Alien Names in PHP   by Ralph Roberts

Spopo'z Raeqod Moepuy Yedo'g Xaefaw Go'sheq Wesped Zaezif Spoexoj Sipoef Vothaes Tapuj Bipap Raejoh Nothey Haecoer Hiceg Taehem Pevo'f Guspoth Go'lef Fobec Sonoev Tiqo'n Thiruk Waezoej Yo'ged Kipiq

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.

Ro'b	Spuv	Saeg	Pif	Zaew	Guq	Cix	Zeth	Spij	Haes	Xir	Xid
No'sp	Toj	Xid	Qot	Buth	Yog	Xip	Buj	Tis	Geth	Kuz	Kek
Ro's	Tud	Kut	Jib	Nel	Theth	Haek	Zan	Xib	Toeh	Theh	Qaew
Tek	Jot	Jaey	Taeth	Raw	Shaew	Koec	Kiv	Qez	Waev	Poy	Xoeh
No'c	Huy	Gey	Thav	Vik	Woer	Ney	Ko'r	Both	Yes	Boer	Caed
Shaj	Wo'k	Moet	Voj	Jaep	Cem	Tex	Ro'sp	Gas	Wan	Zap	Foep
Nef	Daeq	Lal	Yeq	Haev	Spov	Thuw	Qiy	Spez	Pir	Thoew	Caer
Set	Spaz	Qet	Gec	Shes	Soesh	Noec	Jel	Zac	Rez	Daeb	Xoec
Sej	Jop	Kis	Tho'k	Yisp	Shoed	Hug	Jal	Fed	Go'z	Hud	Paeq
Spez	Sax	Sho'f	Zaey	Spak	Fin	Qos	Toes	Po'g	Rob	Dig	Tho'h

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

Oeye	O'vo'	Oeto'	Ayi	Oloe	Aspo	Oeni	Aeboe	O'da	Aco'	Iyae	Owo
Ine	Ipo'	Uspi	Ici	Oewoe	Asae	Oepo'	Aeqo'	Oeyae	Uhu	Aso'	Etho
Eqo	Osho	Aete	Utae	Imi	Efae	Ezu	O'mae	Omo	Oso	O'xo'	Ijae
Aeco	Asa	Aeshu	Edoe	O'hu	Ufo'	Osi	O'co'	Ithoe	Ejo'	Ada	Ufu
Oebu	Efu	Aedae	Ivo'	Edu	Ospoe	Oku	Aqae	Aso'	Ada	Oewa	Eshi
Aevo	Utha	Ufe	Ete	O'bo	Ofa	Igu	Ihoe	Osho	Udi	Aesha	Eqo'
Ifa	Oloe	Oejae	Axo'	Ada	Oeni	Oze	Aemi	Ege	Emoe	Etae	Ede
O'xo	Aeze	Oespi	Oevoe	Adu	Etho'	Ufe	Oelu	Ope	Ewi	Iwa	Aepo'
O'fo'	Ishoe	Athoe	Ugoe	Uvae	Aeme	Iyoe	Uspo	O'la	Afu	Adoe	O'mu
Umu	Ispoe	Aro	Aekae	Atu	Oehu	Afo'	Ega	Oege	Ofu	Awo'	Uco'

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

Hapushae	Mo'mo'roe	Soexuyo'	Sugaespi	Lo'diqe	Hoegoeka	Poebo'vu
Qihiya	Jorohu	Yuqo'tha	Cexiza	Liyohu	Spoeyecoe	Jicaeyi
Loeshaerae	Shuboesho'	Wihuto	Coehaezi	Pasutho	Zicaefu	Sahoeta
Qolaetha	Ho'toyu	Vitiyu	Voezoemo'	Lasputoe	Vebatho'	Deshoesoe
Hispo'sae	Nipibo'	Jishithu	Shoewo'woe	Zaeyaero	Paewovi	Jesaenoe
Toebutho'	Daetaewi	Qugimae	Xaeruli	Shoemomae	Faqeso	Doejoera
Dasina	Cezoexe	Shoezife	Dijunae	Burije	Koho'voe	Thaeshaemoe
Spijaero	Coeviha	Gitaero'	Shaekeya	Yoeyoeqe	Kupula	Bovoewo'
Xo'gotae	Lutoevo	Wofugoe	Wogecu	Gaspo'xoe	Xuso'bi	Wizicu
Xaebo'ke	Savaehae	Mozikoe	Cagoece	Shaeraefoe	Jo'mizoe	Qoweko'

