How can I create a convincing fictional language like Tolkien did?

[SeekerOfTruth007]

It works like cryptography, except we get to cheat.

Simply rotate vowels to the next vowel to the right in the Alphabet, and rotate Consonants to the third Consonant to the right in the alphabet.

So if the Elves wrote, "Say 'Friend' and Enter."

It would look something like this in my language:

"Wea 'Jvoirh' erh irxiv."

Now try pronouncing that!

But we can now "cheat" by breaking the cipher to make some new words easier to pronounce and look more natural. So "Jvoirh" becoems "Juvoirah" and "Irxiv" can be broken into two words "irx" and "Iv".

Anyway, have fun, it's fictional languages.

You can make Orcs sound more alien by using a lot of "Z" and "X" substitutions, which is what Tolkien did in LotR.

When you get really, really advanced, you can write a poem or song in the alien language and have it obey a real rhyme and such.

[AI Opinion]

Tolkien didn’t just cipher English, he built full systems. 😊
What you’re doing is a fun start, but for something truly convincing you’d want basics of: consistent sound rules (a phonology you stick to), invented grammar (word order, plurals, tense), and a bit of core vocabulary that isn’t traceable to English.

Your cipher can be “stage one,” then gradually detach it from English roots.

[SeekerOfTruth007]

I'm aware of that. I was introducing noobs to the concept.

I find using Spanish as a base language more useful than English, because grammar and syntax are better preserved in Spanish.

[purplepoppy]

The problem with that is you've created a code not a language. A language needs roots and a history of evolving over time. Tolkien did this by borrowing bits from different languages giving you a sense of familiarity you just can't grasp.

I'd suggest choosing your word order first eg verb subject object then looking up the etymology of words to see what the original was and how it changed across different languages. Then imagine how it would have evolved in your language. Perhaps make the first syllable based on Latin and the last on norse. People will feel they should understand it but can't

[SeekerOfTruth007]

Actually, depending on what I'm doing, I'd create an Orcish alien language to be more primitive than English. It might have fewer vowels and consonants and weak grammar rules, to show they are actually less intelligent than humans. Maybe use a lot of A, U, and O vowels and leave out the e and i. Use a lot of G, Z, X consonants the make it sound like they are stuttering or barely sentient.

"Me Kill You Now" might be rendered, "Uglush vasht Aki."

The origin of the words here is Orcish, so it would make no sense to have norse or latin origin syllables. Similarly, if I was making Elves, their language would be older and more advanced than English, so I'd use MORE characters/runes. i. e. invent new vowels and consonants and invent a more poetic, yet structured grammar and syntax.

It's easy. English is a stupid language. Chinese and Spanish are much more advanced.

[SeekerOfTruth007]

If you really want to be creative, you can have the "Smart Orc" discuss the origins of the language itself, and have the "Dumb Orc" be like, "Me no care!"

Smarty Pants: "You're using the wrong article of speech."

Dumb Orc: "Me no Care!" (Uglush und gavish) (or whatever)

But you write the conversation in Orcish and then translate it so the reader understands what's going on.

[slatyb]

It's not easy. Tolkien was a philologist -- he studied languages so he had an idea of what it took to create a fictional language. A simple scheme like the one you mentioned will not work.

[SeekerOfTruth007]

I'm aware of how languages work. I have even invented my own 5th generation high-level programming language for computers and programmed a computer in it. I realize you can invent unique grammar and syntax rules for each language. You're not telling me anything I didn't already know.

[Anonymous]

Applying the rule:

Vowels: A → E → I → O → U → A
Consonants: move 3 consonants forward, wrapping around.

So:

Say "Friend" and Enter.

becomes:

Web "Jvoirh" erd Irxiv.

[SeekerOfTruth007]

I treated Y as a vowel, because it can be a either a vowel or a consonant.

[NathanDavis]

create the "universe first"

then make the sound around it... one that fits

[SeekerOfTruth007]

Well, I was working on an epic fantasy novel years ago, but I got sidetracked by other projects. I had enough alien species in the book to require several fictional languages. The problem as I see it for novels is I feel like I'm railroading the reader instead of giving the reader any feeling of being immersed in a real "world". I guess I'm too used to open-ended video games to write good novelizations.

[FunkyMonkee]

Have you ever heard of Stanley Unwin?

https://www.youtube.com/embed/lDBren6gJVs

[exitseven]

it is like this.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q88huvvqnto