Alien Names in PHP   by Ralph Roberts

Xixo'q Wafaeb Gushoev Huro'm Godeb Spimit Shathoec Podug Faexaq Pidah Pevun Wuxesh Naspov Baeden Kihak Xuraet Yizuth Kepal Momiz Doweq Guyos Fehoeb Zuloeb Jahaed Sesaq Pashek Nizex Pithoec

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.

Spur	Kir	Siy	Lon	Qo'n	Bor	Shoesh	Ko'x	Raeh	Shoeth	Spoep	Qax
Doec	Sho'p	Kun	Xush	Koq	Hoeq	Spik	Gec	Dex	Soex	Laen	Noem
Sho'th	Laen	Haz	Xis	Kish	Tod	Vuh	Neth	Huv	To'l	Cael	Sped
Mog	Jep	Zux	Xeh	Zaey	Dib	Bur	Veq	Cel	Meq	Pusp	To'g
Faev	Shuz	Fiv	Thosp	Spop	Qet	Bez	Lub	Shat	Zoeq	Bo'j	Vaey
Ro'f	Haes	Haec	Vih	Kim	Foesp	Guc	Yox	Lot	Tan	Noel	Ro'h
Gac	Jaem	Paw	Zim	Zoth	Shil	Voex	Liz	Xoeq	Fim	Loq	Moej
Xem	Pat	Sho'd	Zaem	Gob	Thaej	Yusp	Koeh	Wav	Hom	Qis	Shoet
Qoeq	Tok	Boex	Bur	Kof	Koez	Roth	Joem	Vet	Jam	Shub	Mep
Wef	Pix	Cug	Ho'sh	Col	Spoeb	Mif	Boeg	Nux	No'sp	Thoeh	Dep

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

O'ga	Ama	O'po	Ipe	Izu	Oshe	Oeloe	Oyu	Oxi	Oezo	Exu	Iyo'
Iyo	Oefo'	O'pae	Othoe	Usa	Icae	O'qu	Ego	Ule	Ata	Ashae	Uto'
Oqo	Espi	Aero'	Aeza	Oewu	Eshae	Oene	Aerae	Aetoe	Ufi	Urae	O'wae
Iro	Ine	Ido'	O'kae	Oethi	Aewae	Uqo	Ifu	Uve	Oto'	Itho	Oeho'
Aeqa	Aeni	Oede	O'sho'	Aepo	Iwu	O'ki	Axo'	O'cae	Ova	Iru	Ima
Oece	O'ca	Aeshu	Ifi	O'coe	Efo	Ado	O're	Athoe	Oeje	Oespe	O'zi
O've	Ubi	Aesho	Odu	Aegu	Ife	Oha	Eshi	Iti	Ure	Aeqo'	Aco'
Ishae	Oelo'	Eha	Aere	Abo	Aji	Ota	Aehu	Ada	O'de	Aena	Ufo
Olu	Uhe	Aehe	Iko	Uxa	Usi	Eso	Ipu	Ojo'	Osha	Aelo	Oshoe
Uvo'	Oespe	Era	Egu	Ume	O'toe	Uco'	Opae	Uke	Awa	Aehae	Oethae

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

Thalo'lu	So'thaethu	Potothe	Lunute	Vomugi	Kapoedae	Hoexepoe
Xo'fopa	Qaeto'li	Daxuro'	Zaeciqe	Foezo'thi	Soekoedae	Zoesoso'
Yoebuju	Remupo'	Xoetoeru	Spejishi	Doeboehu	Taloetu	Hewoeye
Ruyejo	Yeraqo	Nugoko	Co'qose	Baemaeqe	Thazaela	Fekoehae
Foenifoe	Yeviti	Qoego'noe	Doyo'ge	Cikicu	Gehoero	Misavi
Lespudo	Hezaga	Gemoso	Baetine	Taesishi	Ripuyu	Spaxaedo'
Zifixoe	Waeqoco'	Soexeboe	Pusho'foe	Qexispae	Gaefifo'	Daewoehae
Saeqobu	Cogo'ni	Vo'poho	Jokoyo	Ko'jaqu	Zekoqi	Thuzeqi
Nejo'so	Mo'shoekoe	Goesova	Spuhithae	To'kobae	Xobanoe	Qaeqorae
Foeqoege	Zexapoe	Zasesoe	Spifamu	To'lelo'	Botugae	Xaspufo

