To learn Klingon or Esperanto: What invented languages can teach us

Most languages develop via centuries of use amongst teams of individuals. However some have a special origin: They’re invented, from scratch, from one particular person’s thoughts. Acquainted examples embrace the worldwide language Esperanto, the Klingon language from Star Trek and the Elvish tongues from The Lord of the Rings.

The exercise isn’t new—the earliest recorded invented language was by medieval nun Hildegard von Bingen—however the Web now permits a lot wider sharing of such languages among the many small communities of people that communicate and create them.

Christine Schreyer, a linguistic anthropologist on the College of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus in Kelowna, Canada, has studied invented languages and the individuals who communicate them, a subject she writes about within the 2021 Annual Evaluate of Anthropology. However Schreyer brings one other talent to the desk: She’s a language creator herself and has invented a number of languages for the film business: the Kryptonian language for Man of Metal, Eltarian for Energy Rangers, Beama (Cro-Magnon) for Alpha, and Atlantean for Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

Schreyer spoke with Knowable Journal about her expertise on this uncommon world, and the sensible classes that it offers for individuals attempting to revitalize endangered pure languages. This interview has been edited for size and readability.

How did you come to review one thing as esoteric as invented languages?

I educate a course on linguistic anthropology, by which I give my college students the duty of making new languages as they be taught in regards to the elements of languages. Across the time I began doing that, Avatar got here out. The Na’vi language from that film was highly regarded on the time and had made its manner into many information tales about individuals studying the language—and doing it rapidly.

My different tutorial analysis is on language revitalization, with indigenous or minority communities. One of many challenges now we have is it takes individuals a very long time to be taught a language. I used to be to know what endangered-language communities may be taught from these created-language fan communities, to be taught languages quicker. I needed to find who the audio system of Na’vi had been, and why and the way they had been studying this explicit created language.

And?

Once I surveyed Na’vi audio system, many stated they joined as a result of they had been followers of the movie they usually stayed for the neighborhood. They’re very welcoming and inclusive communities. It doesn’t matter what your race is or what your gender is, although many of those fandoms are typically extra male.

But additionally, one of many issues I noticed within the Na’vi case was that people joined the fan neighborhood as a result of Avatar was very tied to environmental rights and indigenous rights. These beliefs of environmentalism are a part of the language, they usually picked up on that. That’s a part of the explanation that a few of them had been studying the language.

What about different invented languages?

Those which might be realized most generally are these meant as a global auxiliary language, like Esperanto, meant to be shared by individuals around the globe to advertise unity and world peace. It’s alleged to be a impartial language, and it’s simplified and really straightforward to be taught. It’s been realized by hundreds of thousands of individuals around the globe. You’ll be able to be taught it on Duolingo!

The opposite ones are fan languages: Na’vi, Klingon from Star Trek and Dothraki from Recreation of Thrones are highly regarded. There have been 300 Na’vi audio system after I surveyed them in 2011, everybody from novices to very superior—however all of them thought of themselves a part of the neighborhood. Dothraki audio system had been a lot fewer on the time, possibly 20. And research have proven there are about 20 superior Klingon audio system on the earth as properly. It is determined by the recognition of the present on the time. If one other season of Star Trek: Discovery comes out, you should have extra individuals studying Klingon.

We positively see that with Na’vi. It was highly regarded early on, and there are nonetheless these core members who’re studying Na’vi. And with Avatar 2, which is meant to be coming subsequent 12 months, we are going to doubtless see a rise in audio system.