Alien Names in PHP   by Ralph Roberts

Sithog Xo'yit Loethosh Nashel Qupeh Xashul Xokej To'zo'b Zalow Saxaey Jaetaeth Pagin Voethaq Qiloy Naejuz Paeyam Qiyuv Ticag Vafo'n Bizoth Naeyaet Jo'poz Yoecen Roxaq Higux Gewo'n Xubuh Loego's

Purpose and Construction of Alien Names

This web application produces alien names for science fiction writers, fantasy role playing gamers, or just for fun. They also make great insults! This is a preview of the work in progress. Feel free to bookmark this page and watch the application develop. ... Alien Names are constructed randomly by the code embedded in this page (using PHP) according to various linguistic rules employing consonants and vowels. Usually the resulting names are pronouncable. This technique is also useful in generating passwords.

History

I first published versions of this technique in RECREATIONAL COMPUTING in 1980 and in onCOMPUTING magazine later that same year. The program was also mentioned in the February 1980 Isaac Asimov's SF Magazine (look in the Classifieds). In 1985 I released a compiled BASIC program also called ALIEN NAMES as shareware. For the past 20 years or so, I've gotten the occasional check, some from places like South Africa, Germany, and other countries. In 1999, I wrote ALIEN NAMES yet again using the powerful REBOL scripting language. (rebol.com, "It's Perl without the complication.") I also wrote a book about REBOL, REBOL FOR DUMMIES.

Time marches on. As I discover new scripting languages, ALIEN NAMES often gets coded first just to see the language's flexibility. I learn by playing ;-). Some implementations require effort, others do not. REBOL was easy. Doing it in HTML/OS was incredibly fast and simple. The fastest way to develop web aps I've found to date! And this version was done in PHP.

Some Sample Tables of Alien Names

(C = consonant, V = vowel ...
  some C and V consist of more than one letter, such as 'th' or 'ae'...
  click browser refresh to generate new sets of names)

Pattern    C V C ... there are 4,232 possibilities.

Bath	Faeth	Vec	Hov	Maep	Toeq	Put	Xoes	Xaesp	Spesh	Gas	Thez
Tep	Saj	Per	Wo'z	Wo'v	Wiv	Xow	Dib	Go'h	Dip	Paeb	Xoem
Spaer	Loeth	Waen	Shaey	Mez	Deq	Sheh	Mez	Misp	Hiz	Then	Gol
Thox	Git	To'k	Jev	Caex	Tex	Tum	Gav	Bum	Vaw	Miv	Hag
Nox	Shaec	Shih	Tosh	Dir	Waew	Sij	Fug	Lon	Qer	Foeb	Roex
Spas	Dok	Yoek	Wah	Shaez	Gey	Xax	Spef	Vum	Bosp	No'k	Hez
Qih	Fer	Xol	Kaet	Lud	Zim	Rep	Soes	Goeg	Mo'f	Vaeb	Buh
Rum	Doeq	Xig	Thab	Xek	So'n	Xaed	Foj	Laex	Shaev	To'x	Vuq
Xaet	Co'd	Paev	Yij	Baeth	Goev	Paer	Xal	Xoet	Viz	Baex	Spaer
Doek	Thev	Pap	Von	Yaeh	Boz	Sham	Rel	Caq	Bep	Sem	Bath

Pattern    V C V ... there are 1,472 possibilities.

Usae	Eloe	Ashi	Ipoe	Aeto'	Eke	O'shu	O'fa	Oeze	Ifae	Ezo'	Owoe
Aega	O'cu	Uwi	Abo	Uroe	Iva	Ila	Ozu	Uda	O'yo	Eve	Eshu
Aeho'	Use	Oespae	Ice	Aefa	Ozi	Owo	Espoe	Oshae	Ispi	Eri	Ewa
Emu	Eho'	Oespi	Oevo	Oeki	O'jo	O'loe	Oqo	Oefo'	Asho'	O'jo	Uzae
O'spo	Ute	Iwo	Oeta	Ato'	Oca	Ufu	Ubu	O'mo'	O'fo	Uwe	Uso
Aeqa	O'ke	Upo'	Oethe	O'vo'	Eso'	Arae	O'xoe	O'zi	O'thu	Ayi	Uyo'
Ene	Oetu	Uxoe	Aethoe	Ebu	Edo	Api	Eyi	O'vi	Uhe	O'ku	Oere
O'spe	Eta	O'xoe	Oepu	Ozi	Ethae	Oese	Aeku	O'spe	Ayoe	Aeli	Uti
Ako	O'wo	Ejo	Oele	Aeda	Oese	Ako	Aeqo	Amo	O'nae	O'jo	Aejo
Eqe	O'si	O're	Oqi	O'gu	Ifae	Eye	Irae	Oece	Ushi	Ugae	Ethu

Pattern    C V C V C V ... there are 6,229,504 possibilities.

