, there’s more! In this conlang, it likes to specify who is talking. So, for all these situations below, there is a case for it. Me to you/You to me: “Na” Us (me and you): “Ky” Us (me excluding you): “Ke” We (me but not you or them): “Ge” We (Some others, me and you): “My” We (Me and you): Jeg Again, I'm just toying with things to see how it'll work out. In general this language is very similar to English, being never phonetically correct, but takes some aspects and spelling from European languages and others I admire. Lol.

[@YEEEEEEEEEEET999]

Ljkþ nvvu ddjö 🤣🤣🤣

[@atheistmando4976]

Imagine writin a language inspired off of kanji and not the indo-euro phonology

[@dyzphoriia]

there's actually a fairly unknown conlang called Chinese that uses something similar to kanji

[@atheistmando4976]

@@dyzphoriia very funny. I meant more so for fantasy or sci fi based stories.

[@BertLeyson]

What if I just want to make a conlang for artistic purposes (a.k.a. artlangs)? Kinda like the artlang Tsevhu, which has ripples and koi fish for words and grammatical placement, respectively (I'm not sure if you heard of it, but oh well...).

[@Chordata-flyer]

Do you maybe have any advice for making a more primitive language based on the noises an animal can make? Something not as defined as language today, but still obviously a language. Like the hypothesis on the beginnings of human language.

[@largedarkrooster6371]

Just some ideas that I feel like can help give you the aesthetic you might be looking for Maybe focus on using environmental sounds (onomatopoaeic sounds for animals, like something like "woof" for dog) or maybe descriptive words (like saying "brown-scary" meaning bear or something) and try to strip sentences down to the most basic parts of a sentence that you need to create meaning (minimal declensions and conjugations, don't use too many small words like "the" or "a", etc.). I think duplication (saying a word twice) to mark plurals could also be a cool choice for making a language that sounds simpler and more like "proto-language" (saying "cat" means one cat and saying "cat-cat" means multiple cats)

[@candlelit4112]

Easy part done now. Now time to learn Greek bc my language is based off that 😍🥰

[@jessepollack2815]

When are u gonna drop ur first apology video

[@klgraywill]

lmk what I'm apologizing for and I'm on it asdfghj

[@jessepollack2815]

@@klgraywill apologize for this kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3iWn4B4d6yIY80

[@klgraywill]

@@jessepollack2815 OMFG STOPPPPP

[@Clarity_Inabottle]

The way I used to make up languages was just to jumble around the letters like a salad and write the matches down- I mean it works, it’s just not very practical. Like, here’s an example of one random jumble of letters I decided to make. A=K B=O C=Z D=A E=T F=S G=E H=L I=G J=P K=D L=Y M=W N=V O=X P=J Q=I R=M S=E T=B U=C V=F W=R X=U Y=Z Z=H For example, “Hello” would be “Ltyyx”, but obviously that’s hard to say so it’s just pronounced “Ltyex” This sucks lol

[@Ray-ye3pf]

Is there a way to build an entirely new language library or pack for an operating system to use? Not a font. But an entire language that is used for the operating system’s UI. Not for the coding.

[@hustlewithhimanshu8899]

The orthography of your conlang Navenai is very similar to my conlang Suloriyas's orthography Itika.😃

[@klgraywill]

It's undergone a few evolutions since this video but that's rad!

[@KingOfHallowedLands]

Finally I can use my old Norse for a reason now

[@rhatmakesvideos]

This video was amazing thank you so much for this ;-;

[@klgraywill]

glad it was helpful!

[@CadetheDraglin]

I want to create a language for my alien characters "Psyfrogs" and the language will be called "PeltRaex" so this video will be useful for me.

[@Real_Moon-Moon]

Not sure if it is covered, but I doubt it since I don't see anyone cover it. But, how would I go about creating custom phonetics? The species this language is for don't have the advanced vocal chords like humans. So, their speech is a lot more growly, less defined, and stuff like that.

[@latikabhujbal1411]

The Devnagari Text read Īstarī Andā which means Easter Egg .

