LING2380 · Slavic & Eastern Languages and Literatures
Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences
How does one begin the process of developing a new language? Why would anyone want to engage in such behavior? These are just some of the questions that will be discussed in this course, which draws on the knowledge and methodologies of linguistics to investigate the history of invented languages and the science behind them. The students will explore a variety of already existing invented languages, such as those from the Renaissance designed to improve clarity of thought, those from the 19th century designed to improve international communication, and those from our own time designed to make fictional peoples and alien species found in books and movies seem more real and life-like. Students will gain an appreciation for how our capacity to create new languages has developed in tandem with our scientific understanding of the operation of human languages as they progress through the course. The course will focus heavily on the fundamental design principles for developing new languages, and students will use these to create their own linguistic systems.
Course experience
Averages use the original five-point historical evaluation scale.
Organization
3.8 / 5
How well the course was organized
Challenge
4.1 / 5
How intellectually challenging students found it
Attendance
4.2 / 5
How necessary attendance was
Assignments
4.5 / 5
How helpful assignments were
Weekly effort
~3
hours per week
Estimated from the original workload response buckets. Individual sections may differ.
Instructor options
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Across time
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Spring 2024
1 section