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Fictional Language
Synonyms: | Conlang, Constructed Language, Artistic Language |
See also: | Elvish, Klingonese, Na'vi, Vulcan, Cityspeak, Tengwar, Aurabesh, Gallifreyan, Standard Galactic Alphabet |
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Fictional Languages are commonly used in science fiction and fantasy to add depth and verisimilitude to fictional worlds; they can range from a few words and phrases to entire languages complete with grammar and slang.
Klingon and Tolkien's Quenya and Sindarin Elvish languages are two of the most commonly studied fictional languages. Other languages from Star Trek are also frequently studied.
Livejournal includes a number of communities for learning fictional languages, including Gen-lis Vuhlkansu for Vulcan and tlhIngan Hol for Klingon.
Fans who often take fictional languages further: studying them, learning to speak and write them, or expanding on the minimal syntax and vocabulary from canon. Clubs, language institutes, conventions, zines and journals can all have a fannish focus on fictional languages.
Creating one's own constructed languages or "conlangs"[1] is another important sphere of fan activity, sometimes called fanlanging. It is also a well known practice outside of fandom. Esperanto is an example of a famous non-fandom constructed language.
Canons
Some fandoms that have an extensive fictional language component:
- Avatar
- The Expanse
- Chants of Sennaar
- Game of Thrones
- Lord of the Rings
- Sime~Gen
- Stargate SG-1
- Star Trek
- Superman (especially comics)
- Watership Down
- more!
Others focus on a written language:
- Minecraft/Commander Keen - Standard Galactic Alphabet
- Final Fantasy X and X-2 - Al Bhed
- Star Wars - Aurebesh
AO3 Canonical Languages
Fan-created Conlangs
Outside of canonical conlangs, fans may also opt to create their own based on canon, or expand on very basic canonical conlangs that only consist of a few words or phrases.
The 100
Earthsea
- The Isolate Tower has a dictionary of Earthsea languages
Darkover
Doctor Who
Gallifreyan
Harry Potter
Parseltongue
- The Parselmouth, a fan-created Parseltongue dictionary with audio, inspired by the films. Translation and voice by Phylloxera, founded c. 2008.
- Parseltongue 101, a Hogwarts Online course to learn a collaboratively fan-developed version of Parseltongue, inspired by The Parselmouth.com and Parseltongue-inspired by Eugene Oh. (c. 2011)
- Parseltongue translator (now offline), an official Warner Bros. translator "to translate any phrase into Parseltongue", created to promote Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Allowed fans to download .mp3 files of their translations or to share them on social media. It didn't give translations for profanity. The Parseltongue translator was also featured as part of "The Magical Quill" challenge for early Pottermore registration in August 2011. (c. June 2011-2012)
Lord of the Rings
- Ardalambion - website.
- Lambengolmor - a mailing list for the study of Tolkien's conlangs.
- Mellonath Daeron - conlang focus group in Forodrim.
- Omentielva Minya - convention.
- The Pages of The Gray Wizard - website.
- Quettar - Bulletin of the Linguistic Fellowship of the Tolkien Society.
- Tolkien Language Community - LiveJournal community
- TolkLang - conlang and linguistics mailing list.
Elvish
Quenya - canon
Sindarin - canon
Tengwar - canon
ámman îar - fanlang
- Elvish Linguistic Fellowship - conlang focus group
- Eldamo
- Elfling
- Elfscript
- Elfscript2
- ElvishLinguistics
- Gwaith-i-Pheddain
- Hiswelókë's Sindarin Dictionary
- Hith a Naur : Fog & Flame
- Lambendili
- Parf Edhellen
- Parma Eldalamberon
- Quenya (mailing list)
- Tengwestië
- Twenty-Two Words You Never Thought Tolkien Would Provide
- Tyalië Tyelelliéva
- Vinyar Tengwar
Dwarves
- The Dwarrow Scholar - website
The Black Speech
- Black Speech Library - website
- Black Speech School - website
Star Trek

This copy of "Impulse" #5 was sold in 2015 on eBay as part of Gene Roddenberry's personal collection and included a Certificate of Authenticity.
Vulcan
Klingon
- HolQed, the Journal of the Klingon Language Institute
- Writer's Guide to Klingonaase
Romulan
Star Wars
Dai Bendu - Jedi fan made language
- Pegasus #3 has an article that deconstructs some of Greedo's language
- The Complete Wermo's Guide to Huttese - website on Huttese, Standard Basic, Ewokese, and others
- Erikstormtrooper's Imperial Gallery - fansite, including fonts for Futhork, Mando'a, High Sith, and Aurebesh
- Galactic Tongues - meta article
- Twi'lek Information Guide - website resource about Twi'lek culture
- The Universal Translator Assistant Project - website
Superman
- Kryptonian.info (Kryptonian dictionary and grammar - Superman)
Communities
Various conlang groups exist within science fiction fandom, within other fandoms, and outside of fandom. The livejournal community 'conlangs' is one place conlangers organize. The Language Creation Society has a website for those interested in conlangs.
Some Fan Examples
a page from a fan's Andorian dictionary, printed in The Human Factor #2 (1977)
"The Klingon Language, A Federation Text -- a fictional non-fiction article by Professor S. Sarris, M.A., Ph.D, D.L.H., D.L., Linguist in Residence, Starfleet Academy, United Planets of Earth" -- from Archives' Log v.1 n.5 (1974)
a poem about the Klingon language, printed in More Missions, More Myths #8 (1987)
Fanfiction
- making the strange familiar and the familiar strange, a fanfiction by thedancingdove that features the Mandalorian conlang from Star Wars
Further Reading/Meta
- Casta and Cahuenga (Darkover), Archived version
- brown_betty, Cheater's guide to Conlang in fiction (2008).
- Arika Okrent, In the Land of Invented Languages (Spiegel & Grau, 2009) has several chapters on Klingon.
- Michael Adams, From Elvish to Klingon: Exploring Invented Languages (Oxford Univ. Press, 2011)
- Mark Rosenfelder, The Language Construction Kit (Yonagu, 2010) and Advanced Language Construction (Yonagu, 2012).
- J.R.R. Tolkien, A Secret Vice, Archived version, lecture for a 1931 conference.
- Creator of Man of Steel‘s Kryptonian Language Preaches About Fandom in New TEDx Talk, Archived version (2015)
- The digital fandom of Na'vi speakers by Christine Schreyer (2015)
- AO3 account of David J. Peterson, where he documents the conlangs he created for various TV shows
References
- ^ Constructed language, Wikipedia (Accessed August 18, 2010)