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Does Anyone Speak the Fictional Languages Used in "Game of Thrones"?

Published: May 17, 2019
Views: 1,108
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Game of Thrones is one of the most popular television shows of all time, broadcast to 170 countries and millions of zealous fans, who will undoubtedly tune in to watch the series finale on Sunday night. And there has been some crossover between the HBO fantasy series and real life, with character names such as Arya, Khaleesi, and Lyanna gaining popularity for female babies. Fans are also embracing the fictional languages used in the TV show, such as Dothraki and High Valyrian. In fact, a course in High Valyrian is now available on the language-learning app Duolingo. It was created by linguist David J. Peterson, who developed the Dothraki and High Valyrian languages used in the show from a few words and phrases mentioned in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels. The Duolingo course in High Valyrian features more than 2,000 vocabulary words and teaches grammar, as well.

Words from Westeros:

  • The popular series is set in the fictional Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and the neighboring continent Essos. Power, family loyalty, and violence are central themes, but it also explores issues of social hierarchy, corruption, love, sexuality, and civil war.
  • To help Game of Thrones actors speak Dothraki and High Valyrian, language creator Peterson recorded audio versions of each line for the performers to follow.
  • Constructed languages -- known as "conlangs" -- have grown in popularity along with the Internet. The best known is Klingon from Star Trek, which popped up regularly on The Big Bang Theory.
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