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.