Conlangers

Conlangers are people who create constructed languages, or conlangs. The practice ranges from practical projects such as international auxiliary languages to artistic languages used for novels, films, or world-building, and to experimental works that explore linguistic ideas or aesthetics. Some conlangs aim for ease of learning and cross-cultural neutrality, while others emphasize phonetic distinctiveness, complex grammars, or culturally flavored naming and storytelling.

Creating a conlang typically involves designing phonology (sounds and syllable structure), morphology and syntax (word formation and sentence structure), vocabulary, semantics, and often a writing system. Many conlangs are developed as part of a broader project that includes a language family, historical development, and sample texts. Projects can aim for transparency and regularity or for naturalistic resemblance to real-world languages. Practice usually includes compiling grammars, dictionaries, and example texts; defining cultural context; and sometimes implementing the language in media, games, or software.

Notable examples include Esperanto, created in the 19th century as a planned international auxiliary language; Tolkien’s Quenya and Sindarin; and media languages such as Klingon, Dothraki, and Na’vi. Conlangers often collaborate through online communities, wikis, and dedicated organizations such as language creation societies. The field is informal and varied, with no single governing authority, but it commonly emphasizes documentation, consistency, and the sharing of linguistic and artistic ideas.