Authors

Alexandra Knepp

Senior Project Advisor

Virginia Dawson

Document Type

Project

Publication Date

Fall 2024

Keywords

Linguistics, Conlang, Constructed Language, Short Story, Sapphic, LGBT, WLW, Language Contact, Pidgin

Abstract

Káma Means Hello is a short story about language contact. It follows two young women from different cultures who speak different languages and unexpectedly meet each other after one is driven from her home. In lieu of using real-world languages with real-world cultural connotations, the two main characters speak two different constructed languages, and the narrative both examines language contact from a technical standpoint and tells the gay love story of two women meeting behind their families' backs. Káma Means Hello was a passion project of the author, who is both a lesbian and a linguist. The appendix of the story discusses how the two languages were made and why one would construct a language to begin with.

Department

Linguistics

Type

Text

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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