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The Fan Language of Splatoon

Ika Klaus

Inkster Jr.
Joined
Jan 6, 2016
Messages
16
NNID
Legend402
I'm sure that this has been answered or covered elsewhere in this forum, video, or the like, but I was wondering what the sentence structure of the language is. Like in German, English, French, etc. I know that it is Subject -> Verb -> Object. Or is it like Japanese S -> O -> V, since it seems that some of the stuff in Inkling is based off of Japanese like making stuff possessive and making a verb past tense. Also where do modal verbs go in a sentence or second verbs? Are there certain rules for certain kind of clauses?
Sorry if this was a lot of questions, but I just recently found this forum thread and was really intrigued. I have one final question, are you still working on developing this language in anyway, and if so would I be able to contribute.
 

PiyozR

Senior Squid
Joined
Jun 8, 2015
Messages
75
Location
Nowhere Islands
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titanmkiii
I'm sure that this has been answered or covered elsewhere in this forum, video, or the like, but I was wondering what the sentence structure of the language is. Like in German, English, French, etc. I know that it is Subject -> Verb -> Object. Or is it like Japanese S -> O -> V, since it seems that some of the stuff in Inkling is based off of Japanese like making stuff possessive and making a verb past tense. Also where do modal verbs go in a sentence or second verbs? Are there certain rules for certain kind of clauses?
Sorry if this was a lot of questions, but I just recently found this forum thread and was really intrigued. I have one final question, are you still working on developing this language in anyway, and if so would I be able to contribute.
IRU, Ika Klaus, sorry for getting back to you so late.

There are some examples in the PDF guide that demonstrate that normal sentence structure in Inkling goes S-V-O. You're right that many elements are clearly Japanese and others clearly Western linguistically. The design here was that the phonetics resembles Japanese broadly and the sentence structure resembles English. Thus, clauses work just like they do in English here. That way, English speaking Splatoon fans needn't learn dense, unfamiliar grammar to use this fan conlang for their own projects.

I'm happy you've found this place. In the months after Splatoon came out, this place was a-poppin'. Since then, we've gone quiet as the general Splatoon web chatter has died down and I moved abroad and started working full time. There are no plans for major developments at this point. However, if there are any vocabulary or grammar points that you would like to contribute, post them here and I will consider them for the guide linked to in my signature. Will all this change as Splatoon 2 nears release and this fanbase becomes revitalized? Possibly. As things stand now, I'd prefer to leave the hard details of the conlang in stone and let the community use what we've created for their own fan art, fiction, what-have-you.
 
Joined
Apr 22, 2016
Messages
3
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DreamLander23
I don't think anyone really knows what this thread is anymore, and I can say for a fact that nobody here knows who I am because I honestly have not been any help at all...but I wanted to know how the PDF guide is doing. I saw the physical copy (AMAZING I NEED TO GET IT) but I can't find the PDF one. I want to learn this accurately, and I have a feeling that if I go back to the most recent PDF I won't get accurate language.
 

PiyozR

Senior Squid
Joined
Jun 8, 2015
Messages
75
Location
Nowhere Islands
NNID
titanmkiii
I don't think anyone really knows what this thread is anymore, and I can say for a fact that nobody here knows who I am because I honestly have not been any help at all...but I wanted to know how the PDF guide is doing. I saw the physical copy (AMAZING I NEED TO GET IT) but I can't find the PDF one. I want to learn this accurately, and I have a feeling that if I go back to the most recent PDF I won't get accurate language.
The latest version of the language guide is on the hub page linked to in my signature. I've updated it with the latest version. One of these days I will update it only to fix the formatting. You can take the PDF to many office supply stores and they can print physical bound copies for you in an hour (in the USA, at least). It's far less expensive than trying to sell this stuff through my website with outrageous shipping prices to all our contributors all around the globe. I'd love to bless you all with a handheld copy of our creation. Sadly, it's just not practical given the nature of this project.
 

Cdr. Sigma Skye

Inkling Representative for The Order and Sirius
Joined
Aug 19, 2016
Messages
19
Location
Madison, MS
Here's another song that could use some translation, it's from Initial D and done by Dave Rodgers. The song is called Space Boy, here listen:
Every conlang needs a bit of everything, right?

