Full Description
This book is the first to explore the varied ways in which invented languages can be used to teach languages and linguistics in university courses. There has long been interest in invented languages, also known as constructed languages or conlangs, both in the political arena (as with Esperanto) and in the world of literature and science fiction and fantasy media - Tolkien's Quenya and Sindarin, Dothraki in Game of Thrones, and Klingon in the Star Trek franchise, among many others. Linguists have recently served as language creators or consultants for film and television, with notable examples including Jessica Coon's work on the film Arrival, Christine Schreyer's Kryptonian for Man of Steel, and David Adger's contributions to the series Beowulf.
The chapters in this volume show how the use of invented languages as a teaching tool can reach a student population who might not otherwise be interested in studying linguistics, as well as helping those students to develop the fundamental core skills of linguistic analysis. Invented languages encourage problem-based and active learning; they shed light on the nature of linguistic diversity and implicational universals; and they provide insights into the complex interplay of linguistic patterns and social, environmental, and historical processes. The volume brings together renowned scholars and junior researchers who have used language invention and constructed languages to achieve a range of pedagogical objectives. It will be of interest to graduate students and teachers of linguistics and those in related areas such as anthropology and psychology.
Contents
1: Jeffrey Punske, Nathan Sanders, and Amy V. Fountain: Introduction
2: Nathan Sanders: A primer on constructed languages
3: Arika Okrent: Budding linguists and how to find them
4: Jessica Coon: The linguistics of Arrival: Heptapods, field linguistics, and Universal Grammar
5: David Adger and Coppe van Urk: Three conlang projects at three educational levels
6: Grant Goodall: The design(ing) of language
7: Matt Pearson: Using language invention to teach typology and cross-linguistic universals
8: Angela C. Carpenter: Teaching invented languages to the undergraduate major: A capstone course
9: James A. Berry: Teaching invented languages as an introductory course: Unfamiliar territory
10: Carrie Gillon, Edward Delmonico, Randi Martinez, and Spencer Morrell: Bringing language construction from the classroom to the community
11: Nathan Sanders and Christine Schreyer: The interdisciplinarity of conlangs: Moving beyond linguistics
12: Brenna Reinhart Byrd and Andrew Miles Byrd: Teaching Proto-Indo-European as a constructed language
13: Skye J. Anderson, Shannon T. Bischoff, Jeffrey Punske, and Amy V. Fountain: Learning about language through language invention: "I was really proud of the language I created"
14: Sheri Wells-Jenson and Kimberly Spallinger: Extraterrestrial message construction: Guidelines for the use of xenolinguistics in the classroom
15: David J. Peterson: Artistry in language invention: Conlang pedagogy and the instructor as authority
