LgV31 Constructed languages and the phenomenon of language construction

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Jan Havliš, Dr. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. RNDr. Václav Blažek, CSc.
Department of Linguistics and Baltic Languages – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Michaela Květoňová
Supplier department: Department of Linguistics and Baltic Languages – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites
successful involvement of a student assumes a basic knowledge of linguistics - phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and sociolinguistics.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
main objective of the course is to acquaint students with the phenomena of created (constructed) language and language creation (construction).
Learning outcomes
at the end of the course students should be able:
to understand and explain terms created (constructed) language and language creation (construction) in a linguistic context
to use these concepts for a deeper understanding of the language
to classify created (constructed) languages by type and evaluate them in terms of purpose and internal logic
to describe principles of language creation (construction) at all type levels too
to give examples of the use of created (constructed) languages in the art, as well as in society and linguistics itself.
Syllabus
  • 1. language; natural language and created (constructed) language
  • 2. definition of language creation (construction) term; typology of created (constructed) languages and its context
  • 3. tools and techniques of language creation (construction)
  • 4. analysis of an a priori and a posteriori created (constructed) language
  • 5. practical creation (construction) of an a priori and a posteriori created (constructed) language
  • 6. historical overview and context of created (constructed) languages
  • 7. application of created (constructed) languages in the arts; literature, film
  • 8. application of created (constructed) languages in society; interlinguistics, self-learning, games
  • 9. application of created (constructed) languages in science and philosophy: experimental linguistics
  • 10. created (constructed) languages in psychiatry: neology and neoglossy
Literature
    recommended literature
  • Wahlgren Y., Stopařův průvodce po galaxii jazyků, Paseka 2019
  • Mark Rosenfelder, The language construction kit, Yonagu Books 2010
  • Mark Rosenfelder, Advanced language construction kit, Yonagu Books 2012
  • Mark Rosenfelder, The planet construction kit, Yonagu Books 2010
  • POKORNÝ, Jan and Juraj HANULIAK. Lingvistická antropologie : jazyk, mysl a kultura. 1. vyd. Praha: Grada, 2010, 346 s. ISBN 9788024728438. URL info
  • PINKER, Steven. Jazykový instinkt : jak mysl vytváří jazyk. Translated by Markéta Hofmeisterová. Vydání první. Praha: Dybbuk, 2009, 550 stran. ISBN 9788074380068. info
  • PINKER, Steven. Slova a pravidla : složky jazyka. Translated by Jozef Genzor. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 2008, 455 s. ISBN 9788020016416. info
  • Libert A., Mixed Artificial Languages, Lincom 2003
  • Libert A., A Priori Artificial Languages, Lincom 2000
  • Moskovsky Ch., Libert A., Essays on Natural and Artificial Languages, Peter Lang 2009
  • Libert A., Moskovsky Ch., Aspects of the Grammar and Lexica of Artificial Languages, Peter Lang 2011
Teaching methods
lectures of the course will be supported by a powerpoint presentation, which will be available as a PDF file; among the teaching methods, there will also be an analysis of constructed language and demonstration of language construction; active participation of students in a semesteral project of model language creation (construction) will be important.
Assessment methods
a student will be evaluated based on an essay, which will include i) an analysis of a selected created (constructed) language and ii) a well-reasoned outline of a created (constructed) language. maximum extent of one part is 3-5 ns (ns=1800 characters).
in the first round, the student uploads the seminar paper to the homework vault for peer evaluation (each paper will always have one evaluator). then the student uploads the final version of the paper with possible comments from the evaluator implemented, and the paper will be evaluated by the teacher.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/LgV31