Choosing a name for a non-existent country is a responsible business. It should be euphonic, memorable and, most importantly, correspond to the spirit of the country. That is why one and the same problem arises both for a young storyteller, and for a mature writer, and, moreover, for a teacher who conducts an open lesson, KVN or a quiz. All of them are trying to understand on what basis to choose a name for a country that is not on the map?
It is necessary
- Pencils, paints, or markers.
- Sketchbook or Whatman sheets.
- A notepad to jot down ideas.
- Dictionaries and reference books.
Instructions
Step 1
"Something" + "landia". A land - "land" in English. Therefore, you can call your kingdom Fiction, Windland. You can choose the first part of the name from the Russian lexicon, you can search for analogues in dictionaries of foreign words. According to the same principle, names with "tails" are formed "oniya", "aniya", "olia", "ia". For example, if you take products as the basis for the name, you get the principality of Macaronia, the county of Marcipania, the duchy of Beetroot, the kingdom of Kolbasia. These names are suitable for countries with a European medieval lifestyle: castles, knights, wizards and beautiful ladies.
Step 2
An eastern country may end in "stan". For example, Tarkhistan from the universe of Clive Staples Lewis (the story "The Horse and His Boy"). The same is true if the heroes of a non-existent country live in the realities of mythical India. The melody of the name should correspond to the cultural image of the country. Therefore, it is necessary to prescribe fabulous realities in more detail. If the name doesn't work, then you just need to sit down and draw a map of the area or sketch the capital of this country. Or at least portray local residents in national clothes. For the name to "stick" it is necessary to saturate the project of the country with details.
Step 3
Exotic. If a magical country is tropical, if it is full of mysteries and secrets, and its inhabitants are more reminiscent of the South American Indians of the pre-Columbian era, nomads or cannibals, then you will have to rummage in scientific and historical books, collections of myths and legends. It is there that you can find a rare and melodic name for our ear. As a last resort, you can change the existing name of a city, country or some point of interest. So, for example, Tegucicalpa can become the principality of Kalpategusi.
Step 4
For a country in which villains or residents enslaved by some evil wizard live, you need to choose names in which the vowels "o", "u" are present (for example, Mordor in "The Lord of the Rings"). There may be a lot of hiss and dull sounds. You can also take the well-known words "nightmare", "horror," darkness and change some letters in them, but leaving sound writing. Subconsciously, these words will be associated with our usual negative expressions. After all, there is a theory according to which a person correlates sounds with certain emotions. A - openness, nobility. And, E - cunning. O, U - despondency, decline. R - fighting enthusiasm, aggression.
