6 Minute English
Intermediate level
Inventing languages
Episode 220113 / 13 Jan 2022
Introduction
New bits of English are invented as people use the language in new ways, but what happens when a language comes from an entirely different galaxy – somewhere like Qo’noS, home planet of the Klingons? Neil and Sam discuss how languages develop and teach some related vocabulary.
This week's question
In 2010, Klingon became the first invented language to do what? Is it:
a) have its own dictionary?,
b) have an opera written? or,
c) be recognised as an official language by the United Nations?
Listen to the programme to find out the answer.
Vocabulary
living language
a language that people still speak and use in their ordinary lives
my bad
used instead of ‘my fault’ to admit that you have made a mistake (informal, US)
patron saint
someone who is believed to give special help and protection to a particular activity
conlang
constructed language; artificially invented language, such as Esperanto and Klingon
root (of a language)
origin or source
get stuck on (something)
be unable to continue or complete what you’re doing because it’s too difficult
Transcript
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript
Sam
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Sam.
Neil
And I’m Neil. How are you today, Sam?
Sam
Thanks for asking Neil, I’m fine… not!
Neil
Sorry, so are you fine? Or not…?
Sam
Oh, did I confuse you? My bad!
Neil
Sam is speaking English, just a very modern type of English, for example saying ‘my bad’, instead of ‘my fault’ as a way of accepting that she’s wrong.
Sam
Or adding ‘not’ at the end of a sentence to show I really mean the opposite of what I said. Both are examples of small changes in English which have happened naturally over the last decade or two.
Neil
Changes like these happen because, unlike say, Latin, which no-one speaks day-to-day, English is a living language – a language people speak and use in their ordinary lives.
Sam
New bits of English are invented as people use the language in new ways, but what happens when a language comes from an entirely different galaxy – somewhere like Qo’noS, home planet of the Klingons?
Neil
Yes, when sci-fi TV show, Star Trek, introduced alien characters called Klingons, the makers needed to invent a whole new language - Klingon.
Sam
Entirely made-up and unrelated to any human language, Klingon has developed a life of its own. Today you can even study it at university. So, Neil, my quiz question is this: in 2010, Klingon became the first invented language to do what? Is it:
a) have its own dictionary?,
b) have an opera written? or,
c) be recognised as an official language by the United Nations?
Neil
Hmmm, every language needs vocabulary, so I’ll say a) Klingon was the first invented language to have its own dictionary.
Sam
OK, Neil, I’ll reveal the answer later in the programme. Klingon isn’t the only made-up language invented for the movies. David Peterson is the creator of Dothraki, a language used in the fantasy TV show, Game of Thrones.
Neil
From his home in Los Angeles, David spoke to Michael Rosen, presenter of BBC Radio 4 programme, Word of Mouth. They discussed Saint Hildegard who created the very first made-up language in the 12th century:
David Peterson
What she had was an entire list of nouns, a whole list of nouns – many of them godly, many of them not, and she would drop them into songs using Latin grammar and other Latin words, so it’s not a language proper in the way that we understand it now, because really when we talk about a language it’s not just the vocabulary, it’s the grammar – nevertheless we still kind of look on her as the patron saint of modern conlanging.
Sam
Saint Hildegard invented new nouns but used Latin grammar, so David doesn’t think her invention is a proper language. Nevertheless, Saint Hildegard is considered the patron saint of languages.
Neil
The patron saint of something refers to a Christian saint who is believed to give special help to a particular activity. Here, the activity is inventing a conlang, short for constructed language – artificially invented languages, like Klingon and Dothraki.
Sam
Another famous constructed language, Esperanto, was invented in 1887 by Polish doctor, Ludwik Zamenhof. He wanted to make it easier for people who spoke different languages to communicate with each other.
Neil
Listen as David Peterson speaks Esperanto with Michael Rosen and tests how much he understands for BBC Radio 4 programme, Word of Mouth:
David Peterson
You are an English speaker from Western Europe, and in the 19th Century ‘universal’ meant ‘able to be understood by people from WesternEurope’.
And so, for example to say, ‘I speak Esperanto’, ‘mi parolas Esperanton’.
Michael Rosen
Yes, I might have got that one – the ‘parle’ bit from its Latin root, and ‘me’, obviously. Try me again.
David Peterson
Kiel vi fartas?
Michael Rosen
Who is my father? No, ‘Where am I travelling’? Er, no I got stuck on that one!
Sam
Like Spanish, Italian and other modern European languages, Esperanto is based on Latin. Michael guessed the meaning of the Esperanto word ‘parolas’ from its Latin root – the origin or source of a language.
Neil
But the second sentence of Esperanto isn’t so easy. Michael gets stuck on that one – he can’t answer because it’s too difficult.
Sam
I think I’d probably get stuck on that as well. But at least Esperanto was invented for humans, not alien creatures from outer space!
Neil
And speaking of creatures from outer space, did I get the right answer to your quiz question, Sam?
Sam
I asked Neil about an unusual first achieved by the made-up alien language, Klingon.
Neil
I guessed it was the first invented language to have its own dictionary.
Sam
Which was… the wrong answer, I’m afraid. Incredibly, the correct answer was c) - in 2010 a company of Dutch musicians and singers performed the first ever Klingon opera! The story must have been hard to follow but I’m sure the singing was out of this world!
Neil
MajQa! That’s Klingon for ‘great’. OK, let’s recap the vocabulary from our discussion about invented languages, also called constructed languages, or conlangs for short.
Sam
A living language, like English, is a language that people still speak and use in their ordinary lives.
Neil
The phrase, my bad, originated in the United States but is also used in Britain as an informal way to say, ‘my fault’ or to tell someone that you’ve made a mistake.
