What's the benefit of using invented languages in-story?

An invented language can be a tool for exposing the traits of a culture. Different languages not only sound different, but they feel different. They shape ideas differently. They are also shaped by their environments. The way a language works can help illustrate the thought processes of the people who speak it.

As an example, I recently saw the Star Trek episode "Darmok," where the Enterprise encounters a race whose entire language is based on metaphor and comparison. Their actions seem hostile until the crew begins to understand their language, at which point it becomes apparent that the alien captain acted with surprising selflessness in order to open the lines of communication.

Another example comes from Dune. Paul and his family move from Caladan (a water world) to Dune (a desert world). They are shocked when they natives spit at them, taking it as an insult. In fact, the natives are offering their allegiance by giving away a small part of their bodies' water. As water is a precious resource on the planet, this is a gesture of respect.

Many stories simply use invented languages for flavor. Sometimes this can help the world feel a little bit more alive. Still, I feel that the author misses an opportunity if they don't bother thinking about the mechanics of the language at least a little, and about how the language reflects the unique aspects of that culture.

I would also be very careful to avoid over-using an invented language. Paragraphs of made-up words are going to be off-putting to most readers. However, carefully used phrases, words, or even body language, can be a very powerful tool, revealing differences between cultures and their modes of thinking. They can create barriers or ties between characters. They can even be the cause of misunderstandings and wars.

posted about 13 years ago

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sjohnston‭

90 reputation 0 3 14 0

It really depends on your story. Sometimes a conlang (constructed language) will look silly, but sometimes it's almost necessary.

For instance, I'm working on a story in which alternate dimensions are a very real thing, and Earth (which once was a great dimension to trade with for metal, something that's scarce in most other dimensions) has become an obscure topic since most of its mage traders died in a magical collapse. Since English, in these worlds, has achieved about the same status as, say, Latin and Greek have in ours: once prevalent, but now only spoken by a select few--in this case, scholars and mages.

With this setup, it would be ridiculous if there wasn't a language to write in its place occasionally. A few of my main cast speak it, so that's not so much a problem. But it would have been absurd if scholars and mages, the few among the many, were the only people they ran into or had to talk to.

Also, it gives something to the world. You can have a lot of fun with a conlang. Mine sounds kind of like German, and is very rhythmic: most of the words are three syllables, with the stress on the second. Can we say fun to read aloud?

It's a lot of work, though. You have to decide how far you want to go--if you just want enough for a few characters to speak occasionally, then just do that. Don't make a whole language if you don't need to.

If you decide you want to, make sure you've read Limyaael's stuff. There are some rookie mistakes that you want to avoid, because anyone who's ever taken a language class can spot them immediately.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/limyaael/459655.html http://www.livejournal.com/users/limyaael/460892.html http://www.livejournal.com/users/limyaael/462195.html http://www.livejournal.com/users/limyaael/463028.html

posted about 11 years ago

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Rebekah‭

20 reputation 0 3 4 0

I would use a (very) few invented vocabulary words to indicate specific items which are unique to your created race, but put them in context so that the reader can quickly divine the meaning, or explain the meaning in narration.

The only reason to have lines of dialogue in an invented language is when a character from Group A meets a character from Group B, and B character doesn't speak Group A language. Keep the invented-language lines brief, and use them more to illustrate the language barrier than to hold a conversation.

posted about 13 years ago

CC BY-SA 4.0

Lauren Ipsum‭

2098 reputation 13 1143 397 1