Wed 18 Jul 2012
Linguistics, Satire, and The Game of Thrones
Posted by Mathew Block under Linguistics, Main
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Some of you may recall that, back in 2010, I wrote a satirical linguistics piece for The Speculative Grammarian. The article—entitled “The Linguistic Big Crunch”—was a discussion of language as if it operated in cosmological terms (with big bangs, big crunches, and the like). Shortly thereafter, I heard that a spin-off article or two based on mine were on the way. I jokingly noted that, “when someone writes the book on satirical linguists, I better be remembered as the father of Cosmological Linguistics.”
Fast forward two years. There were in fact a few spin-offs. In fact, I count at least six articles (and one editorial) that emerged as a result of my original article. What’s more, they’ve all recently been recorded in their own podcast versions. And my article is read by none other than David J. Peterson.
Just who is David J. Peterson, you ask? Well, he’s a well-known conlanger (ie, a language-creator) who just happens to have developed the Dothraki language for the HBO series Game of Thrones, the incredibly popular television series based on George R.R. Martin’s fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. (He’s also, so it is said, working on languages for the upcoming SyFy Network show Defiance).
Needless to say, I’m tickled pink.
What follows are the links to my original article, the spin-off articles, and the podcast versions of those articles. (You’ll note that at least a few of the “authors” are joke names).
The Linguistic Big Crunch – M. Adam Block (June 2010)
Podcast read by David J. Peterson (December 11, 2011)
The Linguistic Big Rip – Charlie Saygone (July 2010)
Podcast read by David J. Peterson (December 11, 2011)
The Linguistic Big Freeze – John Tipler and Frank J. Barrow (September 2010)
Podcast “read” by Serena Nuance (December 11, 2011)
The Linguistic Big Bounce – Dyman Freeson (November 2010)
Podcast read by Keith Slater (December 11, 2011)
The Linguistic Singularity and the Linguistic Multiverse – Mikio Chachu (December 2010)
Podcast read by Joey Whitford (January 11, 2012)
The Linguistic Doomsday – Dr. X. Nibiru (January 2011)
Podcast “read” by Karen Nuance (January 11, 2012)
The Linguistic Rapture – LaTim ElHaye and Leeeerooooy Jiŋkins (February 2011)
Podcast read by Trey Jones (January 11, 2012)
An editorial comment on ElHaye and Jiŋkins (February 2011)
Podcast “read” by Daniel Nuance (January 11, 2012)
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