Not only are languages fascinating and fun, but an investigation into the rules governing language as a whole can bring diverse members of a community together and spark interest in future study in fields like psychology, philosophy, education, language teaching, sociology, anthropology, computer science, and even artificial intelligence. With the goal of bringing our diverse teen community together and relating our study of language to the wider world, we presented a series of three activities relating to Constructed Languages in Science Fiction and Fantasy.
First, we invited speakers to discuss the topic of language in fiction. For others implementing this program, this could be a science fiction or fantasy author or a linguist and the speaker could join you in person at the library or via Skype if they are not located in the area. We invited Christopher Paolini, the author of Eragon, and David J. Peterson, the linguist for HBO’s Games of Thrones. Second, we had a book discussion related to this concept, choosing books in which a constructed language is major part of the story, in our case, the invented languages of Paolini’s Alagaësia, Newspeak from the novel 1984, and the future English of Riddley Walker. Our third activity was a STEAM workshop devoted to creating new languages, using the rules of David J. Peterson’s The Art of Language Invention. In each of these last two activities, we also discussed the theory of linguistic relativity, or that the structure of a language actually affects how each speaker thinks and views the world. Further, as attendees are introduced to the workings of myriad languages, they will see that things that seem obvious to English speakers are not necessarily the case.
Type: Active
Age: High school
Optimal size: 6-10
Estimated cost: $100+
Planning time: 5+ hours
Frequency: One-time
Learning outcomes
Over the four programs, attendees learned language and culture are intrinsically tied together, and were able to see a variety of different worldviews. Many that attended our guest speakers’ talks were not initially interested in language. But they were curious and left with a new found interest.
In sharing languages that they made at our Conlanging Workshop, they taught each other new things. They connected and collaborated with others and shared new ideas for languages. As they learned about different aspects of languages and tried to build new ones from scratch, they had to innovate and think flexibly as they put together different linguistic concepts. They were able to express themselves through the unique languages they were creating, almost artistically, yet used reason and problem-solving to manipulate the principles of language. They experimented and tested ideas as they worked. If someone wound up assuming an element in English was necessary, I taught them different ways of looking at it, and thus to give consideration to feedback and constructive criticism.
We hope that they took away a few critical ideas. The possibilities of language are vast, there is no set way to do things. For example, the attendees learned that English uses dummy pronouns, the ‘it’ in “It’s raining,” yet most languages do not work this way, simply opting for their word for ‘raining’ (Afterall, what is the ‘it’ referring to?). Similarly, I showed them an example of a constructed language that didn’t even use verbs. They learned that the word butterfly used to be flutterby, and someone made a mistake hundreds of years ago that stuck. Not only is that an amazing fact, but the realization that most words have stories behind their formation was of great interest to them as well. Lastly, learning all the ways that one’s language affects their worldview and behavior, from speakers of tenseless language being healthier and more financially stable, to speakers of languages that used cardinal directions instead of left and right being able to navigate better, was especially interesting to them.
Instructions
I do recommend having the three different programs together, as they mutually supported each other. Topics discussed in each were relevant and helpful to the others. The Book Club was like any regular book club, but the topic was limited to language topics. Since there was the option to read three different books, they were able to compare and contrast different ideas. A librarian could choose any titles they thought suitable, for example, Lord of the Rings or Native Tongue would’ve worked as well. The books were a springboard to more topics and the latter three-quarters of the program were on language in general, referring back to the books when needed.
Speakers are much more affordable and flexible if they are able to do the talk virtually. Again, while we chose Christopher Paolini and David J. Peterson, you could ask whoever you wanted.
For the Conlanging Workshop, we used David J. Peterson’s The Art of Language Invention as a textbook, with enough copies for each attendee. The book is broken down into four major parts, and I took the most basic elements for the lesson, with the idea they could have enough to get started, and they could read the book to develop their language further. One attendee brought a language he had worked on prior to the program, which was very helpful, since he was able to share what he had learned and it was very useful for examples as I taught. As we finished, people started working on their own language, and shared their thoughts. Ultimately, for all of these, it would be good for the librarian to have some working knowledge of linguistics in advance.
Evaluation
I am very pleased to say every learning outcome I wanted to be met was. Plenty of attendees walked away with a different perspective and a greater knowledge. We even intend to continue this program series with a Conlanging Club, since people enjoyed the process so much, they wanted to continue to share as they developed their languages further.
We measured our success based on the outcome of the series. For the book discussion, the teens were engaged and enthusiastic and our STEAM workshop resulted in something that the teens have created themselves.
We did have about average attendance for each program, which is good, though we were hoping for above-average attendance. Next time, we would promote it even more extensively than we did. I think I would put the Book Club after the first speaker, since the speakers were so educational, it would have been useful the that knowledge to be available for the Book Club discussion.
Ultimately, the teens really enjoyed the programs and learned a lot.