{"product_id":"inventing-languages-a-practical-introduction-paperback-softback-9781108799416","title":"Inventing Languages; A Practical Introduction (Paperback \/ softback) 9781108799416","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eInventing Languages\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eA Practical Introduction\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvides an engaging, hands-on introduction to linguistics and language invention, making linguistic typology accessible to a wide audience.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eCarolina González (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781108799416, Cambridge University Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 4 December 2025\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e402 pages\u003cbr\u003e24.4 x 17 x 2.1 cm, 0.64 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHow are invented languages created? Artificially constructed languages ('conlangs') shed light on how we can apply the universal principles of language to produce whole new languages. Grounded on world building and linguistic typology, this engaging book provides a step-by-step guide to language invention, introducing the basic blocks of language building (such as sounds, morphemes and sentence structure) and demonstrating their use in both natural languages from English to Swahili, and invented languages from Esperanto to Klingon. An original conlang is developed throughout the book to bring the theory to life, accompanied with scaffolded, creative exercises that allow the reader to explore different linguistic options before incorporating them in their own conlang. Making conlanging accessible to readers with little or no background in linguistics, this guide is ideal for linguistics students, creative writers, and readers interested in language and language invention.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eAbbreviations\u003cbr\u003e Preface\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgements\u003cbr\u003e 1. What are constructed languages?\u003cbr\u003e 2. World building\u003cbr\u003e 3. Designing vowel inventories\u003cbr\u003e 4. Designing consonant inventories\u003cbr\u003e 5. From sounds to syllables\u003cbr\u003e 6. Stress and tone\u003cbr\u003e 7. The lexicon\u003cbr\u003e 8. The morphology of nouns\u003cbr\u003e 9. The morphology of verbs\u003cbr\u003e 10. Word order\u003cbr\u003e 11. Statements, questions and commands\u003cbr\u003e 12. Negation and evidentials\u003cbr\u003e 13. Complex sentences\u003cbr\u003e 14. Writing systems\u003cbr\u003e 15. Semantics and pragmatics\u003cbr\u003e 16. Variation in space and time\u003cbr\u003e 17. Language channels and modalities\u003cbr\u003e 18. Wrapping up and moving forward\u003cbr\u003e Appendix A: natlangs mentioned\u003cbr\u003e Appendix B: conlangs mentioned.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: Linguistics [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Linguistics\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Linguistics%20%5BCF%5D%22\"\u003eCF\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Cambridge University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52462987804952,"sku":"9781108799416","price":24.89,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/files\/9781108799416i.jpg?v=1785544408","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/inventing-languages-a-practical-introduction-paperback-softback-9781108799416","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}