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Topic : Re: How to implement a fictional language in my novel? As a writer, I used to write short stories and poems. As a reader, fantasy is my favorite genre. I created some what of a language for - selfpublishingguru.com

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Here is how I dealt with Lissien, the language in my dragon book.

Pick a few root words and use them a lot. This gives readers an idea of what you mean, through repetition and similarity. Thus the dragons are Lissai, their language Lissien, an adolescent dragon is a glissond, an adult female an olissair, a clan leader is a hlissak, the king is hlissosak, leaders of other animal species are called hlisskans, the unit of distance is a lisstal (one dragon wingspan), etc.
Most of the foreign words I used were for titles, alien flora and fauna, measurements of distance and time, and coinage (unicoins, carved from unicorn horns).
I tried to use names that are suggestive. So instead of Maple trees, I call them Spin-nut trees (because that is what Maple seeds are). I called oil "liosh", tar "osh" and tar pit became oshpit. A sea serpent I called a lebyatan, suggesting Leviathan, the Biblical sea serpent. Triceratops I called "dryzerdops". Tigers I called "taggers".
Try to reserve the alien words for important plot points or to increase versimilitude. I created a dragon sport, a board game, and a legal system.
Names are tricky. I tried to capture appearance or character. A hot-tempered Red Dragon was Anspark. A sweet-talking political leader I named Tongaroi (from Tongue and a word meaning Royal). A dragon leader prone to fury I called Lofty K'fuur. A maroon colored dragon I named K'Maron. A rouge colored one I named Rougelek.

Good luck!


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