Saturday, December 1, 2018

The Future of Amerysk

In the time since I started putting Amerysk materials online, I have not encountered other users or speakers of the language. I have not learned more about the creator of the language, or if any materials in the language, other than my own copies, still exist.

Since no one else seems to be using the language, I think it is OK for me to develop it. The language doesn't have enough vocabulary, and some of the features the language originally had could be improved and simplified. For example, there is a singular and plural form of 'the,' and also there are three different plural forms, not including the transformation of 'mann' to 'menn' to form the plural.

As a language with virtually no speakers, I don't think Amerysk needs additional complications. The creator of Amerysk probably did not even know about Esperanto, and so did not know ways to simplify a language that Esperanto uses.

I see Amerysk as a Germanic regional International Auxiliary Language, much as Folkspraak/Folksprak aims/aimed to be. English and the other Germanic languages have many non-Germanic loan-words, often from Latin. Amerysk is a chance to get a break from those non-Germanic words, and to experience a Germanic language as it would have been before those loan-words were taken in, and often began to dominate.

Will anyone other than myself use Amerysk for anything? It's possible, though not certain. People keen on Germanic languages can always learn Anglo-Saxon or Old Norse. People who want an International Auxiliary Language can always pick the most successful such language, Esperanto. And people who just want to learn a language to connect with other people could learn English, Chinese or Arabic--- all widely-learned languages.

I am beginning work on a dictionary of Amerysk which will be posted on this blog. I am also working out some reforms and simplifications of the language which will also be posted.

One issue is whether the name 'Amerysk' should continue to be used for the language. I'm thinking that giving it a new name might clear up any problems as to the rights of the creator of Amerysk. I cannot publish anything about the language as long as it is the intellectual property of the creator of Amerysk. Maybe it should be 'Folksnaekk?' As a tribute to the Folksprak project?

My ruling plan for the Amerysk/Folksnaekk language is to make it into a simple conlang, kind of like what Esperanto would be if Esperanto had purely Germanic roots. Primary source would be the Anglo-Saxon language, but other Germanic sources are probable.


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