The AGS Open Source Language (AOSL)

[Sane Co.]

I was thinking that with AGS we could create the first open source language using a more complex version of the AGS IRC. AGS is already coded to handle this sort of thing. It would be like combining inventory items together. We start with a few basic words and suffix's such as Fire, Water; a word denoting that the word is a verb, noun and preposition; ect.
  Let's say Fire is "la" and water is "wa" and the word denoting verbiage is "ke." "Lawa" would be fire water A.K.A. alchohol or petrol, and "lakewa" where fire is a verb and being applied to the water, thus "lakewa" (Lah-Key-wah) would be boiling water.
   How would one go about doing this with AGS? I don't know how to code, but here's how I would do it. I would make the text objects and when two objects are combined a text box comes up and asks for input as to what the combined word means based off of the words roots. The word is then entered as an object and the cycle continues.
Would it be possible to connect this to a multiplayer server like the IRC?
If so would it be possible to send updates to each version of the game every time a new word is created?
Tell me what you guys think.
Sane Co.

[Radiant]

You're trying to recreate Esperanto?

[Sane Co.]

No, Esperanto is based on the Latin language. This language would not be based on any. Esperanto's word although it has suffixes, most words don't have smaller roots. This language would be easy to learn once you learn the basic roots. These roots would continue and almost every word is a combined word. Lets say that you know that tree is "ar" flat is "ax" and "et" is many.
Let's say that you come across the word "etaxar" which would literally mean "many flat trees" A flat tree is paper. So many flat trees would be a stack of paper. Or you know that "ol" is evil word is "en" and "es" makes a word plural. "Olenes" would literally be evil words, or a lie. That is a logical progression, thus making it easier for every one to understand the language more quickly than Esperanto. So no, I am not trying to recreate Esperanto, I am trying to make a fun game and be productive at the same time.

[Atelier]

Cool BUT

Let's say Fire is "la" and water is "wa" and the word denoting a verb is "ke." "Lawa" would be fire water A.K.A. alchohol or petrol

You would still need to know what the combined words semantically mean, defeating the whole purpose. For example, lawa could be interpreted many different ways by different people, which would be a bad language. I would not associate 'fire water' with alcohol or petrol at all, but maybe steam (in terms of the noun, not lakewa which would be the action of making steam). Another person might call it lava, ie flowing fire. So to interpret the combined word correctly, you would need to know what the combined word means in the first place Everybody learning the language would need to have an identical interpretation to you, the creator.

Also, there could be dozens of different ways of saying the same thing meaning you would have to learn all of these tiny two letter words. In your second example, etaxar means many flat trees -> paper. I wouldn't think of calling paper a flat tree. You could call it flat wood, thin wood, thin trees, timber slivers, log slivers, and so on. Flat wood may also mean fallen trees and not paper (granted, you would know from the context).

So if you can think of a way whereby the words can only be interpreted one way, it sounds good to me.

[Sane Co.]

Actually, I never meant that you could tell exactly what a word meant from the roots, what would be going on though is that the language would be easier to memorize, because you build on each root. I have not seen any language where you didn't have to memorize anything. But this would take the burden off of memorizing, I find when learning a new language that I can't remember what a word means because I don't have any connection to the word. In Latin I have connection to English words. By memorizing the basic roots of the AOSL, there would still be memorization, but the linkage between the two make really easy to memorize, because using logic it is easier to memorize than when not.

[Atelier]

Ok, but you are assuming everybody has the same logic as you. I don't think of petrol when I see 'fire water' but more than anything I think of steam. Even if you did remember all the roots, imagine if you came across the combination 'many flat trees' for the first time in a passage of text or speech. Would you honestly automatically know it was talking about a stack of paper? You would still need to know what 'many flat trees' was referring to which defeats the purpose of the roots. This problem is just based off the examples you have given yet all of them can be interpreted the way you didn't intend. If you do not need to know exactly what the word means, what is the point in the language? :/

[Ghost]

In addition to the points already raised, what would be the use of such a "language"? It could serve as a nice bit of explanation to a magic system or something, but why would one go and create yet another language for the sheer sake of it?
Impacilla carpisung was hilarious, but far too impractical.

