Date of Award

2022

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Luria, Rachel

Abstract

Many storytellers, especially writers of the fantasy genre, have invented languages for their works, J.R.R. Tolkien being one of the most notable ones. An invented language may be as simple as a few words or as extensive as an entire grammar and vocabulary that mimics an actual language. But its very existence begs a question: is invented language a useful component of storytelling? Yes—it is. For by spanning the chasm between characters and setting, it increases the scope, consistency, and believability of a story. Rather than relying on the writer’s language to orient characters within a world, invented language grants the characters the ability to connect to their own world via a language suited to their culture and experience. In creating or “uncovering” an invented language of my own as well as studying the invented languages of others, the immense creative benefit of invented language becomes obvious and undeniable.

Comments

Thesis (B.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, 2022

Extent

44 p.

Identifier

FAUHT00219

Download

Share

COinS