Drakonish

Drakonish is a constructed language created by the writer Naomi Novik for her Temeraire series of novels. The language is spoken by the titular dragon, Temeraire, and the other dragons in the series, serving as their primary form of communication. Novik developed Drakonish as a sophisticated and integral part of the dragon society within her alternate history Napoleonic Wars setting, where dragons are sentient beings capable of complex thought and speech.

The linguistic structure of Drakonish is designed to reflect the nature of dragons. It is characterized by guttural sounds, clicks, and whistles, intended to evoke the primal and powerful nature attributed to these mythical creatures. Novik has stated that she drew inspiration from various sources for the sounds and feel of Drakonish, aiming for a language that sounds ancient and untamed. While specific grammatical rules and a complete lexicon are not fully detailed, the language functions within the narrative to demonstrate the dragons' intelligence, their distinct culture, and their unique perspective on the world. It is presented as a language with its own nuances and idiomatic expressions, further enriching the world-building of the Temeraire series and highlighting the dragons as more than just beasts of war.