Geek Languages: Say What?!?
Though slightly less official, there are actually some very interesting, very learnable languages out there in the world that have come into being through movies, books, and television shows. Instead of always only searching for the best way to learn Spanish, these present playful alternative options. Some are more developed while others are simply a list of words producers wanted for a scene in a film. But no matter the situation, all of them are based in some already existing language.
Some of the more complete languages are listed below with what movie or book they came from:
- Klingon - Star Trek
- Dothraki - Game of Thrones
- Na'vi - Avatar
- High Valyrian - Game of Thrones
- Elvish - Lord of the Rings
Image taken from John McWhorter's video (displayed below)
Others that are not as well known but can still count as languages include:
- Huttese - Star Wars (Jaba the Hutt)
- Nadsat - A Clockwork Orange
- Parseltongue - Harry Potter
- Ewokese - Star Wars (Ewoks)
Some are based in English, others more closely resemble Finnish or Latin. Still others pull from Native American dialects, Southeast Asian dialects and myriads of others.
J.R.R. Tolkien didn't just limit elvish to some basic grammar and vocabulary, he created a complete language in which he even included different accents. The video below made by John McWhorter will guide you through Tolkien's thought pattern and demonstrates the profoundness of the language development.
David J. Peterson knows more about the background of Dothraki and High Valyrian than just about anyone else, and for good reason - he created them! As a professional language creator, Peterson has created many full-fledged languages used in a variety of media, from The 100 to Thor: The Dark World, and even The Shannara Chronicles. In total, he has developed 14 languages just for film and he speaks many of them fluently. Clearly, he has embraced his inner geek so why shouldn't we?
So here's to all of our inner nerds - choose your favorite "fictional" language, do a little research, go forth, and SPEAK! You'll open up a whole new world to yourself!
