Conlangs

Book Review: ‘In the Land of Invented Languages’ by Arika Okrent

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Not so long ago, I was a stranger in a particularly strange land. The land was that of invented languages, and my guide was Arika Okrent, linguist and professional writer. My ticket was a bright red paperback with zany white lettering on the front. The journey lasted just over 800 years – the length of the recorded history of invented languages. Or perhaps that was the destination rather than the journey? I seem to have reached the outer border of this metaphor, so let’s cross over to a more tangible overview of Okrent’s book.

In the Land of Invented Languages was released in 2009 and is 293 pages long. The book is the result of five years of research into … ↪

Conlang-week in Aarhus

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Increasing numbers of films and television series incorporate fictional languages to create authentic fantasy settings. But who makes these languages? Meet two language creators and hear about their work. There will be a workshop and two talks at Aarhus University. The events are free, and everyone is welcome, students and non-students alike!

Wednesday 14th september, 4-6 pm, 1441-112:

SOLIA-workshop with David J. Peterson and Jessie Sams: “From beginning to translation – a historical approach”

Thursday 15th september, 4-8 pm, 1482-105 (Nobel auditorium):

Talk by David J. Peterson & Jessie Sams

Friday 16th september, ViGør, 2-4 pm, 1481-264:

Talk by David J. Peterson & Jessie Sams

 

Read more about David J. Peterson (in Danish)

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Creator of Dothraki language from Game of Thrones visits Aarhus University

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The creator of the fictional language Dothraki, from the HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’, will fly all the way

from Hollywood to Aarhus University on 14/9 – 19/9 2022, where he will give a presentation on his experience as a professional ‘conlanger’.

He will also be holding an informal meet-and-greet where there will be the opportunity for an autograph or a selfie!

A conlanger is a person who creates fictional languages, or a language that did not emerge naturally. David J. Peterson is probably the most successful conlanger in the world. He is Hollywood’s “go-to conlanger” and has therefore created a considerable number of fictional languages ​​for movies and series such as: Thor 2, Defiance, The Witcher, Game of Thrones, … ↪