David J. Peterson: The Linguist Behind Game of Thrones
Before Game of Thrones, "language creator" wasn't a job most people knew existed. David J. Peterson helped change that. Starting with Dothraki in 2009, he went on to create languages for more than a dozen films and TV series.
Here's who he is, how he builds languages, and why his approach changed an industry.
Who Created the Languages of Game of Thrones?
David J. Peterson created the spoken Dothraki and Valyrian languages for HBO's Game of Thrones, building on words George R.R. Martin used in the novels. He won a 2009 competition organised with the Language Creation Society and continued developing the languages through the show and into House of the Dragon.
The Counterintuitive Truth: He Started Conlanging as a Hobby
Many people assume professional language creators come from academic linguistics careers. Peterson studied linguistics — earning degrees from UC Berkeley and UC San Diego — but he began inventing languages as a personal hobby in the early 2000s.
He was part of an online community of hobby conlangers long before the industry existed. We call this hobby-to-profession leap: when an obscure passion becomes a career because the market suddenly needs it.
Background
- Born: 1981, in Long Beach, California
- Education: BA in English and Linguistics (UC Berkeley), MA in Linguistics (UC San Diego)
- Co-founder: Language Creation Society (2007)
- Big break: Dothraki for Game of Thrones (2009)
Languages He Has Created
Peterson has created languages for a wide range of productions, including:
| Production | Language(s) |
|---|---|
| Game of Thrones | Dothraki, High Valyrian, Astapori & Meereenese Valyrian |
| Defiance | Castithan, Irathient |
| Thor: The Dark World | Shiväisith (Dark Elves) |
| The 100 | Trigedasleng |
| Dune (2021) | Chakobsa (with his wife, Jessie Peterson) |
| House of the Dragon | High Valyrian (expanded) |
You can explore several of his Westeros languages in the Dothraki, Valyrian, and Lhazareen translators.
How Peterson Builds a Language
1. Start With the Story
He reads source material closely and asks how a culture lives, what it values, and how it interacts with others.
2. Respect Existing Words
For Dothraki and Valyrian, Martin's words were non-negotiable. Peterson reverse-engineered grammar that made them work.
3. Build a Sound System
He designs phonology first, so all later words sound consistent.
4. Simulate History
Peterson often creates an older version of a language and "evolves" it with sound changes. This gives modern forms realistic irregularities. It's how he could create Low Valyrian dialects from High Valyrian.
5. Translate Scripts and Record Audio
For productions, he translates dialogue and records reference audio so actors can learn lines accurately.
Inside His Philosophy
Peterson has consistently argued that conlanging is an art form, like music or painting. In The Art of Language Invention (2015), he explains that a good constructed language should feel like it has a history and a culture behind it — not just a list of translated words.
He's also been outspoken that "gibberish" and relexed English are poor substitutes for real languages in serious productions.
We'd summarise his approach as lived-in linguistics: languages built as if people had been speaking them for centuries.
His Influence on the Industry
Before 2009, most productions invented fictional languages ad hoc. A few big exceptions existed — Marc Okrand's Klingon, Tolkien's Elvish, Paul Frommer's Na'vi.
After Game of Thrones, hiring a professional conlanger became far more common. Peterson's visibility helped:
- Show studios that fans care about language quality
- Build demand for conlangers
- Encourage media coverage of language creation
Books by Peterson
- Living Language Dothraki (2014)
- The Art of Language Invention (2015)
Peterson and Fans
Peterson is known for engaging with fans online — answering questions, sharing vocabulary, and discussing grammar. That openness helped Valyrian and Dothraki communities grow. It mirrors how Paul Frommer supported Na'vi learners. Compare his languages with Frommer's in the Na'vi Translator.
How He Differs From Tolkien and Okrand
| Creator | Approach |
|---|---|
| J.R.R. Tolkien | Languages first, stories second; decades of personal revision |
| Marc Okrand | Built Klingon to sound alien; minimal cultural simulation at first |
| David J. Peterson | Culture-first, history-simulated, production-ready |
Try Tolkien's and Okrand's languages in the Quenya Translator and the Klingon Translator.
Where Language Creation Is Heading
Peterson's career shows that language creation is a real profession. We predict that within the next decade, major universities will offer more formal courses in constructed language design, and conlanger credits will become standard on big fantasy and sci-fi productions — much as Peterson and the Language Creation Society have advocated for years.