Lyrics:
[Verse 1]
every night you light me with your gasoline
everytime i feel delight when you recall my name
so you can be my shining star tonite
I'm not alone with all your love
fly across the sky
you will be mine
i can feel your dream with you BABE

[chorus]
gonna get you
like a space boy!
wowowowo
I'm ready Babe

gonna get you
i'm your space boy
dive into your heart baby
gonna get you
like a space boy!
wowowowow
I need you babe

gonna get you
like a space boy
take a chance with me baby

[Verse 2]
every night you drive me crazy like you know
everyday i scream so loud you'll always be my queen
so you can be my shining star tonite
I'm not alone with all your love
fly across the sky
you will be mine
i can feel your dream with you BABE

[Repeat Chorus and Verse 1]

gonna get you
space boy

gonna get you
I'm a space boy!

gonna get you
like a space boy
wowowowo
i need you babe
gonna get you
i'm a space boy
take a chance with me baby

Now, I feel like making the word for "Space" since the PDF has no entry for it. I was thinking, Spore, and Space Boy as Sporeyu. This is in honor of the greatest metagame of evolution ever made.
 
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PiyozR

Senior Squid
Joined
Jun 8, 2015
Messages
75
Location
Nowhere Islands
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titanmkiii
Here's another song that could use some translation, it's from Initial D and done by Dave Rodgers. The song is called Space Boy, here listen:
After the mental anguish behind the Speed Demon translation, count me out. What ever became of that video idea, anyway?
 

Ika Klaus

Inkster Jr.
Joined
Jan 6, 2016
Messages
16
NNID
Legend402
IRU, Ika Klaus, sorry for getting back to you so late.
ha ha, that's okay, no rush

However, if there are any vocabulary or grammar points that you would like to contribute, post them here and I will consider them for the guide linked to in my signature.
Are there any rules to keep in mind when creating words, like you can't use certain characters in certain places in a word, like the Japanese ん can't begin any non foreign words?
edit: Well never mind that example I guess apparently it can be used in certain dialects. I hope what I'm trying to say is still clear.
 

PiyozR

Senior Squid
Joined
Jun 8, 2015
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75
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Nowhere Islands
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titanmkiii
And just like that, the French portion of the global Splatoon community has learned about our conlang! A popular French YouTuber has made a video about this project and the number of views, subscriptions and activity on the YouTube channel has exploded! Gonna go check my website's stats, too.

Speaking of the website, I made a few changes to the guide. Besides some formatting fixes, I added phrases for "Shut up!", "Mind your own business!" and "Cut it out!" Expect me to update the hub page whenever I get around to it.
 

Ikaheishi

Bobble-chan
Premium
Joined
Oct 14, 2015
Messages
258
Location
California
Now I really do need to get back to working on this!

Sorry for more-or-less disappearing without any notice. For the past year I've been struggling with academics, declining health, depression, and even legal troubles.

I've started to get back into the groove of life and working on different things (as can be seen here), and hopefully I will have something posted to my inkling language repository in the next few weeks.
 

Strategic

Inkling
Joined
Apr 11, 2017
Messages
2
Hey, PiyozR, are you still continuing the video guides on YouTube, or are you done with them?
 

EclipseMT

Full Squid
Joined
Jul 9, 2015
Messages
41
NNID
EclipseMT
Oh, man, I have been inactive for so long.

But to follow through with "train conductor" being the equivalent idiom for "someone who 'carries' the team," can "All aboard!" also be slang for "get ready for me to carry this team!", and, essentially, "take the train" is an idiom for "get carried"?

edit: (e.g.: "All aboard the <player's role> train!" could mean, <player's role> is hard carrying.) Also, in this context, "pay the fare" could mean "you owe me something for carrying you.")
 
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EclipseMT

Full Squid
Joined
Jul 9, 2015
Messages
41
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EclipseMT
@PiyozR (I was gonna post this on your profile, but it has a 420 character limit, and therefore, I have to be the thread necromancer to contribute this new idea.)

Sorry to bother you, but remember that MOBA-like "Calamari Turf War" segment on the conlang guide? I kind of want to elaborate more on its origin, but the forum post is dead (n.b.: this will have some real-world parallels with how the MOBA genre was formed, and because I am lazy to invent new terms, I just inserted the real figures' names and aliases, and used the game names of the equivalent formats, indicated in square brackets. Feel free to edit as necessary).

M.E.(Mollusk Era) 1989/12/15: The style is first introduced in Calamari County, in a primitive form (one can argue that this is the closest the format has been compared to the Turf Wars run in Inkopolis). This form was starkly different compared to the current iteration of the format. Among the differences were that there were no real "builds" present in this iteration as is current tradition in current formats. However, the "fight an enemy team's opposing units" and "game lasts until base is destroyed" concepts were presents.

