Books › The art of language invention
The art of language invention
292 pages
An enthusiastic, behind-the-scenes guide that transforms the complex mechanics of linguistics into a thrilling playground for worldbuilders.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like sitting down with a passionate, geeky professor who is eager to hand you the keys to worldbuilding. It moves at a brisk, engaging pace, seamlessly blending the technical tools of linguistics with highly entertaining pop-culture touchstones. The mood is intellectually stimulating yet deeply accessible, inviting you into the fascinating subculture of conlangers without ever feeling bogged down by academic jargon. Punctuated by behind-the-scenes stories from massive fantasy and sci-fi franchises, the prose is both informative and deeply fun. It is an empowering, creative journey perfectly tailored for writers, game creators, and fantasy fans who want to understand the hidden architecture of their favorite fictional universes or invent entirely new ones.
- Mood
- intellectually stimulating
- creative
- fascinating
- fun
- Tone
- enthusiastic
- informative
- engaging
- accessible
- geeky
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the mechanics of language · creative worldbuilding · pop culture linguistics · the art of conlanging
- The writing
- Accessible and engaging, blending technical linguistic tools with entertaining pop-culture references and behind-the-scenes anecdotes.
- The arc
- Moves from a fascinating historical overview of constructed languages to an empowering, hands-on exploration of creative linguistics.
- Who it's for
- Sci-fi and fantasy fans, writers, and language lovers who want to peek behind the curtain of their favorite fictional worlds or build their own.
About the book
"From master language creator David J. Peterson comes a creative guide to language construction for sci-fi and fantasy fans, writers, game creators, and language lovers. Peterson offers a captivating overview of language creation, covering its history from Tolkien's creations and Klingon to today's thriving global community of conlangers. He provides the essential tools necessary for inventing and evolving new languages, using examples from a variety of languages including his own creations, punctuated with references to everything from Star Wars to Michael Jackson. Along the way, behind-the-scenes stories lift the curtain on how he built languages like Dothraki for HBO's Game of Thrones and Shiväisith for Marvel's Thor: The Dark World, and an included phrasebook will start fans speaking Peterson's constructed languages. The Art of Language Invention is an inside look at a fascinating culture and an engaging entry into a flourishing art form--and it might be the most fun you'll ever have with linguistics." -- Publisher's description.
Description from Open Library.
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