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Tetrect: A 2D Language I'm Working On

From:David J. Peterson <dedalvs@...>
Date:Saturday, May 28, 2005, 7:38
I just completed a small little text in a 2D language I'm working
on called Tetrect (I wanted it to be called Connectris, but apparently
that name is taken.  Grrr...).  It's kind of half a language/half a
language
game.  The general principles behind it are as follows:

(1) The language is entirely visual, and speech is seen on a board
not unlike Connect 4 (or Stack 4, I think it's called elsewhere).

(2) Unlike Connect 4, you don't drop discs into the slots, but
tetris-like pieces that have discs on each square.

(3) In each disc goes a lexical item that's underspecified for category.

(4) Around each lexical item is a border which specifies what role
that lexical item plays in the sentence (and the type of border
differs for nouns, verbs, adverbs, etc.).

(5) The language is linear, in that pieces are played in a given order.

(6) The type of piece you get is random.  So if all you want to say
is "I went to the store", which would ordinarily take three discs,
and you draw a piece with 6 discs, you need to fill up the other
discs with lexical items (maybe, "I went to the store next to the
park yesterday after school").  Similarly, if you draw a two disc
piece, then you need to alter what you want to say, possibly by
dropping a subject, or just changing what you want to say altogether.

(7) Each tetris piece has a color, which can be chosen.  This will
tell the other player where exactly the conversation is going (this
needs to be worked out better).

(8) Pronouns are pictures of tetris pieces with a colored in disc
referring to the argument from the previous piece played that's
being referred to.

I think that's about it for the basics.  This is still very rough.  And
it probably be easier to follow with an image.  You can view the
short text I created at the link below:

http://dedalvs.free.fr/misc/tetrect1.jpg

I really need to get to sleep right now, so I'll post the meaning
tomorrow.  It should be semi-figure-out-able, though.

-David
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