#new genesian

[image text: Question received on Thu, August 09, 2018 10:53:09 PM fire-fira writes... Hi Greg, just a couple quick questions (because I'm a language nerd): 1) Are there compiled 'dictionaries' of each of the conlangs used in Young Justice (Atlantean, Rannian, etc.)? 2)If so, are any of them available online? (I ask this mostly as a fanfic writer who's a massive nerd and would like to have language references beyond what I've scraped together and expanded on.) Greg responds... 1. I have an abridged dictionary for New Genesian; it's a language I created for another science fiction project, which I coopted to use for YJ.  I think Nicole Dubuc has a dictionary for Rannian.  For Atlantean, I count on a consultant, Aris Katsaris.  For Markovian, I use GoogleTranslate for Latvian.  What am I forgetting? 2. I don't think so.  Though I think that most of the translations are up on the YJ Wiki. Response recorded on July 09, 2021 :image text end]

Well this is frustrating. :/ I only saw this reply a couple of days ago (it’s 1/17/2022 now)-- which is honestly unsurprising considering I gave up on getting an answer after months of nothing and it took roughly three years to get one-- and yeah, I’m a tiny bit disappointed. Partly for the lack of online sources for fans (which is more of a minor ‘Well darn. :/’), partly because of my own linguistic nerdiness (and having strong opinions about conglangs and how they get built), and partly the vague ‘Check for what other fans have done’ (mainly because I already have-- in terms of Atlantean anyway-- and the dictionary I’ve been writing already has more of the canon language compiled than what’s on the YJ Wiki).

Said opinions on the conlangs:

New Genesian: I can understand the desire to co-opt a conlang from one source for another. On the other hand (based on my experience with my own conlangs) I’m concerned that the adaptation might be clunky and awkward, especially if said language is heavily context-dependent. I haven’t done enough research/listening in on New Genesian lines in the show to have a good read on whether it is or not.

Rannian: Like New Genesian I haven’t learned/listened in enough on Rannian lines to know how well it flows/the structure of the conlang. And yeah, someone connected to the show has a dictionary, but (so far as I’m aware) that’s a complete nada for fan access.

Atlantean: HA. I applaud the fact that they have someone versed in Ancient Greek (from what I’ve heard anyway) as a basis to build the language from-- and building a conlang from a previously or currently existing language is a smart move because it helps side-step a lot of potential pitfalls for conlangs-- but. I reiterate. My [Atlantean dictionary], which I’ve been writing-- has more of the canon language (plus my own expansions based on and tweaked from Modern Greek) than the tiny bit on the [YJ Wiki]. As it is, it took longer than I would have preferred to find out where the Atlantean word ‘esperran’ came from. (Having an Ancient Greek-to-English dictionary would probably help me a fair amount, but I try to get by with the resources I have at my disposal as someone who doesn’t actually speak even Modern Greek.)

Markovian: GOOGLE. FUCKING. TRANSLATE. GOOGLE FUCKING TRANSLATE????? Running lines through googletranslate-- either through Latvian or into Latvian-- and calling it good is just... NO. Not just no, but HELL NO. Googletranslate can be trusted loosely at best, because for the most part it butchers the shit out of languages. I cannot believe how gd lazy this is. As a language nerd this one in particular annoys tf out of me.