Hey gang,
I am a big fan of conlanging, but there is a hazard in this that I've seen that I feel should be talked about. In the rush of creating something new, exciting, and unique we can create beautiful elaborate languages that leave our readers reaching for the aspirin. If you're creating a language for personal use that won't be shared with others that often, by all means, be as creative as you feel like being. However, if you're making a language to use in your writing that others will have to read, please be aware of the impact that your language can have on your readers. I think one of the wonderful things about Tolkien's languages (whether this was intentional or merely incidental, I have no idea) is that most English-speaking readers can at least approximate an idea of how to say them, even if it's not exactly the pronunciation that Tolkien designed. So what if they read GalaDREEL in stead of GalaDRI-el, at least they have some confidence in the pronunciation.

But the more foreign words you throw in the story, the more you risk alienating your reader. Every time they read a word like that, it's like hitting a speed bump. If they hit enough speed bumps they might just get tired of it and put the book away.As a generalization, if you throw giant uncommon consonant clusters in your words, it makes it harder on the readers. Not to pick on Jay, but the first time I read his word "tskarnor" I thought "Oh Boy! How in the world do you SAY that?" After looking at it again I figured it out, but it was a bit intimidating...and I'm someone fairly comfortable with weird looking words. Now I'll admit that "tsk" isn't that bad. But what about "tskl" or "nj" or "wd" all of these would make it harder for your readers to come up with a comfortable pronunciation for the word that they can use throughout the book to sustain the flow of the writing.

This is in part why, in developing my Finnish-inspired language I have had to contemplate replacing the consonant "j", pronounced like [y], with an "i" (which is the vowel form and produces a similar effect) in order to reduce the stress on the readers. This might not seem like a big deal, but it's much easier to guess how to pronounce "niord" than it is "njord".

There is of course the option of throwing the glossary in the back with pronunciation diagrams for the reader or the pronunciation guide in the back, there is always the risk that the reader simply reads the main text and it alone, neglecting the author's note, the dedication, the "about the author" and anything else not relevant to the story (I personally have this generic tendency at times, but not as much as I used to). It is a much safer and respectful precaution to keep your words creative yet accessible.

In conclusion, I want to encourage all of you language makers out there to be wary of getting so caught up in your creativity that you come up with a bunch of words that stump your readers. Even if your goal is a foreign-feeling language, there are ways to do achieve this without inducing migraines. Be kind to your readers, they were generous enough to read your book. Out of the endless list of tv shows, computer activities, video games, and other books that they could have chosen, they decided to read your book. Don't make them regret it by filling it with words that make them scratch their heads in confusion.

In Christ,
Jordan

This is a very controversial issue (which lies at the heart of a lot of debates about Bible versions as well). As such, it really is up to the author which method he wants to implement.

Many readers love complex and difficult languages. Many more than publishers and authors give them credit for. Of course there are those inane, boring people who don't like them, but I prefer to not think about those poor people. (:D)

Russian, Finnish, Hebrew, Arabic and many other languages are absolutely.... foreign. Go figure...

To them, our English consonants clusters and vowels are equally foreign.

But in any case, either way works.

This is so true. I try to make my languages phonetically workable, and base them off of a phonetically (though totally fictional) alphabet. The alphabet isn't what's important: the phonetics are. I plan on going by Christopher Paolini's example and posting an index in the back of my book listing words and phrases used in the text... and a pronunciation guide is always a good thing. I created one for my characters so that my Writing Circle wouldn't mis-pronounce the names. That's another thing that we, as fantasy writers, should remember: our names may or may not be made up, but if they are, no matter how simple they seem, if we want our readers to get the names RIGHT, then we need to show them how to pronounce the names.

One of my friends when a step further and not only provided a pronounciation guide for her characters, but also a "who's who" list which showed how each character was connected to each other character and for what reasons. Also what groups they were in, what the groups did, and how those groups affected the story. It worked well.

Now I'm not saying that every fantasy writer should do this. It just so happens that her plot was so extremely complex and interwoven politically in her fantasy world that it would have been difficult for a reader unfamiliar with her writings to keep track of all the characters. If your story is like this, I might suggest for you to do what my friend did.

However, while my story is complex, it isn't quite that complex. I keep a loose page available when I want to jot down connection ideas and what not, but people who have read bits and pieces of my book haven't ever told me that it was too complex for them to follow who was who.

Anyway, that's just a thought.