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

Ispuo'fer	Eqoeeshex	Aero'epas	Eraeo'laeth	O'spoespo'd	Edoeisin	Uqeidep
Ugaoexo'v	Axoeawah	Oespiaeco'f	Oehuewaeq	Aespo'ogad	O'spaeawod	Onienuc
Ureexaem	Uro'iro'w	Aespaeoethoey	Oedo'eqel	O'zoomuv	Ekaoesho'b	Oshaeezoeth
Aejoeoloes	O'zo'o'wim	Ashaihesp	Ago'ucoew	O'loeoetod	Aboeo'shoez	Uspeoezib
Aqo'evo'v	Oevoucaj	Oepoaeqaw	Oxuawaex	Udaeoesoey	Ivoalo't	Obo'epith
O'noeogen	O'speuco'f	Oevo'o'losp	Oeloeeluk	Aesheaelaeh	Ucoeobaesp	Axeaenax
Aeqaeozos	Espo'ashez	Ebaaedoej	Aqiejob	Oeqaeocuth	O'buebog	O'taavash
Aeyeo'lof	Uzeilo'y	Osoeisip	Uyoeunoet	Exuo'soey	O'fo'uspash	Idoeoevoc
Iwuo'qem	O'zaetub	Ijaeemaex	Izoeoespip	Oeyuo'qay	Ajeafeg	Aexeacah
Ozaaewoeq	Oeco'ishuh	Osaosheq	Anoeaeho'y	Ispaoeyar	Uyaeshaq	Aetoeehaet

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

Fo'f Eozo'tae	Wo'x Aeoero'ha	Vik Uozibu	Qik Eojiqoe	Gol O'ejoespo'
Ko'g Oupoego'	Suth Eagohu	Xuf Oaesaewae	Dox Aaetehi	Vo'n Uuspova
Vej Io'zolu	Cel Aeiyuku	Juy Uexo'xi	Thisp O'o'fija	Doen Oeaesaso'
Sheg Ouvico'	Bat Io'shithae	Qef Uizabu	Tah Uo'noeno'	Moeb Iaebo'da
Zosp Oeo'gaeqo	Vuq Ietowu	Thoc O'aexo'du	Shat O'o'do'sa	Cos Uafami
Vo'c Iaeqiwi	Fun Oeupini	Nisp Uomethu	Ko'th Oeoezoespoe	Him Uobafu
Qusp O'o'kaepoe	Jus Aeo'soeri	Rij Eusoeda	Tej Eoexeroe	Pog Eoeyaepoe
Nek Oeoeso'spe	Suj Oeeno'ma	Wuv Oadoejae	Naj Eupuhe	Def Iaewuqo'
Thom Aespoeta	Yik Uoeno'sho'	Lof Uumoexe	Niw Oihaeko	Wac Aeaekana
Qith Ooeloego'	Bo't Eispo'we	Guq Ueqoebi	Spex Aoedo'goe	Kaesh Eaexaeba

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

Aespae-Cek Uaerenu	Onae-Jop Iotawo	O'thi-Xaek O'oekoevo	Ake-Sov Eo'dagu
Oro'-Foev Uoeso'no	Eka-Paw O'abevo	Aethi-Tho'r Oofosae	Ago-Wash Aihawi
Aevi-Zo'c Iaeboevo'	Ego-Koesp Aaegupi	Oru-Voej O'uspilae	Itu-Lik Ioqoeye
Oetho'-Shom Eo'spoesoe	O're-Shaer Oeehiqo	Oezo'-Gux Iiwege	Oeke-So'y Io'loye
Aro-Ho'th Oeuxoewi	Ucu-Hix Oo'doera	Oya-Xiz O'imiqi	Ijae-Co's Oovava
Aefo'-Thaeq Aekaspu	O'spae-Kil Oeoesovu	Ada-Xaw Aeo'shaezoe	Isho'-Raz Eo'zo'je
Ishae-Thoq Uosujoe	Icoe-Gaeq Aeanoevo	Uyo-Naet Uerodo'	O'to-Qew Iuyo'woe
Oroe-Thin Io'haela	Ospe-Spok O'ithoze	Efoe-Spal Oeuthoni	Aeye-Bur Aarispo'
Uthi-Rif Oeujopi	Oefae-Vuk O'ifeloe	Oenoe-Joew Eitotha	Utu-Shab Eaefapoe
Ono'-Ruj Iiwo'ro	Oexae-Liw Io'mo'xo	O'be-Cat Oeucoecoe	O'ko'-Viq Eajo'lu

Ralph Roberts, Author / Publisher /