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200 reviews for:
The Art of Language Invention: From Horse-Lords to Dark Elves, the Words Behind World-Building
David J. Peterson
4.1 AVERAGE
200 reviews for:
The Art of Language Invention: From Horse-Lords to Dark Elves, the Words Behind World-Building
David J. Peterson
4.1 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
K choice read aloud. Although he is a kid that likes language, a lot this went into the weeds in a dry way that was difficult to appreciate, so we ended up scanning and skipping to the case studies and more accessible bits. That's ok, still got something of it and will keep it around for when the detail is needed.
The Art of Language Invention by David Peterson--Language invention is wild. This book dives extremely deep into constructed languages. I've never thought so much about glottal sounds and the alveolar sounds that make up the ways we communicate. The material is thorough, and if you want a primer on everything to consider in making your own language, this is the book for you. Thumbs up.
Very comprehensive, and yet extremely readable! This is a great and relatable book about conlanging, linguistics, and a peek into the mind of the person who built Dothraki!
funny
informative
relaxing
slow-paced
Really interesting read! As others have said, if you are simply looking for a narrative of how languages like Dothraki and Shiväisith were created, this book is going to be overload. If, however, you'd like to see the nuts and bolts of how languages are created - and maybe try it yourself! - David has essentially given us Conlang 101 with lots of humor and examples from both natlangs and conlangs to illustrate the major facets of a language.
As so much of the book relies on the *sounds* of language, I highly recommend the audiobook. I read the paperback while listening to the audio, and look forward to revisiting both versions as resources as I set about creating my own language(s).
As so much of the book relies on the *sounds* of language, I highly recommend the audiobook. I read the paperback while listening to the audio, and look forward to revisiting both versions as resources as I set about creating my own language(s).
This is very good if you want to learn to create a language. For someone who just wants to listen about languages, it can be too technical, but the history of different parts of language is still fascinating.
informative
medium-paced
Another book we read in one of our intro courses. However this one was way more interesting and educational. It didn’t feel as much as a task to submit.The book is informative to those who are interested in words and language in general. Linguistics is a quite complicated field as you want it to make it. Peterson relays a good amount of language history to the reader in order to explain his theories and practices. Honestly is quite educational and catching. Also, this is written in a very casual tone so no fancy words or very specific technical words. I think the man knew he needed to sugar-coat this stuff for the vast majority of his audience to get it down.
A fantastic textbook (of sorts) for language creation that is very in-depth and informative. Besides the creation of languages like Dothraki, it also explains why natural languages are they way they are. Very well written with a ton of examples from multiple different languages. Light-hearted that keeps it entertaining. While I have not attempted any language creation, and much of this went over my head, I enjoyed the read and felt like a I learned a lot.