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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/48101
License name: CC BY-SA 4.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

 **I think any fantasy story benefits greatly from in-universe terms that have no meaning to a reader. It gives us the very distinct impression we're not in Kansas anymore. But I also think this is a case where showing _and_ telling is appropriate. And you need to be careful, because overuse can be a problem.**

1. Don't just throw out a word. Saying "she dreamt of _lillah_s" tells me nothing. As you did in your example, adding a normal word or phrase beside it tells me approximately what it is, even if I don't know the details. "She dreamt of _lillah_ birds" tells me what she's dreaming of, while adding that fantasy flair.

2. Only use such terms where it's useful. Don't just throw them into the text to make things seem alien. In your _lillah_ bird example, the name of the bird is incidental to the fact that your subject is being calmed by listening to them. In the case of the flower pot, it seems more forced. In general, I would only use these terms where it would be important to the character in question.

3. If you're going to use the terms more generically, I would tend to use them from a character's perspective, rather than from the narrator's perspective. This makes it feel more like we're hearing these terms because we're in an alien world, and less like the writer is trying to shove fantasy down our throats.

4. If you're going to use certain terms extensively -- for example, the _thajva_ gem plays a very important part in the local economy -- use a word that's short and easy to pronounce. <sub>My examples may not make sense in your native language since you will be used to different sounds than an English-speaker would normally use. I think <em>thajva</em> is a pretty good example itself, though the "jv" letter pairing is a bit weird to an English speaker.</sub>

Original score: 2