[@ahmedabdrabo4139]

I want to create a language that combines Greek, ancient Egyptian, Arabic and Turkish into one language

[@mumtazniazi9877]

If ur language is written top to bottom, u could do it like this: Type a character, press enter, type a character, press enter, and do that until u sone with what u want to type. Which would be something like this: H i g u y s

[@StichyWichy21]

To have fonts represent abugidas and syllabaries more intuitively (as in, to be able to type two letters to have one single character appear), this video on contextual ligatures is helpful: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKariqtmfpqJgM0

[@klgraywill]

There was someone else who commented about David Peterson's series and I can't find that comment now that I'm looking again, so I guess they must have deleted it. So anyway, thank you for sharing it here again because it is a great resource! Calligraphr, the browser tool I use here, also has a ligatures function (I think it is for the Pro version only tho).

[@Potocalter]

Wait where did you get dacian from? i cant find any info that isnt the basic about my ancestors at all 😭

[@LunariaOasis]

I’m just scared that if I make a chapter talk in the language I created. In another language it could mean something bad...

[@whatsyourname9581]

That is going to happen inevitably, whether you like it or not. Take the word mushy for example, it means insect in Japanese and is slang for vag!na in German. Meanwhile, the word d!ck in German just means thick. You can only go so far with sound combinations, there are going to be weird/funny coincidences and they also occur between real world languages. So don't worry about it too much, majority will not notice it. View it in a way that you're giving funny easter eggs to certain readers of your work.

[@mistycupcake2921]

Gracias 😄

[@acompletelynormalhuman6392]

The way avabic is written similar to the cistercian numbers is it partly inspired by cistercian numbers?

[@onijoetavious]

well I know what webtoon im checking out after this vid "wink" "wink"

[@mumtazniazi9877]

Write dis phrase in avabic: Vroom, vroom! i am driving a car!

[@stormsith5169]

Can you do a video on some websites to use for langauge making. (free websites too)

[@teaster2469]

after i click "Build Font" I can't do anything with my font. I tried opening the files on my phone but they won't open. Copy pasting the font doesn't work either, I can't use the font I created at all

[@shadowpastathetf2kidwithau706]

My language is spoken by one oc in my roster "aelora" but i call her "aeley"

[@shadowpastathetf2kidwithau706]

Basicaly elvish cuz shes an elf

[@shadowpastathetf2kidwithau706]

My elvish

[@ZoruaLightning]

When your syllabary has 122 characters but calligraphr is the only website that works remotely well 😔

[@Iminpain-g3f]

How do I think of symbols for the language, the language is supposed to be super dense so one word could translate to entire paragraphs but idk how to go about it. I’m trying to make it so many words can fit into smaller spaces

[@mil87_]

Okay, I have my custom font as a .otf and .ttf file, and I was planning on using Microsoft Word to type in my conlang, but apparently you have to pay a subscription service now to use the full version; as far as I can tell the free in-browser version doesn't support custom fonts. I've been looking for about 2 hours and I can't find any free word processors that support .otf or .ttf fonts. Can anyone either recommend a free word processor I can use, or a way to use custom fonts on the in-browser version of Microsoft Word? Thanks a million.

[@gwho]

Vocab isn't necessary. Just let people use whatever word from anynothe rlanguage for lexemes. All you need is for vocab to be substitutable into the structure of your language. Exa.ple in English: Hindu-ify. Hindu isn't a native English word, but we import that word, and treat it as a noun, which includes being able to add suffixes to it, like Hindu-ify.

[@poppingcandy2909]

How deep would I have to go if I just wanted to create a language for fun, not for a world or characters or anything? Just to teach my family/friends/cat?

[@largedarkrooster6371]

It depends on context and how far you want to go. Also, maybe speakers can contribute. All you really need after your phonology and grammar is a few root words and then you can build bigger words and deeper concepts depending on the rules of the language. You can of course also always borrow from real world languages that you might be familiar with. But you need to think about what your goal is first so you can have a bit of a game plan

[@gabieldenstierna]

The sad part is that a few sounds from Swedish, which my fictional language draws inspiration from in pronunciation, doesn't exist in the IPA :')

[@Ggdivhjkjl]

That's highly unlikely. IPA even includes symbols for scores of different click consonants. It's more probable you simply haven't found a complete IPA chart or list.

[@MatthewMcVeagh]

So you're not covering grammar then? Even if a conlang is just a naming language grammar will logically be involved somewhere, e.g. plurals vs. singulars in the names for items, noun gender in men's and women's names. It's also arguable that grammar is a defining and necessary characteristic of something's being a language.

