Tag: Linguistics
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Resources for Fantasy Writers
I’ve made a page with links to many of the resources I’ve created for other fantasy writers. Among these, you’ll find books and articles on some aspects of fantasy writing that I once struggled with, including ways you can design maps or fictional languages for your world. I hope that these resources will help you…
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Write the Sounds of Your Fictional Language
My latest article will teach you the basics of how to use the International Phonetic Alphabet. Geared towards fantasy writers who want to craft better names for their characters, this article covers the basic types of consonants and vowels, including places and manners of articulation for consonants and some of the more common vowel qualities.…
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Learn to Craft Character Names
For several years, hmturnbull.com was focused mainly on reviewing books, movies and television. Since then, a number of things have changed in my life, and my goal of writing fiction has become more of a priority. For a long time, I’ve wanted to shift the focus of this website towards not only my own work,…
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What is Americanist Phonetic Notation?
In my last article on linguistics I reviewed the American Heritage Dictionary’s phonetic notation system. It was bad to say the least (the American Heritage Dictionary, I mean—not my article, hopefully). But there are other alternatives one might choose instead of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). I’m going to examine one of those today from…
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The Problem with the American Heritage Dictionary
Most dictionaries use a system of transcribing sounds called the International Phonetic Alphabet (or IPA). It eliminates most ambiguities so that—if you know how to use it—you can figure out exactly how a word should be pronounced. The IPA is also useful if you want to make up a fictional language for your story, as…
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Using the IPA to Create a Fantasy Language
If you’re creating a fictional language for a fantasy story, you’ll want to do more than build words out of letters. What you’re going to need are sounds and a way to write them without ambiguity. In this article, I will discuss how the International Phonetic Alphabet can help you invent a fantasy language. To…
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Writing Tip: The International Phonetic Alphabet Is Your Friend
If you’re writing a fantasy story that takes place in a different world, you’ll more than likely have to make up some words. Maybe you want to create a whole language, or maybe you just need a few names for characters or places. Either way, words are a big deal in the fantasy genre; they…