Stories and guides about languages, ciphers, and translation.
In Game of Thrones, High Valyrian is a dead language of a destroyed empire. In the real world, it has more learners than many living languages. Here's how a fictional dead language was revived — twice.
Valkyries have travelled from Viking poetry to Wagner's opera, Marvel comics, anime, and blockbuster games. Here's how the Valkyrie archetype evolved across 1,000 years — and why every fantasy universe eventually adds one.
Galactic Basic, Huttese, Shyriiwook, Ewokese, Mando'a, and droid-speak — Star Wars is full of languages. Here's a complete guide to the languages of a galaxy far, far away, who speaks them, and how they were created.
Which Game of Thrones language is the hardest to learn? The most beautiful? The one you'd actually survive with in Essos? We ranked every major language of Westeros and Essos — and matched each to a personality type.
Tolkien built Elvish to be beautiful; Marc Okrand built Klingon to be alien and fierce. Here's how the two most influential fictional languages compare in sound, grammar, history, and community — and what each teaches about language design.
Klingon gets the spotlight, but Star Trek is full of languages — Vulcan, Romulan, Cardassian, Tamarian, and more. Here's a guide to every major Star Trek language, how developed each one is, and which ones you've probably forgotten.
Wedding vows in Dothraki. Baby names from Valyrian. Discord servers where "Valar morghulis" means goodnight. Here's how fans actually use Game of Thrones languages in real life — and where it works best.
There's no single "Elvish" — Tolkien created a whole family of Elvish languages, plus Dwarvish, Black Speech, Entish, and more. Here's a guide to the languages of Middle-earth, who speaks them, and whether Elvish is a real language you can learn.
Klingon is the most successful fictional language ever created — with a dictionary, an institute, a Hamlet translation, and real speakers. Here's everything a beginner needs to know about tlhIngan Hol, its culture, and whether you can learn it.
Who created the languages of Game of Thrones? Meet David J. Peterson — the conlanger who built Dothraki and High Valyrian, then went on to create languages for Dune, Marvel, and more. Here's how he works.
Chewbacca is part bear. Huttese echoes Quechua. Jawas speak sped-up Zulu. Here's how sound designer Ben Burtt invented the voices of the Star Wars galaxy from real recordings — and why his methods still shape alien languages today.
Tatooine is a desert crossroads where Hutts, Jawas, Tusken Raiders, moisture farmers, and smugglers all meet. Here's a guide to the languages spoken on Luke Skywalker's home planet — and how each one reflects life on the Outer Rim.