T.S. Eliot, the poet who said “April is the cruelest month,” apparently predicted climate change. Indeed, April in Amsterdam gave us gale-force winds, Antarctic temperatures, and buckets of rain dumped on us as if by stage hands on a film set.
The upside of the wild weather is more reading time: here are two literary suggestions to enhance your work life and your life-life.
The Art of Language Invention:
From Horse-Lords to Dark Elves to Sand Worms, the Words Behind World-Building
By David. J. Peterson
Penguin Books, 2015
Are you a fan of sci-fi movies? Have you ever found yourself wondering how the language of badass warriors or terrifying aliens is created? Well, let’s talk about conlangs, i.e., invented languages.
Meet David J. Peterson, a linguist who has delved into the world of made-up languages and created Dothraki and Game of Thrones’ Valyrian, to mention just a few. In his book, The Art of Language Invention, he offers out-of-this-world insight into creating languages that may sound like gibberish, but in reality are meticulously crafted, with precise rules and vocabularies.
So, for you aspiring conlang experts, here are the three main aspects of creating a language:
1. It’s crucial to consider the physical characteristics of those who will speak the language. If they have tentacles instead of mouths, visual communication may be involved (think Arrival‘s cute octopuses). Also, determining what sounds the characters can plausibly utter will make the language sound more believable.
2. The grammar of your invented language can reveal much about the people who use it. So, it’s important to establish consistent internal rules. This includes deciding the basic structure of sentences, whether interrogative sentences change that structure, and how verb tenses affect word endings. For more technicalities, here is a video of Peterson explaining how he developed Dothraki.
3. The writing system is crucial; it must reflect the characteristics of its speakers. For example, the written language of Tolkien’s Elves is fluid and curved, while Klingon script is angular and menacing.
This book is not just for linguists but for all of us who use language as a professional tool and need the occasional spark of creativity. So, let’s boldly go where no “man” has gone before–and start making up new words!
No time to read the book? Watch this Talk@Google by David J. Peterson.
Also, check out the website of the Language Creation Society for more on conlangs.
Close to the Machine:
Technophilia and its Discontents
by Ellen Ullman
Pushkin Press, 1997
Like my co-author of this newsletter, I love reading biographies and memoirs. I don’t mean bios of celebrities like Madonna or Taylor Swift (although you’ll find Andre Agassi’s Open on my Kindle). I mean real-life stories of more down-to-earth people, like author Ellen Ullman.
A word of warning: when Ellen Ullman wrote Close to the Machine, in 1997, the Silicon Valley myth was just forming. That said, I think her unique experience of being “close to the machine” will resonate with many of you.
Recounting her experiences in the tech industry, Ullman writes, “It’s as if there’s a secret language that only the initiated know, and if you don’t understand it, you’re not really part of the club.” In reference to the difficulties of debugging code, she writes: “It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack, except the needle is invisible and the haystack is also invisible.” And, citing the strange lifestyle of tech workers, she provides what is hands-down one of my all-time favorite quotes: “Delivery guys love us: We’re the new housewives. We’re always home.” Freelancers and contractors, does this sound familiar?
What I appreciate most, though, is how honestly Ullman writes about her career as one of Silicon Valley’s first female programmers. Understandably, Ullman struggled with imposter syndrome: “I wasn’t sure I belonged there, that I was good enough to be there.” Sigh.
My edition, which is from 2013, contains an introduction by none other than Jaron Lanier, author of You Are Not a Gadget and frequent commentator on the impact of technology on our lives. For Millennials and Gen Z’ers, I recommend the 2022 edition, which commemorates the book’s 25th anniversary. This includes an introduction by Anna Wiener, author of Uncanny Valley (yes, another memoir on life in tech).
Bonus video: Ellen Ullman’s Talk@Google.