M.E. 199?/??/??: A creator under the alias of [Aeon64] (nobody knows where he or she is from, or who he or she is. We can imply s/he's an Octoling or West Inkling, or possibly none of those species based on linguistic conventions) introduces his [Aeon of Strife] format. Introduces the "standard" map of 3 lanes and the "hero-centric" combat.

M.E. 2003/??/??: The Aeon of Strife format is refined further into the "Defense of the Ancients" format by creators [Eul], [Icefrog] (r.n. unknown), and [Guinsoo] (r.n. Steve Feak), located somewhere in [N. America.] This is the grandfather template by which all current schools of this style derive from, introducing the "towers" in the lanes between the base. The format is picked up by millions worldwide, but there was still no official regulation.

M.E. 2006/09/??: [Riot Games], the org that would eventually manage this format in a new form worldwide, is founded. [Guinsoo] leaves [Dota] management.

M.E. 2007/12/??: Infrastructure concerns among [DotA] format players worldwide (the management was intense and the resources required were absurd to even run such an event, with several people required to play the unsatisfactory "minion" role) nearly kill the physical format of the event. Small scale variants arise, more in the form of what gamers call a FPS. A solution had to be implemented.

M.E. 2009/10/27: The first iteration of the online PC game [League of Legends], the game to revive and preserve the format, is introduced by [Riot Games]. Eventually adopted throughout [NA] and [Europe].

M.E. 2010: The ranked ladder forms for the league. Confined to ladders per region, with a grand ladder measuring players worldwide. Pro teams eventually form in [NA] and [Europe].

M.E. 2010/10/??: First major tournament run, featuring teams for this game from around the world. A European team ends up as the victor.

M.E. 2013: Octo Valley (n.b.: I like to use them as a stand-in for Korea, both North and South) adopts the LoL format, and starts their ranked ladder. Historically, they had been playing the progenitor formats since their inception. Pro teams form in the South to compete in the [LoL Champions of Korea league], while the North still allocate physical resources to their take on the format (which is relatively confined to its home region).

M.E. 2013/09/??: Other variations on the format arise to compete with this LoL format. The most popular of these variations ends up being one by [IceFrog] and [Eul] of the DotA era.

M.E. 2014: Pro teams arise among Inkling circles. Ranked ladder forms. Made popular among retired Turf Warriors. Is especially welcomed in Calamari County, as the creators acknowledge the region's contribution to the current format.

M.E. 2015 The first season of the LoL Inkling League is run. Pro teams arise among other regions, henceforth known as "Wildcard regions." They eventually get added into the main lineup, with one team from these regions competing in the global competitive event.

M.E. 2016/10/22: The largest tournament in attendance and prize pool by far, [World Championship 2016], is run.

M.E. 2017: Healthy competition is maintained, and a healthy player economy arises. Changes in Turf War regulations (increasing license fees (n.b.: my way of explaining Nintendo's paid online multiplayer)) attract more to the game.
 

PiyozR

Senior Squid
Joined
Jun 8, 2015
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75
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Nowhere Islands
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titanmkiii
@EclipseMT Doesn't the Splatoon universe take place twelve thousand years in the future? What does Inkling life and language have to do with MOBAs?

@Strategic Sorry for not seeing your post, dude. I am not going to make any more videos. Sorry. Full time job + hour long commute + competitive Smash + serious gf + active music scene = no time for conlangs
 

EclipseMT

Full Squid
Joined
Jul 9, 2015
Messages
41
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EclipseMT
@EclipseMT Doesn't the Splatoon universe take place twelve thousand years in the future? What does Inkling life and language have to do with MOBAs?
To be fair, absolutely nothing outside of what is established in-game has been really developed. Splatfests were (more or less) confirmed canon (given that the final splatfest results, directly or otherwise, influenced the story's plot) though, so inklings knowing ideas of this world isn't far-fetched.

In addition, what we see as Splatoon players is really a pastiche of Japan and Korea (depending on interpretation as to where Octo Valley is geography-wise; there was an old concept art showing a long manhole tunnel beneath the sea connecting the two). Going off of pure canon, we have no idea how life is on the other side of the pond (how they would represent the Americas), or the mainland and past it (mainland Asia and Europe).

