CD Covington, author of an upcoming book on linguistic worldbuilding, discusses exploring challenges of navigating culture and language, phonetics in linguistic worldbuilding, creating realistic and comprehensible alien languages, prestige dialects, integrating language into narrative and world building, and borrowing words and phonetic changes in a new language.
Creating believable and realistic languages in science fiction and fantasy worldbuilding, emphasizing the importance of consultation with language experts and capturing the unique characteristics of fictional cultures.
Exploring the representation of dialects in literature and the challenges of accurately and accessibly portraying them, highlighting the significance of consulting experts and avoiding stereotypes.
Deep dives
The Book on Linguistic World Building for Science Fiction and Fantasy Properties
The podcast episode discusses an upcoming book about linguistic world building for science fiction and fantasy properties. The author, who has a background in linguistics and a passion for science fiction, shares how they became interested in this topic and decided to write the book. They mention the influence of works like Arrival, The Expanse, and Babel 17, which feature interesting linguistic elements. The author also highlights the Foreigner series by C.J. Cherry, which incorporates surface-level languages for her books' alien cultures. The book will cover topics such as phonetics, morphology, and integrating language into world building. The author emphasizes the importance of making the language believable and realistic, especially when representing alien psychology and physiology. They acknowledge the balance between making a language understandable to the reader while also reflecting the unique characteristics of the fictional culture. The author encourages writers to consult with language experts and consider the perception and use of prestige dialects in their narratives. They mention the Kickstarter campaign for the book launching on August 15th, providing various reward tiers and a writer's guide to linguistic world building. They emphasize the relevance of linguistics in literature and their hope to encourage more people to think about language in their writing.
Representation of Dialects and Sociolinguistics in Writing
The podcast episode explores the representation of dialects and sociolinguistics in literature. The author discusses the use of dialects to differentiate characters and reflect cultural or social backgrounds. They express a preference for avoiding stereotypes and consulting individuals with firsthand experience of the dialects portrayed. The author mentions the concept of "I" dialect and highlights the potential challenges and barriers it may pose for readers. They stress the importance of consulting experts when representing dialects and recognizing the fine line between accuracy and accessibility. The author also encourages writers to consider issues such as prestige dialects, character perceptions, and the integration of language into narrative to enrich the world building and storytelling.
Creating Consistent and Believable Names for Fictional Cultures
The podcast episode delves into the topic of creating consistent and believable names for fictional cultures. The author provides advice on developing names that sound plausible and coherent within a given language or culture. They emphasize the importance of considering phonetics, syllable structure, and consonant clusters when crafting names. The author suggests borrowing words from real languages but modifying them to align with the phonology and phonetics of the recipient language. They highlight the significance of consistency in name creation and note that readers may appreciate the attention to linguistic detail, even if they don't consciously notice it. The author also mentions the influence of historical naming conventions and the portrayal of specific dialects in naming.
Upcoming Kickstarter Campaign and Additional Resources
The podcast episode announces the upcoming Kickstarter campaign for the author's book on linguistic world building. The campaign is set to start on August 15th and offers various reward tiers, including e-books and print editions. The author shares their goal of making the book a resource for writers and readers interested in linguistics and language in fiction. They mention the inclusion of a writer's guide to linguistic world building in the book and potentially recommending other resources for those interested in conlanging. The author encourages support for the Kickstarter campaign, highlighting the potential value of the book for those seeking to learn more about linguistics and its application in literature.