Invented Languages, Invented Worlds
Invented Languages, Invented Worlds
How the world around us shapes our speech, and how our speech shapes new worlds
Signum University’s sixth Annual Texas Language and Literature Symposium (TexMoot) invites you to join us as we consider the what J.R.R. Tolkien called “the secret vice”, the invention of languages, specifically as it pertains to speculative fiction.
From Tolkien’s own Elvish, to Star Trek’s Klingon, to George R. R. Martin’s Dothraki, invented languages have played a crucial role in immersing the audience in their respective invented worlds. Indeed, these invented worlds can hardly be imagined without the invented languages on which they depend. The power of this connection also raises important considerations about our own language and reality.
TexMoot Registration Is Now Open
At TexMoot 2023, you will explore questions like: What purposes do invented languages serve? What makes for an effective and compelling ConLang (constructed language)? How do these invented languages help create the invented worlds in which they’re spoken–and vice versa? How do these invented languages inspire the state of what Tolkien calls the “unwilling suspension of disbelief”? And what can invented languages teach us about language in the “real” world–and our relationship to it?
Call For Proposals Is Now Open
The TexMoot Team is looking for traditional academic papers (of about 15 minutes). Presentations can be more academic or popular, according to your preference and experience. The call for proposals is open to both onsite and offsite attendees and presenters.
