From Klingon to Furbish, there’s a fictional language here for everyone. Who knows – it might just earn you brownie points at your next casting call!
Although learning a widely spoken language would be more practical, we can’t help but imagine how much more entertaining parties would be if everyone communicated in the fictional languages of fantasy characters or extra-terrestrial beings.
So, whether you want a new party trick, unique voiceover auditions, or you’re just a fellow geek looking to expand their horizons, you can teach yourself all of these made-up languages with minimal effort.
Who knows when a few sentences of Elvish may come in handy?
1. Klingon
While Star Trek’s Klingon isn’t the easiest to learn on this list, it does have the largest number of resources to help you do so. Created by Marc Okrand as the language for the humanoid warrior species originating from Kronos, it is one of the most popular fictional languages – there are even Klingon voice actors!
Although Klingon was not introduced into the franchise until Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the made-up language has had several books published about it. The ‘Klingon Language Institute’ even post quarterly journals dedicated to helping fans learn more about it.
To learn this fictional language, you can use the Klingon Language Institute or simply head over to Duolingo – surreal, we know!
2. Kryptonian
From DC Comics, Kryptonian (or Kryptonese) is the language of the inhabitants of Kryptonite – the birthplace of Superman.
Arguably, Kryptonian is the hardest fictional language to learn. With four different written versions throughout Superman comics and films, it is no easy task. The made-up language was developed by comic book editor E. Nelson Bridwell as a way of stumping fans who had aggravated him by trying to make sense of his nonsense scribbles used in the Superman comics.
As a result, an alphabet consisting of 118 letters was created, and the language was eventually revamped in Man of Steel (1986) and then later again in the 2000s.
3. Elvish
JRR Tolkien’s passion for languages led him to create the twin tongues of the Elves long before he embarked on developing the intricate world of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Comprising of High Elvish and Low Elvish, these fictional languages draw inspiration from real-world tongues, notably Finnish and Welsh.
While Elvish may have distant real-world language roots, fear not – learning this made-up language doesn’t need any prior knowledge of Finnish or Welsh. There are several sources you can learn Elvish from, but here is a personal favourite.
4. High Valyrian
American linguist David J. Peterson created High Valyrian for Game of Thrones, and while it may only be primarily spoken by the nobles living in Essos and Westeros, it also features throughout poetry and literature in the fictional world.
High Valyrian is considered an elitist language, with its speakers being given Valyrian names (e.g. Aegon, Daenerys, Rhaenyra) to further prove their status.
The language is ever evolving, with now approx. 2,000 words and its own set of rules. In 2016, Duolingo even worked with Peterson to create a High Valyrian course for English speakers to learn the fictional language.
5. Na’vi
Created for the Avatar world by Paul Frommer, Na’vi was developed with the idea that it would be easy to learn for humans as it was not too distant from existing Earth languages.
Frommer spent a substantial amount of time on the fictional language, but six months of work later, he had enough words and vocabulary for James Cameron to develop a script. Initially, this meant only 1,000 words of Na’vi were developed, but after video games and TV show spin-offs came around, the language continued to blossom.
The Avatar language is one of the easier ones on this list to learn, with many of the words using a mould of pre-existing words. Have a look at the Na’vi dictionary!
6. Dothraki
When George RR Martin introduced Dothraki in his book A Song of Ice and Fire, he had no idea the fictional language would grow to be anything more than a few spoken words.
Once Game of Thrones was due to be turned into a TV series, HBO worked with the Language Creation Society to turn Dothraki into a fully-fledged made-up language. With approx. 3,000 words and a simple grammar structure, it is fairly easy to learn.
You can begin learning Dothraki here to impress fellow GoT fanatics!
7. Simlish
Calling all Sims players! Ever wondered what your little computer self Sim is saying? Well, turns out you can actually learn their language.
Simlish was originally created to be complete nonsense but has since become a key part of the world-building game. It is one of the easier fictional languages to learn as it takes much of its grammar from English and vocabulary from other real-world languages.
Plenty of celebrities have even given it a go. Katy Perry released a version of Last Friday Night in Simlish to be listened to within the game, as well as more Simlish music from artists such as My Chemical Romance, Lily Allen, and Carly Rae Jepsen.
You can start learning Simlish here.
8. Furbish
If you’re looking for an easy place to start learning a fictional language, Furbish is your best bet. The original toy released in 1998 by Tiger Electronics came with a dictionary with just 42 words.
The language has grown throughout the years with the release of newer models, but Furbish keeps the same grammar structure. It may seem silly at first, but the fictional language takes inspiration from many real-world language concepts.
For example, the Furbish word “Doo” is used to replace a question mark, much like the Japanese word “Desu ka”, which also replaces a question mark.
You can start your Furbish learning journey here.
9. Lapine
Remember being traumatised by Richard Adams’ classic film adaptation of Watership Down? Well, the rabbits in the 80s film speak their own fictional language, Lapine.
The name of the language ‘Lapine’ comes from the French word for rabbit and was also meant to sound ‘fluffy’. It is a relatively easy language to learn, with many words inspired by English, and many are onomatopoeic (e.g., hrududu is the word for car).
Fans have since expanded on the language over the years, with a glossary of Lapine terms now available to help keen learners.
10. Dovahzul
If you’ve ever played Skyrim, you’ll be familiar with a few Dovahzul words. For example, the Unrelenting Force chant “Fus Ro Dah.”
Dovahzul is the Dragon Language in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, spoken by the dragons and ancient Nords that can harness its power against the dragon masters. Players come across the language in-game often, and with no capitalisation or punctuation rules, it is easy to pick up.
There are excellent online sources dedicated to helping Elder Scrolls fans learn Dovahzul.
Ready to add some fictional language flair to your voice acting?
Whether you’re aiming to impress at auditions or simply looking to expand your repertoire, including a fictional language in your campaigns could be a fantastic way to connect with passionate fanbases.
Dive into these fantastical tongues and browse the talented voice actors speaking these fictional languages!
Discover Klingon Voiceover
What is High-Valyrian in GoT & HotD?
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