Alien Names in PHP   by Ralph Roberts

Susen Raeroen Cofej Leqaek Yopan Zo'joet Shijon Vahiy Vikaeq Sexasp Co'nuth Zoshac Ralaeq Xusay Moedoeq Tiwol Vojac Ho'pad Qoefaeq Toebiv Yoelo'l Shusub Spiqin Somas Qujoep Xifaer Yoeges Ragev

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.

Hesp	Xom	Lo'y	Muk	Baesp	Puj	Soy	Mab	Soer	Vaew	Lash	Kael
Wej	Qux	Zus	Yag	Coes	Shat	Shoej	Pid	Goeg	Dasp	Noef	Viw
Pej	Co'k	Hasp	Yo'b	Naev	Wib	Yov	Spuv	Span	Foev	Zey	Fex
Noy	Niw	Noeq	Dox	Fij	Yiy	Pez	Shiq	Sew	Nith	Haem	Bet
Xoel	Jaex	Co'c	Koek	Fer	Spath	Qoef	Heq	Fok	Qoq	Gef	Qoth
Kuz	Laer	Vo'x	Ho'z	Gos	Loex	Zaeg	Fit	Tuz	Yak	Wiz	Soew
Fov	Shoet	Xaed	Lex	Fas	Leth	Spaep	Yoeq	Fosh	Bo't	Wac	No'w
Caer	Fex	Thiy	Qub	Puz	Thoq	Push	Muz	Cisp	Daesp	Yaew	Maz
Fo'f	Spow	Spo'l	Zo'x	Lol	Haeth	Daek	Do'd	Coesp	Yeb	Visp	Yin
Ril	Shaj	Tot	Boen	Spaej	Jo'g	Mo'th	Maec	Mok	Lis	Xaez	Foesp

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

Omo	Ame	Olo'	Oetae	O'cae	Aenu	Aeya	Egi	Aespa	Oedae	Uqe	Aroe
Eba	Awoe	O'soe	Oene	Ijo'	Ine	Uha	Oeze	Upoe	Aeqi	Ovi	Oxa
Awoe	Aena	O'xi	O'dae	Ava	Eno'	Ospo	Exo'	Ohu	Oeti	Aewa	Oqu
Opi	Aemi	Upa	Oevo	Udo	O'ji	Aevo	Ine	Oego'	Aeso	Ico'	Ushi
O'pae	Afo	Utu	Arae	Ilu	Aewo'	O'ne	Aejae	Erae	Egoe	Oge	Ehi
Oeya	Izu	Afo'	Uspoe	Usha	Oewi	Ospo'	Ide	Ari	Ixu	Oepi	Oexe
Izi	Epi	O'ce	O'xo'	Ijo'	Ita	Owu	Oeco	Ixo'	Oeqoe	Aeyu	Eca
Uspa	Oespae	Oeke	Oesae	Oespo	Ivu	Oespi	Usae	Inoe	Aetoe	Aefoe	O'shoe
Aeso'	O'ju	Oespu	Eki	Oece	Avae	O'thi	Uxo'	Isa	O'qo'	Oeku	Oehae
Eshae	Aece	Aye	Isho'	Exae	Oloe	Ote	Otae	Oka	O'spi	Aege	Oespi

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

Yacako'	Thoxaesha	Niwoewo	Nevudoe	Yo'zo'sae	Hoyipa	Koraho
Foewo'ko	Jaero'joe	Sasoce	Hitasa	Go'roespae	Gano'boe	Lipo'hoe
Saeyejae	Mufarae	Foevoepoe	Poexo'sae	To'cashi	Zodoeto	Qashoeco
Negethoe	Xoluko'	Lo'thocae	Vo'jaero'	Haspaxa	Rejoeke	Mataevo'
Washoeno'	Pezaespo	Veqoeki	Waeparae	Ho'thaexu	Yutoega	Toehope
Shenoyoe	Wureqe	Baefo'to'	Romefu	Kaekuhae	Xetheroe	Thijopae
Turaepe	Vatajae	Vuro'gae	Xo'thoegu	Maxoesi	Pexaspi	Joeko'wu
Voheno	Celo'zu	Pitithe	Roniqo	Saedo'vae	Qijaesoe	Goezutoe
Deboemo'	Spo'mojo'	Zo'vo'yi	Xiwadi	Wibuzoe	Lo'yive	Koegoeco
To'lize	Woeqovoe	Yothaecae	Qowixo	Radaeye	Jodoeyo'	Yusispi

