6 totally made-up languages: From Harry Potter to Sims (part 1)
In the world of fiction, characters just got to have their own language — it’s the ultimate way to immerse the reader, viewer, or player in an alternate universe. But creating a whole new language is a far more complex process than it may seem. Behind the brief dialogues on screen (that most folks probably won’t even notice, too busy reading the subtitles), there’s a whole lotta work put in by philologists and linguists. So, in our latest piece, we’re taking a trip down memory lane and dishing on the top 6 made-up languages out there, complete with some brief phrasebooks.
1. The Klingon Language
AUTHOR: Marc Okrand / James Doohan
UNIVERSE: Star Trek
PHONETICS: borrowed from the Native Americans of North America
COURSES: watch the first lesson from a video course
The Klingon language is a made-up language that’s used by warrior-like creatures called Klingons in the fictional universe of “Star Trek”. It was created by linguist Marc Okrand at the request of Paramount Studios. The language has a highly developed grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, and there’s even a regulatory body that works to spread the Klingon culture and translate classical literature, like the Bible and Shakespeare, into Klingon. They even have a scientific magazine and their own version of Wikipedia, but all in Klingon!
James Doohan, who played the character “Scotty” in Star Trek, came up with the first few words and phrases in Klingon. Then the producers wanted to make the language more detailed. Then the linguist Marc Okrand borrowed the sounds and grammar from Native American languages (especially the Mutsun language) and Sanskrit. The Klingon language has unusual sounds that are not common in European languages, like throat-clearing sounds.
The Klingon writing system is based on Tibetan writing, but nowadays most people who use the language write it with the Latin alphabet. When writing Klingon “j” sounds like “j” in “jump”, “Q” sounds like “q” in “queen”, “I” sounds like “i” in “bit”, and “tlh” sounds like “tl” in “Atlantic”.
Examples of usage:
PRONUNCIATION FEATURES: hard, abrupt, with a rasp
- Yes — HIJA’
- No — GHOBE’
- Hello — NUQNEH
- Where is the toilet? — NUQDAQ ‘OH PUCHPA’’E’
- I don’t understand — JIYAJBE’
- Don’t be silly — YIDOGHQO’
- Today is a great day to die — HEGHLU’MEH QAQ JAJVAM
- Happy birthday — QOSLIJ DATIVJAJ
- What time is it? — QOYLU’PU’?
2. Simlish
AUTHOR: Will Wright and Maxis
WORLD: The Sims video game series
PHONETICS: elements of Latin and Navajo
ABOUT CREATION: a video about the creation of the language.
In the universe of The Sims video game series, its characters speak in a completely fictional language specifically designed for the project. The creator of The Sims, Will Wright, and the developers at Maxis wanted their in-game characters to communicate, but a real language would have been too distracting from the gameplay. So, they drew inspiration from the Navajo language of Native American tribes but eventually came up with a new “Simlish” language incorporating elements of Latin, Ukrainian, Navajo, and Tagalog. It’s a unique and completely original language that adds to the immersive and cool world of The Sims.
Simlish, the language originally developed for The Sims, underwent changes during the voice-over process, resulting in a final version that was largely an improvisation by the actors.
Examples of usage:
- Hello — SUL SUL
- Thank you — VADISH/BADISH
- No — NEESHGA
- This food is delicious — DIS WOMPF ES FREDESCHE
- Right here, right now — WAG NERE, WAP ZOW
- Hey, I’m having a party at my place — HARVA SOL LABAGA ALONG WITH HAVA SO LAWNUMG
- Hi, gorgeous — BALINDA MACOY
- Oh, I see what you mean — AH, DOCKA MORPHER
3. Sindarin
AUTHOR: J.R.R. Tolkien
WORLD: Arda and its part Middle-earth
PHONETICS: Welsh, Old English, Old Norse, and Icelandic
COURSES: a first lesson from a video course, dictionary, website with a course
J.R.R. Tolkien was way more than just the author of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” — he was a linguist and inventor of multiple artificial languages.
As a child, John and his friends invented secret languages to communicate with each other, and this passion stayed with him for his entire life. He developed grammar and vocabulary for a whole family of 15 Elvish languages, which he worked on from 1910 until his death in 1973. This group includes Primitive Elvish, Common Eldarin, Quenya, Goldogrin, Telerin, Sindarin, Ilkorin, Nandorin, and Avarin.
Tolkien came up with many different languages for his world of Middle-earth, some of which he only hinted at in his books. Some of these languages include Taliska, the Adûnaic language, and the “Common Speech,” also known as Westron, which was spoken by hobbits and humans in the Third Age. There are also other languages, such as Rohirric, Haradric, and the language of the Easterlings, as well as the Dwarvish language of Khuzdul and the Orcish language known as the Black Speech, which was created by Sauron for his “empire.”
In this text, we’ll focus on Sindarin, the language of the Grey Elves, which was the most widely spoken language among them and was spoken by Liv Tyler’s character, Arwen. Sindarin is phonologically similar to Welsh, Old English, Old Norse, and Icelandic, and its grammar, especially its plural forms, was influenced by Welsh.
Examples of usage:
- Yes — NO!
- No — Û!
- Greetings to you! — GI SUILON!
- Goodbye/Good luck! — GALU
- Sorry — GOHENO NIN
- Do you speak Elvish? — PEDIG EDHELLEN?
- My heart will long for you until I see you again — GUREN *NÍNIATHA N’I LÛ N’I A-GOVENITHAM
- Sleep well — LOSTO VAE
- I love to see your eyes sparkle when you laugh — GELLON NED I GELIR I CHENT GÎN NED I LELIG
Leyla Baymaganbetova, CEO & Founder of Klaster, Communication & Language Hub; Dubai, UAE www.klaster.me, hello@klaster.me