Sam
A patron saint is someone believed to give special help and protection to a particular activity.
Neil
The root of a languagemeans its origin or source.
Sam
And finally, if you get stuck on something, you’re unable to complete it because it’s too difficult.
Neil
That’s all the time we have for this programme about invented languages. ‘Gis revido baldau’- that’s Esperanto for ‘see you again soon’.
Sam
In other words, ‘Qapla’, which is how Klingons say ‘goodbye’. Qapla!
Neil
Qapla!
Latest 6 Minute English
United against food waste
Episode 221229 / 16 Dec 2022
According to the UN, one third of the food we grow ends up in the rubbish bin - how can we stop this?
3D printers
Episode 221222 / 16 Dec 2022
How are 3D printers providing solutions to some of our medical problems?
Deep-sea mining: Good or bad for the planet?
Episode 221208 / 29 Nov 2022
Learn about an idea to deal with climate change that could affect marine ecosystems.
Can music mend a broken heart?
Episode 221201 / 24 Nov 2022
Is music really a cure for a broken heart?
The art of conversation
Episode 221124 / 24 Nov 2022
We discuss whether the art of conversation is being lost in the era of social media
Qatar's World Cup workers
Episode 221117 / 17 Nov 2022
Hear about the workers who built the World Cup stadiums
Controlling the weather
Episode 221110 / 10 Nov 2022
How people are trying to manipulate the weather
Are Halloween costumes too scary?
Episode 221027 / 25 Oct 2022
We discuss whether Halloween costumes are now too scary to be fun.
Does climate change make you anxious?
Episode 221020 / 20 Oct 2022
We discuss how extreme weather events are affecting our mental health.
Are artistic brains different?
Episode 221006 / 06 Oct 2022
We talk about Mozart, Jimi Hendrix and teach you vocabulary.
English for dating online
Episode 220922 / 22 Sep 2022
We discuss the language used for online dating
Man vs beast: Who is more efficient?
Episode 220915 / 15 Sep 2022
We discuss the advantages of the design of the human body
Are you following your dreams?
Episode 220908 / 08 Sep 2022
Hear the inspiring story of people who are doing it
Do emojis make language better?
Episode 220901 / 01 Sep 2022
Are emojis turning us into lazy writers?
Being a beauty influencer
Episode 220825 / 25 Aug 2022
Hear about women who are using social media to change attitudes to beauty
Women in the workplace
Episode 220818 / 18 Aug 2022
Hear about the career-killing tasks that are holding women back in the workplace
How pandemics end
Episode 220804 / 04 Aug 2022
We talk about previous periods in which deadly diseases went global
Confused by modern idioms?
Episode 220728 / 28 Jul 2022
Having a Groundhog Day? Keen to break the internet? Learn some modern idioms.
Which are more dangerous: sharks or humans?
Episode 220721 / 21 Jul 2022
How sharks have become an endangered species.
Climate change and animal evolution
Episode 220714 / 14 Jul 2022
Can today's animals evolve quickly enough to survive a changing climate?
Preserving traditional recipes
Episode 220707 / 07 Jul 2022
Missing your mother's cooking? We talk about traditional dishes.
Restoring trust in science
Episode 220630 / 30 Jun 2022
Astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson's quest to highlight the difference between opinion and fact
The Manhattan Project
Episode 220623 / 23 Jun 2022
In this episode, we discuss the events leading to the creation of the first atomic bomb.
Island life: Is it paradise?
Episode 220616 / 16 Jun 2022
What is life really like in the Pacific islands?
The technology of translation
Episode 220609 / 31 May 2022
What is the relationship between translation, technology and the human brain?
Queen Elizabeth II: What is the Platinum Jubilee?
Episode 220602 / 02 Jun 2022
We talk about a very British tradition
Can VR treat fears and phobias?
Episode 220512 / 12 May 2022
Hear how tech is helping people change their behaviour for the better
Remembering Desmond Tutu
Episode 220428 / 28 Apr 2022
Deep convictions and a sense of humour - we talk about a man who helped end apartheid in South Africa.
Discoveries of the Deep Sea
Episode 220421 / 21 Apr 2022
We talk about an extreme environment which is stranger than fiction
Rhetoric: How persuasive are you?
Episode 220414 / 14 Apr 2022
We talk about an art that started with ancient Greek philosophers
Britain's love affair with coffee
Episode 220407 / 07 Apr 2022
It's not all about tea. Britons love coffee too!
Optimists vs Pessimists
Episode 220331 / 11 Mar 2022
Listen to a conversation about optimists and pessimists
The world of Agatha Christie
Episode 220324 / 24 Mar 2022
Hear a chat about the queen of murder mystery, who had her books translated into over 100 languages
Why laughter is the best medicine
Episode 220310 / 10 Mar 2022
Shouldn't we take laughter more seriously?
Is being kind good for you?
Episode 220303 / 03 Mar 2022
Listen to what scientists are saying about the benefits of giving others a helping hand
Eating bugs
Episode 220224 / 24 Feb 2022
Would you eat a cricket? How about a portion of nice crunchy ants?
Do our pets care about us?
Episode 220210 / 10 Feb 2022
We wonder what all that licking is really all about
Sleepy in South Korea
Episode 220203 / 03 Feb 2022
Life in a place where people work, study longer hours and get less sleep than anywhere else
Preparing for the Beijing Winter Olympics
Episode 220127 / 27 Jan 2022
Artificial snow, coronavirus and controversy surround the Beijing Games starting soon.
Are personalised diets the best way to be healthy?
Episode 220120 / 20 Jan 2022
Learn how microbes help digest food and have an impact in our bodies.