Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2020 Challenge - Regular
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18 - A book with a made-up language
Monica wrote: "A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess"Good one.
The Bookish challenge this year has a category for a book featuring a fictional language. I’ve got Native Tongue on my bedside table right now to fulfil that category. But I haven’t started it yet so can’t say whether its any good.
All languages are made up though, right? ;)
Sarah wrote: "A few come to mind immediately!Watership Down
A Clockwork Orange
A Game of Thrones"
Just purchased Watership Down this year and never read it! Thanks for letting me know it fits this prompt.
If we're including made-up swear words and slang as "a made-up language," The Maze Runner would be a good option.
Ella Enchanted (and the other books in that world) have a couple of languages and the books are fairly quick reads - especially compared to Game of Thrones or LotR.
I've heard that the Saga, Vol. 1 series involves a made up language. Can anyone confirm? I'm thinking of making this series a goal for next year.
The Wheel of Time Series includes a made-up language. I'm sure some Star Trek novel with Klingons in it would have some too. ;) Possibly a Star Wars one as well.
Does anyone know if Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin have a made-up language too?
Scifi has a fair bit of this. A couple of examples are Out of the Silent Planet and The Book of Strange New ThingsThe second one focuses a great deal on the linguistics of this other language--it's a scifi book by Michel Faber (he also write The Crimson Petal and the White)
Another book that features a linguist who goes to another planet where he has to master two new languages is The Sparrow
I am having trouble thinking of a book off the top of my head but if you do not like SF or Fantasy, lots of books with twins or close siblings as children have made up languages.
In the Star Trek realm, Diane Duane's Rihannsu (Romulan) books would make great choices.If you like Mandalorians and don't care if the book is Legends, try one of Karen Traviss' Star Wars books.
Rachel wrote: "I've heard that the Saga, Vol. 1 series involves a made up language. Can anyone confirm? I'm thinking of making this series a goal for next year."It seems heavily influenced by Spanish, and I don't know if it's shown specifically in book 1, but the lead main character definitely has a few panels in a made up language at some point in the series.
The series also features a couple of journalists I believe so they'd fit that prompt too. And book 2 (I think) has a pink cover.
Only Human is the last book in a really good trilogy! HIGHLY recommend this series on audio!! Note: I don't think the first two books would qualify, only the third.
A plot point in Lisey's Story is the made-up words/language between husband and wife, so that should definitely count!Speaking of Stephen King, The Dark Tower Series Collection: The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, The Dark Tower also includes and mentions several made-up languages (much like LOTR but not as elaborate).
Serendipity wrote: "The Bookish challenge this year has a category for a book featuring a fictional language. I’ve got Native Tongue on my bedside table right now to fulfil that category. But I haven’t started it yet ..."Ooh I got this in a kindle deal the other month, glad to have something perfect for this category!
If you want to go to the source, so to speak, I can recommend The Art of Language Invention: From Horse-Lords to Dark Elves, the Words Behind World-Building. It's nonfiction about language construction by the person who did, among other things, the expansion of GRRM's Dothraki for the GoT television series. I wouldn't recommend it for someone totally uninterested in linguistics, but if you're curious at all, it's a great read.
Kelly wrote: "Does anyone know if Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin have a made-up language too?"I was thinking about using this book myself, either for this prompt or "a book by an author with flora or fauna in their name." I haven't had a chance to read it yet, so I can't say for sure whether or not any of the characters actually speak a made-up language in the book. But since the book is about earlier members of the Targaryen family, I'm going to assume that they would at least know how to speak High Valyrian.
The twins in The Grammarians communicate with their own language. It wasn't my favorite book of 2019, but it's not bad and a quick read.
In The Expanse series (starting with Leviathan Wakes), the Belters have their own patois and sign language that not many Earthers and Martians can speak. The language in the book is less elaborately described as what's spoken on the TV series, but it's an important part of Belter culture.
Quite a few children´s books with made up languages. Du Iz Tak? is hilarious (picture book)
Danish equivalent: Papegøjerne spang gok! - Lyt&læs
As far as I recall the two boys in The Boy at the Top of the Mountain make up their own sign language and codes.
There are more, but I can´t recall right now
Mod
Dance Dance Revolution by Cathy Park Hong
I’ve only just started it, and I’m not exactly loving it, but I own it, it gets good reviews, and I liked the other book I read by her, so I’ll get through it.
Does anyone know if Children of Blood and Bone works for this? I understand there are spells/incantations in the book but I'm not sure if they're a real language or a made up one. Thanks!
I am not a fan of sci-fi and have read LOtR, Harry Potter; Watership Down. Really struggling with this prompt. What do you think about The Girl With No Name: The Incredible True Story of a Child Raised by Monkeys? Stretching it too much? Is monkey language a made-up language for humans?