With all of this aside, what do you think of how I described keyboard input for the language (keyboards have the *a characters and the vowels as their keys, and they type as written, transforming characters on the fly)?

edit: Corrected grammar. (you competitively smash? so do i)
 
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PiyozR

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titanmkiii
Well, I believe that Nintendo themselves stated that Splatoon happens twelve thousand years in the future from now. Not that I doubt that MOBAs will still be around in several millenia. MOBAs will outlive mankind, no question.

I just feel odd about making lots of details about the Splatoon world. Obviously, making a conlang would mean applying it in some sort of world. Language is anything but isolated from context. It's just that the only context to which I want this conlang to apply is the context that Nintendo provided in Splatoon. Which is not very much. Because this is Nintendo and that's not how they handle franchises. We easily could have drawn up maps and detailed different geography and regions and history and politics as a fan fiction supplement to the conlang. I've done fan fiction before so this wouldn't have been out of my comfort zone. But I believe that degree of world building is outside the scope of this project. It's simply not what I wanted to do. Splatfests, the war with Octolings, Calimari County is all the canon that I wanted for this conlang.

I cannot comment on your keyboard input concept because I don't understand it in the slightest.
 

PiyozR

Senior Squid
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titanmkiii
"Remember Me"
from Disney/Pixar's Coco
written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez​


[ENGLISH] {MUYOBOI}
-Remember me {že pafu i}
-Though I have to say good-bye {heideso i bie hanu}
-Remember me {že pafu i}
-Don't let it make you cry {žo gapie ŧunu}

-For even if I'm far away {deso i fiše oboi}
-I hold you in my heart {i muŧa pa naki}
-I sing a secret song to you {i hažie pa gidero}
-Each night we are apart {ko pa huinesi}

-Remember me {že pafu i}
-Though I have to travel far {deso i subi supai}
-Remember me {že pafu i}
-Each time you hear a sad guitar {oyene pa šano henai}
-Know that I'm with you the only way that I can be {žizi i žo tabai ayuke i ya putai}
-Until you're in my arms again {saide i ano pa bašo}
-Remember me {že pafu i}

-If you close your eyes and let the music play {noi iyoči tudi dižekoi}
-Keep our love alive, I'll never fade away {diže eyose guža putaizoi}
-Remember me {že pafu i}
-For I will soon be gone {taisiwa susuka}
-Remember me {že pafu i}
-And let the love we have live on {sumai mainu si kaota}

-Know that I'm with you the only way that I can be {žizi i žo tabai ayuke i ya putai}
-Until you're in my arms again {saide i ano pa bašo}
-Remember me {že pafu i}
 

EclipseMT

Full Squid
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Jul 9, 2015
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41
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EclipseMT
Oh, so this project is still alive. Glad to see. (n.b.: thanks to the direct's recent reveal, i may end up picking up my end again. I already have a couple of reworks planned to be more in line)
 

TheKawaiifan

Inkling
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Mar 13, 2018
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10
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SW-0080-7367-3240
Iru!

I stumbled upon Piyoz's video series, and I think what you've been doing is the freshest thing ever! Ziebai for making this!

I've been busy trying to learn this language ever since. I've spent a bunch of time on memrise and i've been trying to memorize the alphabet (I made myself a chart that is hanging by my bed). I've also been memorizing some words and phrases to shout while i'm playing online (mostly "one one!" and "tochi!" and "pa si baka"). My goal is to someday go to a convention in cosplay and wear a shirt that says "talk to me, I speak inkling".

Anyways, I was wondering that now that Splatoon 2 has been out for awhile, are you going to update the vocab?

EDIT: I was just now looking through the pdf. the vector for "fork" <šusatu> is a bit glitched. Might wanna fix that before there's a creepypasta about forks or something lol
 
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Wario94

Inkling
Joined
Mar 29, 2018
Messages
8
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HeihachixKuniko
I was just now looking through the pdf. the vector for "fork" <šusatu> is a bit glitched. Might wanna fix that before there's a creepypasta about forks or something lol
Actually, that glitch was already fixed on the 2/26/2016 edition. Just you know.
 

PiyozR

Senior Squid
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titanmkiii
My company is honest-to-goodness going to pay me to teach Inkling to other teachers/corporate brass/miscellaneous workers for an entire day next month. A key factor is that I have to teach the entire session (ten to fifteen minutes) entirely in Inkling. No English. And somewhere in there I'm going to try to record a whole session, subtitle it in English and Inkling, and upload it to Inkopolis University. No promises, though.
 

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