final paper

Whether we realize it or not, language is and has always been one of the core pillars of society. It has started wars, brought people together, and created cultures which can only truly be appreciated by a select few, an elite made up of the ones able to completely comprehend the depths and meanings of a culture in its original form. As the world has grown and reached levels of globalization our ancestors dared not even dream of, the art of linguistics and translation has been perfected and brought to a level of importance in our society which cannot be ignored. So much so that many have even decided to take it one step further and wander into the realm of linguistic creation altogether (Talks at Google 2020). These creations, often called conlangs (constructed languages), can be found in a multitude of spheres, but very prominently in different fictional media. Creating a language from scratch, or from a carefully selected pool of source material, is not an easy task. But for the creators who choose to tackle such a task, conlangs can prove themselves to be a very powerful tool to use in worldbuilding, enabling creators to offer a much more in-depth and thoroughly united fictional universe, leading to a much more immersive viewing experience and to an ultimately more loyal and dedicated fanbase.

An important case can be made for the simultaneous creation of a fictional language and the world it will exist in, along with the importance of consistency across time and versions of the media. For example, a director having to create a movie around an already-created conlang, or a writer having to create an entire language from a movie which is already complete, are both options which are not ideal when compared to situations in which both fictional world and language were thought up and made by the same creator (Talks at Google 2015). In the inevitable instance in which a creator is asked to rework a pre-existing form of media, they should also strive to stay loyal to the original work’s conlang, changing little to nothing in the spirit of continuity and respect to the original creation. All different instances have been seen before, each having done fairly well for themselves, but the difference in relevance and overall appreciation by the audience cannot be ignored. Tolkien’s Elvish remains one of today’s most iconic conlangs, despite having been created over a century ago (Coombes 3), mainly due to its consistency across time and media, along with its strong rooting in the Welsh language (Doughan. Meanwhile, a conlang which could’ve been extremely promising, if not only from the popularity of the different media it took place in; Superman’s Kryptonian, has yet to reach the level of a cult-classic conlang we can attribute to Tolkien’s creations. Part of this can be reproached to the inconsistency in the culture, there are many forms of Kryptonian, in fact, a new one seems to come with every new iteration of the well-known story. Some forms use symbols, others rely on romanization, some are oral-bound, others only take place in written form. This leads to an inconsistency in the language, which in turn holds it back from developing its grammar and vocabulary, leaving it with little to no language universals to officialize its status as a full-fledged language (Greenberg). This inconsistency can most definitely be blamed for the lack of unity in the culture (Overbeeke 4) and is one of the main reasons people do not bond over Kryptonian the way they would Elvish, Vulcan or Klingon (Moseley). Speaking of Klingon, this conlang is a great example one can find of a perfect in-between from not changing anything to the original work or from constantly re-inventing the media. Klingon was first created by Mark Okrand to go along with the original Star Trek series (Okrent), and though the franchise has seen multiple shifts in media formats and creative directors, a single, unified form of Klingon remains. This can be attributed to the way each creator made the decision to respect and expand on the Klingon which was created before them, none of them went out of their way to create something new entirely, and the previous creatives were often involved in the process whenever new media was created (Adams 256). This let the conlang expand not only vocabulary-wise, but also in the grammar department, making it the complex and interesting conlang that it is today (Destruel 18). This difference in creative process is what lead Klingon to be one of the most popular conlangs on the planet, along with one of the few conlangs actually taught across the world, whether through actual teachers which have chosen to dedicate their craft to the language, or through major language-learning applications such as Duolingo. These differences in status show well enough the importance of consistency and harmony when it comes to conlangs and the world they are created alongside.

While creating an entire language to work along a story which one also has to create from scratch is in no way an easy task (Harness), the immersion provided by the inclusion of fictional languages in media significantly enhances the quality of the experience, and provides the audience with a much more detailed universe to lose themselves into. Most, if not all, of the greater works of fiction which have graced our screens or bookshelves in the last decades included, whether to an extreme or simpler level, conlangs. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Star Trek, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avatar, Game of Thrones, the list goes on; all great forms of fictional media have, in one way or another, made use of conlangs to deepen the immersion their audience will experience (WIRED). Just as one might feel it is out of place for a character who is supposed to have lived in Japan for their entire life to speak perfect, native-level, american English, the same can be said for an alien who’s supposed to have never set foot on Earth. Many avid fans of the Avatar movie have praised its creation and use of Na’vi, as it widely helped the movie’s immersion-driven success. The movie was critically and massively acclaimed, particularly for its impressive use of computer generated imagery which played a big role in the overall experience of the film. But many have also underlined the importance of the Na’vi language in creating the immersive experience. The same can be said for Game of Thrones’ Dothraki or High Valyrian, which is also one of the fictional languages available on the Duolingo app. In fact, a wide part of the series’ success can be attributed to the way its creators did not hold back on the realistic details of the story, creating not one, but multiple conlangs to make their fictional world all the more immersive (Peterson). It seems media which have chosen to tackle the not-so-easy task of creating a conlang for their storyline and fictional world reap in success the efforts they have sown.