Rose wrote: "I am not a fan of sci-fi and have read LOtR, Harry Potter; Watership Down. Really struggling with this prompt. What do you think about [book:The Girl With No Name: The Incredible True Story of a Ch..."Actually, technically, all languages are made up.
Katy wrote: "Actually, technically, all languages are made up.."Hmm--fodder for philosophy!
But not all books with made up languages are scifi--the suggestion about twins is a great idea since they really do seem to invent their own languages, but you have to find one that has that component.
Maddy wrote: "The Sparrow and its sequel Children of God are lengthy but SO GOOD."I only mentioned the first, but if anyone reads the first I strongly recommend reading the sequel. I read the first when it was new and when the second came out I couldn't bring myself to read it for years, but when I finally did it was worth it!
Also, for people who don't like scifi, this is quite literary as well, but it is true scifi.
I just finished reading Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII which describes a code/language never broken by the Japanese. I highly recommend.
Suzanne wrote: "I just finished reading Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII which describes a code/language never broken by the Japanese. I hig..."This book is on my tbr, but that's not really a made up language in a book, that is a real language :)
FYI, I recently learned that the US wasn't the first to use this strategy. Before the Americans even joined the war, there were Métis code talkers who used Cree to transmit messages that the Nazis or the Japanese were never able to break. https://ml-fd.caf-fac.ca/en/2019/08/3...
Since this was top secret, it appears that someone in the States came up with the same idea separately, which wouldn't surprise me.
Suzanne wrote: "I just finished reading Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII which describes a code/language never broken by the Japanese. I hig..."My parents saw the last code talker speak shortly before he died. They said it was really interesting.
Elizabeth wrote: "Does anyone know if Children of Blood and Bone works for this? I understand there are spells/incantations in the book but I'm not sure if they're a real language or a made up one. T..."It doesn't unfortunately. The characters use the Kwa language of the Yoruba people from Nigeria. I initially thought it was a made-up language too, but after a quick Google Translate, I was quickly proven wrong lolol
I think Aurora Rising would pass for this.
I don’t normally stretch prompts but. It says with not in so wouldn’t the Harry Potter books count?
Mod
I haven't read that book so I'm not sure, but weren't they just speaking in their Navajo language? And it worked as a "code" because most people don't know that language. It wasn't "made up" any more than English is made up.
Nadine wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "I just finished reading Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII which describes a code/language never broken by the..."The code used Navajo words but as part of a code. They choose a Navajo word for each letter of the alphabet and would spell out words or they choose a Navajo word to represent an object like a particular bird would stand for a certain type of fighter plane.
Suzanne wrote: "Nadine wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "I just finished reading Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII which describes a code/language neve..."Still doesn't seem like a made up language to me.
Alexa wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Does anyone know if Children of Blood and Bone works for this? I understand there are spells/incantations in the book but I'm not sure if they're a real language o..."Dang it. Thank you for answering!
Karin wrote: "Since this was top secret, it appears that someone in the States came up with the same idea separately, which wouldn't surprise me."It's not that uncommon, either, Finnish officers in the US Army (it's a long story how they ended up there and why...) just used Finnish in the Korean War when sending messages to each other.
Some ones that might be arguable. Oryx and Crake where Snowman redefines language and sometimes makes up words to give to people who weren't familiar with the language of before. It isn't a completely remade language but it there are made up and redefined elements of language. and Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters where language and spelling is redefined over the course of the book.
Angela Sunshine wrote: "Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor has a made up language in it. It's YA but so good!"That's good to know! I meant to read it this year but ran out of time, so it would be a great one to fit this prompt.
Karin wrote: "Scifi has a fair bit of this. A couple of examples are Out of the Silent Planet and The Book of Strange New ThingsThe second one focuses a great deal on the linguisti..."
Oooh, I own both "The Book of Strange New Things" and "The Sparrow" and haven't read them yet. Thank you!
Out of curiosity, does anyone know if The Hobbit, or There and Back Again contains any of Tolkein's made-up languages, or if he didn't start including those in his work at that point?
Brandy wrote: "Some ones that might be arguable. Oryx and Crake where Snowman redefines language and sometimes makes up words to give to people who weren't familiar with the language of before. It is..."Along those lines, you could maybe include 1984 with Newspeak and all that. It's been too long since I read it for me to remember if it was a whole language or just some new words necessary for doublethink.
Thomas wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "Nadine wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "I just finished reading Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII which describes a co..."It's not a made up language, just a code :)
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Books mentioned in this topic
Desperation (other topics)Terra (other topics)
The Search for WondLa (other topics)
Ella Enchanted (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Mitch Benn (other topics)Alice Walker (other topics)
Jonathan Swift (other topics)
Fredrik Backman (other topics)
Maggie Stiefvater (other topics)
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