If you have ever traveled to a foreign country without knowing the language, you have likely experienced some culture shock. As Richard Littauer, a linguistics graduate student, explains, “Linguistic diversity is one of the main ways you feel like you’re in a new culture.”
In science fiction and fantasy, this linguistic culture shock must be manufactured. The result is a whole new Hollywood profession, to create new languages with grammatical rules, a written alphabet, and an extensive vocabulary.
Here are four languages that have already been invented for our entertainment. Are you fluent in any of them?
Star Trek: Klingon
Lord of the Rings: Elvish
Game of Thrones: Dothraki
Avatar: Na’vi
