This article is a companion to the profile on Jefferson’s Linguistics Club published in our November Print Issue.

Welcome to the land of constructed languages. Alphabets. Syntax. Accents. Stresses. Meters. And Hollywood. Here we take a look at several notable constructed languages in entertainment.

Dothraki

Dothraki was created by linguist David J. Peterson to be spoken by the Dothraki people, a nomadic group, in the popular HBO show Game of Thrones. Languages such as Turkish, Swahili, and Russian inspired this constructed language.

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Quenya

Of the 20+ languages developed by writer and linguist J.R.R Tolkien, Quenya is perhaps the most prominent. The language is mostly spoken by the Noldorin elves.

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Klingonese

This language is spoken in the Star Trek franchise by the brutal and totalitarian Klingons. In constructing

Klingonese, linguist Marc Okrand deliberately avoided using patterns common in many human languages.

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Shryiiwook

Spoken by wookies such as Chewbacca in the Star Wars franchise, Shryiiwook consists of animal-like barks, roars, moans, and growls, making it difficult for any non-Wookie to speak.

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Na’vi

Na’avi is spoken by the indigenous people of the same name in Avatar, the highest grossing movie worldwide of all time. Given the traditions of oral history of the Na’avi, the language lacks a written script.

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