[@TastyToez]

Gotta love how I'm listening but I don't understand wtf is going on 💀

[@sibrahim8081]

Can you show us the whole alphabet for Avabic and Nevinai and the whole abjad for tzalí

[@sibrahim8081]

Also it's because on my school laptop I wanna use the "Save Image" button to make a literall collection of these, so now I think I'm a conlang collector

[@saitama4200]

Great now I speak enchantment table ∆¶Π|¶∆~

[@verioldpfp1789]

for me when i created the font for my conlang when i opened either file it was just the bulgarian alphabet and a sentance including all the letters. does anyone have tips on what and why it went wrong? edit: NVM I'M STUPID THANKS FOR THE TUTORIAL I GOT IT

[@KenFur]

Can I make loanword in my conlang? as example : consequence -> konsekwunya, condition -> kondinya, sickplace(hospital) -> sakwifentrum.

[@Igreatlyadmirecats]

Dū thäpäzo äshama dafä - you be like crop grow - you, grow like a crop - have a good life

[@Janinesvideodiaryish]

what if im not making a language for artistic purposes, just for personal uses?

[@pas-giaw6055]

What if, like my conlangs, its an sylabbary or logography, with 100+ glyphs; how can I do that?

[@38WestSinger]

I just made a dialect of estonian😊

[@juliab3326]

Is this about conlangs or naming languages because I don´t see you talking about grammar?

[@doinkaesthetics]

Question: I'm not too into linguistics, so my only question is, does it *have* to be based off a real life language? I know that may help ground it into reality, but studying different languages to base your conlang off of seems much too tedious for me.

[@klgraywill]

Hey sorry I've been hiatus so I didn't get around to this earlier! But ofc not - there's no right way to make a conlang! I do think studying natural languages is really important to understand what will make believable constructed languages, but that's just my process.

[@NormBleac]

I want to say great video, but it was great only when the video feed didn't utterly distract from what you were saying. Your animation workflow video is interesting in itself, but nothing short of disruptive here. Other than that, I liked it a lot

[@otabakbitecek]

that was literally one of my fav parts to actually see the world being built in what is essentially a WORLD BUILDING VIDEO lol

[@noam1879]

Ummm i have 28 letters and 10 diacritics, what should I do?

[@thatsunnypoet]

Calligrphr doesn't want to work on my phone what should I do?

[@Deibi078]

I want to TYPEEEEEEE

[@Kostya2005]

Hey k.l.Graywill can i get avabic and conlang font for free

[@mumtazniazi9877]

*syntax left the chat* *grammer left the chat*

[@firesword9561]

Yes!!!!

[@thewatcher3223]

I’m dumb as a donkey but how do you type with your font? I installed the my language?

[@klgraywill]

if it's installed, you should be able to select it from the font dropdown list in any program that allows you to apply fonts to text (word, photoshop, etc).

[@thewatcher3223]

@@klgraywill thanks so much I can use it now!

[@anieclaircy477]

How do you use your fonts? I can’t get past installing them

[@klgraywill]

Ahhh it kinda depends on your OS and what softwares. For me on a Mac, when I open the file it will install it (add it to my Mac's Font Book) and from there it just becomes a new option the text dropdown in any program like Word, Photoshop, etc. that uses text (or Procreate if I'm using my iPad) - it should do this automatically with any new font you install. It just functions like a normal font, so best bet is just search up how installing fonts works on your specific device cos I can't do that much as far as device troubleshooting goes!

[@Nuezi672]

You realise that people don't want to make conlangs just for that.

[@mindblown8566]

wow nice vid kid

[@klgraywill]

ty tyyyyy !

[@love4firefly]

MACEDONIA MENTIONED RAAAAAAAHHHH

[@robo1540]

tfw my entire language is based on ligatures

[@klgraywill]

Calligraphr has a ligatures function! It's paid but I might try remaking my abugida with it and make an update video. If you trawl the comments there are some other good resources mentioned that support ligatures like fontforge

[@ayzure0]

Not only fantasy 😑

[@BooksiBo]

I have an english based language and a completely fictional language with no real base in reality from the same place, the ancient colismoscria (pronounced sol- iss- moe- scry- ah) and cosmossian. Oh! And one was banned for many years so many don't know it!

[@ilaldkxb]

this video made my fictional language look like stereotypical dutch/german 💀 eich sprecht fichtelangie (i speak fichtelang) hejcht was auchrestten (he was arrested) plural words have en with the last letter for example: apfellen caurren moterren hejchtten zeitchbrennen