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From Elvish to Klingon
Exploring Invented Languages
First Edition
Edited by Michael Adams
304 pages
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196x129mm
978-0-19-280709-0
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Hardback
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27 October 2011
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- Explores the origins, purpose, and usage of a wide-range of invented languages
- Authoritative: each chapter is written by an expert in that particular field
- Compares and contrasts man-made vocabularies
- Comprehensive coverage of the subject, from vocabularies created for science fiction, such as Klingon, to languages created for international use, such as Esperanto
- Discusses the cultural effects of invented languages in a clear, jargon-free style
- Useful supplementary material includes a detailed bibliography and index
How are languages invented? Why are they invented? Who uses them? What are the cultural effects of invented languages? This fascinating book looks at all manner of invented languages and explores the origins, purpose, and usage of these curious artefacts of culture. Written by experts in the field, chapters discuss languages from Esperanto to Klingon and uncover the motives behind their creation, and the outcomes of their existence.
Introduction by Michael Adams
Linking all invented languages, Michael Adams explains how creating a language is intimidating work; no one would attempt to invent one unless driven by
a serious purpose or aspiration. He explains how the origin and development of each invented language illustrates inventors' and users' dissatisfaction with the language(s) already available to them, and how each invented language expresses one or more of a wide range of purposes and aspirations: political, social, aesthetic, intellectual, and technological.
Chapter 1: International Auxiliary Languages by Arden Smith
From the mythical Language of Adam to Esperanto and Solrésol, this chapter looks at the history, linguistics, and significance of international or universal languages (including sign languages).
Chapter 2: Invented Vocabularies: Newspeak and Nadsat by Howard Jackson
Looking at the invented vocabularies of
science fiction, for example 1984's 'Newspeak' and Clockwork Orange's 'Nadsat', this chapter discusses the feasibility of such vocabularies, the plausibility of such lexical change, and the validity of the Sapir-Whorfian echoes heard in such literary experiments.
Chapter 3: 'Oirish' Inventions: James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Paul Muldoon by Stephen Watt
This chapter looks at literary inventions of another kind, nonsense and semi-nonsense languages, including those used in the works of James Joyce and Samuel Beckett.
Chapter 4: Tolkien's Invented Languages by Edmund Weiner
Focussing on the work of the accomplished philologist J.R.R. Tolkien, the fifteen languages he created are considered in the context of invented languages
of other kinds.
Chapter 5: Klingon and other Science Fiction Languages by Marc Okrand, Judith Hendriks-Hermans, and Sjaak Kroon
Klingon is the most fully developed of fictional languages (besides Tolkien's). Used by many, this chapter explores the speech community of 'Trekkies', alongside other science fiction vocabularies.
Chapter 6: Logical Languages by Michael Adams
This chapter introduces conlangs, 'constructed languages'. For example, Láaden, created to express feminine experience better than 'patriarchal' languages.
Chapter 7: Gaming Languages and Language Games by James Portnow
Languages and games are both fundamentally interactive, based on the adoption of arbitrary sign systems,
and come with a set of formal rules which can be manipulated to express different outcomes. This being one of the drivers for the popularity of invented languages within the gaming community, James Portnow looks at several gaming languages and language games, such as Gargish, D'ni, Simlish, and Logos.
Chapter 8: Revitalized Languages as Invented Languages by Suzanne Romaine
The final chapter looks at language continuation, renewal, revival, and resurrection - in the cases of Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish, and Breton - as well as language regulation.Readership: Students of language, literature, and linguistics; teachers and researchers of language and culture; also ideal for anyone with an
interest in language.
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Edited by Michael Adams, University of Indiana Contributors:
Michael Adams
Arden Smith
Howard Jackson
Stephen Watt
Edmund Weiner
Marc Okrand
Judith Hendriks-Hermans
Sjaak Kroon
James Portnow
Suzanne Romaine
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"This book is a welcome addition to the growing literature that treats linguistic invention seriously." - Dirk Elzinga, Language Problems and Language Planning "the book ought to be read by anyone with an interest in the future of Scots, Gaelic, and even English." - The Scotsman
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IntroductionMichael Adams:
Arden Smith: International Auxiliary Languages
Howard Jackson: Invented Vocabularies: Newspeak and Nadsat
Stephen Watt: Oirish Inventions: James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Paul Muldoon
Edmund Weiner: Tolkien's Invented Languages
Marc Okrand, Judith Hendriks-Hermans, Sjaak Kroon: Klingon and other Science Fiction Languages
Michael Adams: Logical Languages
James Portnow: Gaming Languages and Language Games
Suzanne Romaine: Revitalized Languages as Invented Languages
Appendices: Samples and Formal Descriptions of Some Invented Languages
Index
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The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.
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