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

O'xaeaesaet	Ahoobaeb	Ashaeo'cam	Eveapaew	Aewaoeqaes	Etiishoew	O'poealuth
Osiujut	Aekoucok	Uho'oezesp	Oezoeoekot	Oethuaro'v	Aeqiuzoeg	O'fouloh
Eseo'paes	Aejioho's	Aeyioeloeh	Eloaqo's	Aekaeathac	Oshoeefo'v	Oyietuy
O'haerok	Amo'o'woeb	Oexaatoej	Aevo'eqel	Eyeebek	Uvuoedut	Aejoeoboer
Oepaeogaet	Oespaaeyeb	Aemiodo'f	Epaeaxop	Aefaosaeth	Aesuosuk	Oxiefoev
Etaeofun	O'bo'oefo'g	Aeyeumoeb	O'kiocoes	Ekiospez	Awio'wev	O'go'oespag
Iweicuw	Agiiqoex	Oxoeuqo'r	Efeelax	Ifo'oezeb	O'vaeazal	Oweaeqaem
Awo'ishem	Ekeuneh	Ikeespo'h	Aeduiyoed	Iquihos	Avaispesh	Okaoesith
Ukeonaew	Iqaeubosp	Ezuiquv	Uxuo'doev	Oebuilaey	Aesuafos	Eyuovex
Exooeqat	Uwiiwo't	Awoaelaz	Upooejad	O'go'ethiz	Onoafaem	O'vao'nuy

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

Yuv Iafo'ke	Dil O'okihae	Xoesh O'ojaegi	Yuy Oeomiwo	Noev Uaetho'yi
Kes Ao'ko'shae	Hoeth Uurogo'	Xow Eo'paeqi	Yud Eaejoeshe	Caed Aeayaevi
Laq Iaespaspo'	Raen Aeoetho'yoe	Jut Ouqumu	Mej Aeulishe	Jo'f Euspumu
Qon Ioespo'fu	Moesp O'egishoe	Tes Aeoso're	Sheq Uoesho'thu	Thaev Uemugu
Von Oarasho'	Taer Aeoexijo	Hem Aeehoto	Zet Oaedaeje	Mif Oo'spo'woe
Wasp Eigubi	Xosp Eidaevo'	Thuh Eo'qijo	Jig O'o'ho'fo	Doep Oothite
Poth Oonoeqi	Faet Uashaeco'	Bo'b Oawo'pe	Shaey Eijaxoe	Qog Aeubufa
Mo'g Io'gini	Bow Eisano'	Juv O'adathoe	Fox Iaewodoe	Sod Aeoqusae
Guj Eo'yaeyae	Sho'y Uajika	Coeg Oeisaeha	Laes Eahoga	Ho'sh Ao'yo'nae
Gaef Iaeshori	Cop Aaekoethi	Shoq O'oeqo'xo	Voez Uo'soefo	Roesp Aeoemiye

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

Upa-Thop Oofo'jo'	Othu-Hon Aeeseve	Epo'-Saew Aeoho'koe	Iya-Qaej Oeho'loe
Ogae-Bop Ioespehae	O'be-Go'p Aeijaexa	Afe-Lar Auwaeqe	Ixae-Lab Ao'bifo'
Oespe-Spaeth Ao'deke	Aeloe-Qeh Oeuboza	Ospo'-Pef Oo'futho'	Uspo'-Teh Aeo'rupae
Aefi-Xuf Aeafaeqi	O'shi-Boj Aajo'to	Epo-Wash Oaecaeroe	O'loe-Cag Oacoecu
Acu-Jo'j Oeexezae	Aku-Dad Oeo'pobu	Unu-Tet Eevaenoe	Afae-Shiv Oeibena
Iga-Yuf Oero'yoe	Ubo'-Jael O'o'paezae	Oqa-Paer Uawoeshi	Aeko-Mej Aaekade
Oce-Shaeb Oeiraexi	Ilo-Cak Oaesaegae	Ekoe-Niy Uaezaevoe	Aela-Lax Oeofaqe
Isho'-Spaeg Aeo'qulo'	Ithoe-Goek O'uvo'zae	Oepe-Yux O'aevo'yo	Eti-Vev Uotito
Uqo'-Jow Aagithoe	Athu-Wo'm Eebuze	Inoe-Thoek Iizeri	O'so-Do'l Aeo'kove
Aeshi-Yog Aoetoeti	O'thoe-Yeg Aayofoe	Aespoe-Dim Iejoethoe	O'spo-Qoef Aeudome

Ralph Roberts, Author / Publisher /