November 11, 2022

How do human brains create and process constructed languages (conlangs), like Esperanto, Klingon, Dothraki, or Na’vi?

A network of regions in the left hemisphere of our brain responds robustly when we read or listen to language, but not when we solve arithmetic or logic problems, listen to music, or observe others’ facial expressions or gestures. But what precise features of language drive this network remains debated. One way to tackle this question is to test the “limits” of the language network by examining how it responds to artificially created languages—conlangs. Like natural languages, conlangs can express any idea. However, although these languages are typically modeled on natural languages, they have not undergone thousands of years of evolution and have not been optimized by communicative pressures and learning constraints. So, does listening to Esperanto, Klingon, or Dothraki activate the brain network that processes natural languages?

To explore this question, McGovern Investigator Ev Fedorenko with her graduate student Saima Malik-Moraleda will scan the brains of proficient speakers of five conlangs (Esperanto, Klingon, Dothraki, High Valyrian, and Na’vi) while they listen to sentences spoken in the language of interest. Four conlang creators — Marc Okrand (Klingon), David Peterson and Jessie Sams (Dothraki and High Valyrian), and Paul Frommer (Na’vi) — will discuss the process of language creation. Linguists Damián Blasi and Arika Okrent will talk about their research relevant to conlangs, linguistic creativity, and linguistic diversity. And Fedorenko and Malik-Moraleda will present some preliminary findings from their research. There will also be language games organized by Duolingo.