"Olenes" would literally be evil words, or a lie. That is a logical progression

I could lie to safe a life. Would that be olenes? Logic is okay I think but a language is a lot about inflection, emotion, and background (math is pure logic, so math would be the most logical language).

[Radiant]

It could serve as a nice bit of explanation to a magic system or something,

Ah, that reminds me of the runic system of the Ultima series. It has such gems as Vas Sanct Lor = great protection from light = mass invisibility, or In Mani Ylem = invoke healing matter = create food.

[WHAM]

FLAM! FLAM! FLAM!
*fwooosh*
AN FLAM! AN FLAM! AN FLAM!

[Ryan Timothy B]

I have always agreed that one day in the far future when we have advanced programmed AI machines, we should create a better "universal" language. Something the machines would create for us by scanning through all the verbal/written languages and what is easiest for us to pronounce, read and verbally distinguish between.

I've always despised many parts of the English language (the only one I know, besides a few French phrases). Too many words sounding similar to each other, or having multiple meanings. Quick example: I got you a present. It's the present time. Turn right here (as someone points left).

Don't get me wrong, there are parts of the English language I love. But if we're going to have a universal language, why should it be English? The only issue is obviously implementing it. Just because you may teach the kids in school the new language, doesn't mean they will actually use it because of the older generations. Then there's road signs, business signs, books, everything. But we're nearly at that point where business signs are all going to be digital displays and books are mostly all digital now too.

The obvious reasons for lots of issues with the English language, or in any language in fact, is slang or ignorance. Just like how Canada still fights back and forth with the metric and imperial because of our southern neighbors and the older generations. We still sell butcher meat in lbs but sliced deli meat in 100 grams. Everyone knows what they weight in lbs. Not many actually know kilograms. We know kilometers and Celsius, but often hear miles and Fahrenheit. We also use liter instead of gallon. Baking is a bitch - half the instructions are metric, the other half imperial.

I kind of deviated from the topic.

[Ghost]

FLAM! FLAM! FLAM!

In Mani Nox!

That's kind of the system I was thinking about. Other ways would be a "spell grammar" as in some of the older DSA systems (target medium element). It would be a nice implementation for spells in a game, but a whole language? Nah. Muss echt nicht sein 

[ThreeOhFour]

Vas Sanct Lor = great protection from light = mass invisibility

Bloody genius.

[Baron]

If I read the first post correctly, I think what Sane Co. was getting at was making a code of letter combinations that could be sent between AGS games via IRC, much like the AGS awards ceremony (where mouseclicks sent coordinates as text and moved one's avatar on other games), but creating more complex interactions.  Furthermore, I think he wanted to discuss the possibility of hardwiring this logic into AGS itself, so that the code would be consistent between users instead of various developers creating their own.  Thus AGS would recognize that a "pt" command would mean "play talking" animation.  As far as this goes, I think it's a good idea, but the standard commands would be much more intuitive if they were parsed as existing AGS commands (maybe with a symbol in front of them for differentiation), since that's a new language that many of us already know.  For example, %player.Say_("Nope") for me is much more intuitive than pt"nope".

hafuwithto

[SSH]

Hóng lÇœ dÄ"ng!

[Sane Co.]

Ok, but you are assuming everybody has the same logic as you. I don't think of petrol when I see 'fire water' but more than anything I think of steam.

In the comment before I didn't say what I meant. What I meant is that you memorize the words but the roots make it easier to memorize. They would also guide you.

What would be the use of such a "language"?

Well I was thinking that we could use it for the community for games, sort of like an inside joke. Or something like that. It could be also used as a reference so that people don't have to create their own language and draw from the language in a game.

I could lie to safe a life. Would that be olenes? Logic is okay I think but a language is a lot about inflection, emotion, and background.

I agree, but I also believe that logic has something to do with it. In the example of the lie, I believe that all lies are evil, but they are only spurred on by other evil things, but as this isn't the point, the definition would be determined by the people who contribute to the language.
Also Baron is partly right, in the fact that I also wanted to discuss the technical aspect of implementing the idea into AGS. Which is one of the reasons that I posted this thread in the first place. But everyone has brought up good arguments that I shall ponder, think about and meditate on. But keep giving feedback.