Post # 268 August 16 2021 “Wookies, Muggles and Other Made-Up Words” “Litor’kel ge.” This phrase comes from my made-up Seomish language, which appears in all of The Farpool Stories. It means something like “go with the flow,” or “may the currents be with you.” One of the great joys of writing (especially fiction) is the chance to make up words for effect. But as with chocolate candy and daytime television, you have to be careful not to overdo it. Too many words made-up can really make reading a story a struggle. Just look at Anthony Burgess’ novel A Clockwork Orange, if you don’t believe me. Writers of fantasy and science fiction are probably the most accomplished at using made-up words and even whole languages in their stories. For The Farpool Stories, I even included an appendix in many of the titles that explained how the language of the sea-going Seomish people came to be. Check out the text below…. The Language Seomish is designed phonetically to carry well in a water medium. Hard, clicking consonants are common. The ‘p’ or ‘puh’ sound, made by violent expulsion of air is also common. Modulation of the voice stream, particularly at high frequencies (sounding much like a human whistle) produces the characteristic “wheeee” sound, which is a root of many words. Translation from Seomish to human languages like English requires some inspired speculation, since so many Seomish phrases seem to be little more than grunts or groans, modulated in frequency and duration. A good example is the Seomish word for Earth…Urku. After the Kel’vishtu (the Great Emigration), thousands of Seomish found themselves in the oceans of Earth. Despite differences in chemical makeup, temperature and salinity, the oceans of Earth haven’t caused great changes in the basic dialects of the Seomish language. Most Seomish words are grouped according to several characteristics: (1) Who is speaking (the personal); (2) who is being spoken to (the indicative); (3) state of mind of the speaker (the conditional); (4) the kel-standing of the conversants (the intimant). Each classification has a set of characteristic pre-consonants, to indicate the nature of the coming words, etc. Thus: 1. k’, kee, t’ 2. tch, g, j, oot 3. m’, p’, puh’ (both anger, dislike, distaste, etc), sh, sz (both joyful) 4. each kel identifies itself with a unique set of capitalized consonants, like a vocal coat of arms. Example: t’milee, or CHE’oray…Seomish versus Timily or Chory…English. Okay, so you don’t have to go to this great a length in your work. But it is fun. The key thing to remember, though, is when and where to insert made-up words. A little goes a long way. Just ask J.K. Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter stories. Here are some informal guidelines to consider when you want to insert a made-up word or phrase. 1. Are you trying to replicate a sound? In The Farpool Stories, I have a translation device called an echopod. I wanted to simulate the screeching and scratching it sometimes made when translating, so I introduced this: Shkreeeaaahhh. Hopefully you get the idea. 2. Use made-up words to inject realism. In The Farpool Stories, my characters are all marine creatures, like talking fish. Nobody would believe it if they all spoke in the King’s English (though there may have been early Star Trek episodes that did things like this). 3. Use made-up words to emphasize difference, even alienness. Once you meet the Seomish people and hear them conversing in their own clicking, honking tongue, you know you’re not in Kansas anymore. 4. Always provide context nearby, in proximity to your made-up words. Take ‘muggle,’ from the Harry Potter stories. J.K. Rowling uses this word in context, so you know it refers to non-wizard folk. Some of her wizards even explain this to those who might not understand. Doing this in context is better, because it’s less jarring to the reader. Even if you didn’t know right away what “litor’kel ge” meant, you could discern the meaning from how the Seomish use it, as a sort of term of endearment or encouragement. 5. Keep the number of made-up words and phrases to a minimum. Space them out over several pages. Insert them into sentences and paragraphs where they are surrounded by English words for context. Judicious use of alien words will help the reader know that these are aliens or different kinds of people being described without interfering with the flow of the story or making the story unintelligible. Your reader will make the connections in his or her mind. Remember, your readers still speak and read English. Making up new words is the fun part of writing. Just don’t go overboard or become too enamored with the made-up words that you forget the story itself. Great as Frank Herbert’s sf novel Dune is, it sometimes takes the made-up language and words a little too far. If you can’t read and enjoy the story without having a dictionary nearby (even if there is one), you’ve gone too far. The next post to The Word Shed comes on August 23 2021. See you then. Phil B.