constructed languages

[Xdyj]

Many sf/fantasy authors like to use constructed languages in their settings e.g. the various languages in Middle Earth. How do you feel about them? Have you seen any sf/f constructed languages you like?

[Connor]

I don't like the ones constructed by Tolkien knock-offs like Paolini in The Inheritance Cycle, but Tolkien was a language master person thingy (forgot what it's called) and he knew how languages were structured and everything. He didn't create just for a blab of useless vocabulary and call it a language.

[E.J.]

Well anything can become a language... for instnace, if I say Jhuf and you knew that it was a synonym for book and then other people did, then I have theoretically created a new language. More words sprout up and then you could create your alphabet and everything.

[Connor]

Yeah, but still. He didn't have any plan and Tolkien structured an actual language with actual conjugation and structure and stuff and stuff and stuff...

[E.J.]

You know someone whose language I liked... J.K. Rowling!
Hers wasn't a new language persay as it was Latin used in the form of spells and objects.

[Melisa]

For me it has to be really well done or not at all. When I read fantasy or alien's talking in sci-fi I don't really imagine them speaking the english I'm reading, its translated. But that sort of means there isnt much point in putting in made up languages at all, or you should write EVERYTHING in a made up language and provide a dictionary, which is just silly!

[Marcus]

>>When I read fantasy or alien's talking in sci-fi I don't really imagine them speaking the english I'm reading, its translated. But that sort of means there isnt much point in putting in made up languages at all... <<

Hi Melisa, I know what you mean. However, there might be some good reason - if, for example, the protagonist (whose words you are reading in English) is not meant to understand the 'other' language, then there might be a reason to use the made-up language.

Generally speaking, however, it is probably just showing off on the part of the author; and if it *is* done then there needs to be some linguistic reality behind it, otherwise it is just silly.

Tolkien, of course, never actually *had* to use his constructed languages - although there was an argument for including bits of Black Speech. But he was first and foremost a linguistics expert, and he started with constructing his Elvish languages before ever conceiving the books ... so it's sort of allowable! :-)

[Xdyj]

I agree, writing everything in make-up language will make a story unreadable. However some authors might like to drop in a few lines of make-up language to give a sense of estrangement, or use modified English (English with many word or phrases from other languages e.g. Russian or Japanese) to show the culture influences of non-English speaking country on English-speaking world.

Also some authors might use languages to demonstrate how "alien" some aspects of their fictional societies are e.g. the languages of fictional utopias (like those in Culture or A Door into Ocean) might be less suitable to describe the concepts of ownership or dominance. It does make some sense I think. I've read somewhere before that in ancient Chinese there were many words specifically created to describe horses but nowadays no one cares about them anymore.

[Xdyj]

I agree, writing everything in make-up language will make a story unreadable. However some authors might like to drop in a few lines of make-up language to give a sense of estrangement, or use modified English (English with many word or phrases from other languages e.g. Russian or Japanese) to show the culture influences of non-English speaking communities on English-speaking ones.

Also some authors might use languages to demonstrate how "alien" some aspects of their fictional societies are e.g. the languages of fictional anarchist communist utopias (like those in Culture or A Door into Ocean) might be less suitable to describe the concepts of ownership or dominance. It does make some sense I think. I've read somewhere before that in ancient Chinese there were many words specifically created to describe horses but nowadays no one cares about them anymore.