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

O'viaeboen	Awoeoeyaet	Unooecoet	Obueqash	Oekaeoeben	Asho'esuz	Omuayo'w
Aesoiso'n	Aspiaekep	Ino'ikaeq	O'loiwo'l	Uyaomuv	Apaenosp	Oevoafom
Oho'osiw	Igaaespeh	Owo'ogar	Uquihal	Omoeaetoeh	Etho'udan	Ajoeospuz
Etoaefo'd	Ospoaemes	Ayaeewaey	Aesheo'go'l	Eqeifoed	Iteoesoep	Azaavo'j
Oyaivif	O'huawoem	O'mueboeth	Oemooehuv	O'po'iko'r	Ajoeo'qesp	Ithielo'm
Otiaboev	Ijiexip	Ajaaraesp	Aspo'ithiq	Iho'oezew	O'thoegaek	O'caealaed
O'sao'sak	Ulaeaeroer	Oshiiyoen	Anoeo'pub	Aemeoebew	Uhaeraec	Aruunaey
Iqeitho'j	Oqiishob	O'toeuzaew	Osaeufoc	Uho'o'xag	Oedoesaen	Ugoozeth
Oethoeerov	Oezaeicoeg	Aexiushaew	Useaxoen	Uzoiyap	Iqealo'm	Osuimo'y
Iyuaemoey	Emeaehoed	Awuohaep	Uwo'aluj	Oepaajoey	Oemuaeyaet	Apaeagiq

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

Nesp Ao'shaho	Ko'z Oo'fayae	Pov Iekiwa	No'n O'oso'mo	Yow Eoevadoe
Hep Aoeshoespe	Ciz Eoeyute	Gus Oeobisoe	Coez Oeo'bespoe	Doet Eaespashoe
Thol Eoethoeli	Xoeth Oaetiqu	Laeq Aaegoedo'	Wez Oelaeja	Val Aaeco'jae
Sum Eo'foeca	Zaed Aeuloetho	Boex Aoxomu	Poy Ianoefo	Zaep O'oejapae
Lew Aeemuhae	Moeg O'esaepu	Hex Oearathe	Mo'w Eisho'da	Loek Easpica
Thaer Uaxivae	Shaex Aewaena	Vid Aeoezasho'	Ceb Eezaexo'	Qat Io'necoe
Zo'd Aeupo'le	Zoc Aeukaewu	Voj Ualemi	Vul Iohojae	Shig Aaveshe
Noeth O'onespo	Resh Aeo'nehae	Poed Iuloso	Foel Oecifo	Xon Eo'tayu
Rax Oumuxo'	Shiq Iojoeyo	Xet Eo'bufo'	Jix Aeaeyuhi	Thoed O'umothae
Voet Eoxaesoe	Yey Aeodujo'	Naef Aeoezo'so	Jam Aoecoesho	Qoec Eujakoe

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

Atho'-Cix Eaqaspe	Uje-Thish O'axoto	Oya-Wael Oo'joboe	Ehoe-Wiw O'aebaxo
O'xo-Xef Eoethinae	Ushae-Ziy Oubeji	O'ge-Spith Oevo'bo'	Ahu-Spob Aeathuthi
Inae-Moed Oeoejaevu	Aecae-Po'x Oo'bo'shu	Avu-Ther Eubathoe	Ati-Mub O'icoexa
Ofo'-Qey Aeqoedoe	Eki-Hij O'oshizo	Ixoe-Mon Oo'sipoe	Eqae-Vesp Oikoeroe
O'pa-Zaeth Iavo'pe	Oze-Bet Oeofuci	Unoe-Zeg Oavusho	Ugu-Hasp Ouzuqa
Ejo-Kaeq Uotheka	Oye-Dic Uaehaci	Apo'-Than Aevoru	O'fo'-Shoj O'aecasho
Eni-Mum Oeushoeqo'	Aqe-Wo'w Io'shizi	Uya-So'sp Aanipo'	Oehu-Saec Uo'soetu
Othu-Kel Uoegoeka	Ule-Boew O'ospudae	Utoe-Gim Aeaekidu	Oeve-Yir O'o'thethoe
Aethe-Yoh Oeazohe	Aespa-Dif Uo'yaewe	Ota-Kaeb O'oethapo	Ifo-Guv Oivomo'
Ubae-Maer Ueguro'	Uqoe-Qoef O'o'jogae	Asa-Yaq Aeoequbo	Eqoe-Mag Ooewagi

Ralph Roberts, Author / Publisher /