Doenicu	Wirezo'	Vijaexu	Zaexetho'	So'duno'	No'to'poe	Yathuqu
Xaepiwu	Roereca	Wabaevu	Vexusho	Jaeto'so'	Shuyaexo'	Baejahe
Wusurae	Laemo'fe	Noekatho'	Judespoe	Yodethoe	Cuwemo'	Ho'spawae
Noco'poe	Zoevaeyo	Wolizu	Vo'milae	Vufaqoe	Menoethu	Levoeyoe
Tetiwae	Co'laexi	Sporiba	Qaroege	Xoebaeru	Wo'rufo	Sexile
Kumoedo'	Faspothae	Nuco'fae	Fo'woemi	Jicoethoe	Moto'fu	Sheshoeqe
Coco'yo	Nocokoe	Spo'yacu	Noshani	Soejespae	Xo'xano'	Hoevoemo
Jo'spuvoe	Shurishoe	Fahere	Vonene	Kijoli	Zaepuqo'	Yospucoe
Dakoze	Joehaego'	Tumaeyoe	Wuwoyo	Pafishu	Sesoxu	Zo'wo'ka
Spo'jipi	Wasobo'	Sevupu	Vikexo	Duxoema	Mo'zaqu	No'koge

Pattern    V C V V C V C ... there are 49,836,032 possibilities.

Eto'emok	Oesoeuko'g	Ixo'oedol	Emoacil	Umeocil	Aeno'ubab	Ereaxoed
Aefoeoyo'y	O'raaetih	Aevioevaeq	O'leoshad	Ato'ofo'z	Ayoavaet	Itoofig
Iyoeaetho'n	Uhaaefo'y	Evoujo'b	Oehoeodoy	O'wuifuz	Akuunoec	Eyaijoem
Iviaenoej	O'moeoeshuk	Ugo'aefud	Ovoeozic	O'ko'obaed	Unaadaec	Aekuo'cip
Oxoaevosh	Eroeerex	O'luo'ceg	Oeshiugeb	Ajuathuth	Oebaeusaes	O'vausaex
Aexoaetheq	Uxo'ejon	O'thoeadoesp	Edoeudoesp	Aneoehoh	Aejouyaeb	Anaeaemok
Aenoeo'nusp	Adooloeg	Ohaeaemix	Omoeivow	Ithuafif	O'baeewaem	Owoeufel
Aeciaefiz	Aedeaewed	Aecoizoec	Uthoeaho'k	Avoeozis	O'fooexeb	O'faeishum
Aethaehut	O'qo'aewas	Ubaeecaez	Oetuoejex	O'wuaethus	Iniinuth	Idaeoethew
Othieqew	O'zio'jux	Ihoeo'wik	Afoorev	O'peaeboey	Ospao'vo't	Ogiaespo'h

Pattern    C V C    V V C V C V ... there are 9,169,829,888 possibilities.

Ro't Aeogoeqoe	Ho'x Iapice	Spo'g Oeoegoefae	Nas Uaeyuvoe	Lith Aihaelae
Vir Oeezumu	Vom Io'spetu	Qoec Oeaesho'la	Waew Iaeko'go'	Sposp Oeuraxu
Wer Aeo'xowa	Thul Oeoboeto	Shaew Ao'daewe	Voez Ooepuspo	Piw Iahiwe
Qoet Aaethithu	Caf O'omoebe	Zup Aimuqi	Do't Aeatispa	Gaew Ao'thaebae
Hot Ioxaeli	Poer Aeaeso'ba	Tef Aeaezo'zo	Vud Ao'saeno	Het Uo'fo'pe
Vo'c O'o'gipo'	Roex O'oepo'poe	Fisp Eo'memi	Fo'x Aeewo'joe	Bik Oeo'qeqi
Roet Iispo'wi	Qak Oo'zaeya	Ron Uosifa	Geb Oeutoje	Sho'l Euyite
Xay Iahedi	Xel O'ashaena	Kux Iurita	Zo'y Uitozo'	Jim Eaforae
Lod Aurashae	Fo'b Oashoda	Woev Aeujeno'	Shoj Oesoeqe	Dosp Oeaegafae
Thaez Iatho'coe	Tosp Uithoefoe	Daw Eoefoezoe	Thav Ooesozae	Naec Oeaespoesho

Pattern    V C V - C V C    V V C V C V ... there are 13,497,989,595,136 possibilities.

Aero'-Shel O'ivoehi	O'ro-Qoeq O'oehaespo'	Ara-Tup Ieqiti	Ufi-Hoew Oeomutae
Ofi-To't Oeujotoe	Ospae-Co'b O'ukoeyu	Oethae-Joeb Aeino'zo'	Uxo-Qush Oeemo'du
Ojo'-Foq Oeamo'vo	Uwa-Shah Oeareshae	Ibe-Fuz Oeoehoebi	O'fu-Coz Iawoevoe
Omu-Spid Aojopi	Afo-Zub Aeo'loero	Egoe-Maeb Aeuvaepe	Aefa-Rac Aeugeyae
O'koe-Koth Oeisaequ	Aeli-Huth Oeogivu	O'vi-Bo'sp Aoehoespu	Ucu-Doec Iaekeho
Iro'-Thuy Oeiwishi	Oeshi-Mush O'unuco	Ecu-Joem O'aejeho'	O'xae-Gath Aeoxaeyu
Avo-Cush Oeusuyu	Oeho'-Bix Oeoehegae	Uqe-Goesp Oeuweko	Otho-Row Ooego'shoe
Ewi-Zaet Eaegoeno	Ozu-Co'c Oeefolo'	Ina-Co'd Aakoejo	Oezo-Vo'th Eaepotho
Uvi-Xun Aeaehohu	Ucae-Moed Aeespaespi	Uva-Qoes O'o'jiha	Alu-Yisp Aeulijae
Oetha-Coec Oewaelo'	Aeba-Fath Uayoju	Oewo'-Coek Iehoege	Ozo-Xoec Ioedeko

Ralph Roberts, Author / Publisher /