What are ConLangs?
A planned or constructed language (sometimes called a ConLang) is a language whose phonology, grammar, and vocabulary have been consciously devised for human or human-like communication, instead of having developed naturally. They may also be referred to as artificial or invented languages.
Why are they created?
There are many possible reasons for creating ConLangs, such as:
- to ease human communication
- to give fiction or an associated constructed setting an added layer of realism
- for experimentation in the fields of linguistics, cognitive science, and machine learning
- for artistic creation
- for language games
To follow are some case studies giving examples of some popular ConLangs:
Case study #1 — The Klingon language from Star Trek
One hugely popular modern example is the Klingon language, which is the constructed language spoken by the fictional Klingons in the Star Trek universe.
Klingon was described in the 1985 book The Klingon Dictionary by Marc Okrand and was deliberately designed to sound “alien” - it has a number of typologically uncommon features.
The language’s basic sound, along with a few words, was first devised by actor James Doohan (“Scotty”) for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. That film marked the first time the language had been heard on screen. In all previous appearances, Klingons spoke in English. Klingon was subsequently developed by Okrand into a fully-fledged language.
Case study #2 — Languages constructed by J.R.R. Tolkien
The philologist and author J. R. R. Tolkien created a number of ConLangs. The most developed project of Tolkien’s were his Elvish languages. He first started constructing an Elvin tongue in c. 1910–1911 while he was at the King Edward’s School, Birmingham. He later called it Quenya (c. 1915), and he continued actively developing the history and grammar of his Elvish languages until his death in 1973.
Tolkien was of the opinion that the invention of an artistic language must, in order to be convincing and pleasing, include not only the language’s historical development but also the history of its speakers, and especially the associated mythology.
Case study #3 — The Dothraki language from Game of Thrones
The Dothraki language is a constructed fictional language in George R. R. Martin’s fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire and its television adaptation Game of Thrones, where it is spoken by the Dothraki. The language was developed for the TV series by the linguist David J. Peterson based on the Dothraki words and phrases in Martin’s novels.
At the time of the start of the TV series in 2011, the language comprised 3,163 words, not all of which were made public. The following year, 146 newborn girls in the U.S. were named “Khaleesi”, the Dothraki term for the wife of a khal or ruler, and the title adopted in the series by Daenerys Targaryen.
Further reading
There is actually a wealth of resources online for learning various modern ConLangs, and in some cases there is also a very active community of learners. A variety of books are available on the subject, both from a linguistic standpoint and for those wishing to learn one particular constructed language.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of constructed languages is a fascinating and long-standing area of linguistics, and is evidently still very prominent in modern times, with ConLangs featuring in many of the most popular films and television shows of modern times. It would be very interesting to learn a little more about the methodology used for the creation of a constructed language.
