languagemaking

Languagemaking is the practice of creating languages, typically artificial or reconstructed, for use in entertainment, worldbuilding, experiments, or linguistic study. It encompasses the design of phonology, grammar, lexicon, writing systems, and sociolinguistic features, and may aim for naturalistic plausibility or purely aesthetic goals.

Languagemaking sits at the intersection of linguistics and creative writing. While it shares methods with real-world language description, it is not constrained by historical development or speaker communities, though many projects consider learnability and consistency across forms. Some languagemakes seek communicative utility, others prioritize flavor, culture, or euphony. Distinctions are often drawn between naturalistic conlangs and engineered or artistic conlangs.

Core components include phonology (sound inventory and rules), morphology (word formation), syntax (grammar and sentence structure), semantics (meaning and reference), lexicon (vocabulary), and orthography (writing system). Designers may also craft sociolinguistic variation, idioms, proverbs, and pragmatic usage. The process often starts with a concept or culture, followed by a phonology and grammar design, then vocabulary and texts to test the system.

Notable practitioners include J. R. R. Tolkien, who developed multiple languages such as Quenya and Sindarin; Marc Okrand, creator of Klingon; and David J. Peterson, who designed Dothraki and Valyrian for Game of Thrones. Communities and resources, such as online forums and conlang databases, support collaboration, language description, and sharing sample texts.

Languagemaking has influenced media and fan communities, clarified ideas about linguistic theory, and expanded public interest in language as a creative medium. It also raises questions about copyright, cultural representation, and the ethics of language creation in fictional worlds.