Fan culture is one of the core ways to identify a medium’s success and overall impact on mainstream or general culture as a whole ("Fandom and Participatory Culture."). How many people know of this work? How many dedicate themselves to it outside of general consumption? How dedicated are they? The fan culture of media which have made use of fictional language tends to be more dedicated and better united under the common bond of language, along with the many other aspects which link a fandom community together. While many of these aspects are extremely significant, namely music, merchandise or fanfiction culture, the impact a conlang has on a fandom remains unmatched. Part of this can be seen through the fact that all three previously mentioned aspects tend to be touched by conlangs in the instances where there is one. Music in the Simlish language bonds The Sims fandom together just as much as the game itself, the songs even making their way outside of the fandom and into other subcultures, such as meme culture or even just general internet culture. The world-famous Superman “S” symbol is, in fact, Kryptonian script, which can be found on all Superman-related merchandise. And the small but strong community of writers which dedicate their fanfiction craft to the Elvish language should not be forgotten. All aspects of fan-culture are intrinsically linked, that much is known, but the impact a conlang has on each and every single aspect is significant enough to warrant it a rightful place among the most important. The impact of certain conlangs (namely Klingon) can even go as far as to reach other works, for example, Shakespeare has been previously adapted to Klingon (Kazimierczak). Weddings have been officiated in Klingon, books written in Elvish, a multitude of people have Kryptonian script inked into their skin, the unifying power of conlangs and the impact it has on the fandoms which appreciate it cannot be underestimated enough.

Whether we are aware of it or not, conlangs are all around us, the same way art and media is. The infamous Superman “S”, the unequivocal success of franchises like Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones, or even the widespread popularity of events such as ComicCons and other geeky assemblies and summits. The different levels to which one can devote themselves to fandom and the knowledge of conlangs are undeniable, but the way the invented languages have also weaved their way into popular culture is also irrefutable. In the spirit of conlangs and its respectable importance in our realm of general knowledge, I leave you with these Vulcan parting words, along with their appropriate translation; dif-tor heh smusma. “Live long and prosper.” (Star Trek: The Motion Picture).

Works cited:

Adams, Michael. From Elvish to Klingon: Exploring Invented Languages. Oxford University Press, 2011.

Coombes, Matthew D. “Elvish as a Foreign Language: Tolkien's Influence on Modern Day Linguistics” 24 Mar. 2014. www.academia.edu/6517206/Elvish_as_a_Foreign_Language_Tolkiens_Influence_ on_Modern_Day_Linguistics.

Destruel, Matt. “Reality in Fantasy: linguistic analysis of fictional languages.” Boston College, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:107144.

Doughan, David. “Elvish and Welsh.” Mallorn: The Journal of the Tolkien Society, no. 30, Sept. 1993, pp. 5–9. EBSCOhost, dc153.dawsoncollege.qc.ca:2325/10.2307/45320361.

"Fandom and Participatory Culture." Subcultures and Sociology. Grinnell College, haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/subcultural-theory-and-theorists/fandom-and-participatory-culture/.

Greenberg, Joseph H. Language Universals : With Special Reference to Feature Hierarchies. De Gruyter Mouton, 2005. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid&db=e000xna&AN=558078&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Harness, Lacy. “The Process of Inventing Fictional Languages.” Boise State University. www.boisestate.edu/presidents-writing-awards/the-process-of-inventing-fictional-languages/.

Kazimierczak, Karolina. “Adapting Shakespeare for ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Star Trek’ for Shakespeare: ‘The Klingon Hamlet’ and the Spaces of Translation.” Studies in Popular Culture, vol. 32, no. 2, 2010, pp. 35–55, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23416154.

Moseley, Christopher. “Does anybody here speak Klingon?” The Five-Minute Linguist: Bite-sized essays on language and languages. edited by E.M. Rickerson, and Barry Hilton. Equinox Publishing, 2006. pp. 264-267.

Okrent, Arika. In the Land of Invented Languages : Esperanto Rock Stars, Klingon Poets, Loglan Lovers, and the Mad Dreamers Who Tried to Build a Perfect Language. 1st ed., Spiegel & Grau, 2009. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid&db=cat01165a&AN=dawson.68247&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Overbeeke, Bram. "Fictional Languages in Film and Television." University of Amsterdam. https://www.academia.edu/12472592/Fictional_Languages_in_Film_and_Television (2014).

Peterson, David J. The Art of Language Invention: From Horse-Lords to Dark Elves to Sand Worms, the Words Behind World-Building. Penguin Books, 2015.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Directed by Robert Wise, Paramount Pictures, 1979.

Talks at Google. "The Art of Language Invention | David Peterson | Talks at Google." Youtube, panel by David J. Peterson, 24 Oct. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z50T-tslrgs.

Talks at Google. "Create a Language in Just One Hour | David J. Peterson | Talks at Google." YouTube, panel by David J. Peterson, 24 May 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StcSHmBZj2k.

WIRED. "Accent Expert Breaks Down 6 Fictional Languages From Film & TV | WIRED." YouTube, commentary by Erik Singer, 11 April 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa6cHEJIjYI.