logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2019
14m 21s

Why language is humanity’s greatest inve...

TED
About this episode
Civilization rests upon the existence of language, says language creator David Peterson. In a talk that’s equal parts passionate and hilarious, he shows how studying, preserving and inventing new languages helps us understand our collective humanity -- and gives a quick lesson on High Valyrian, one of two languages he created for "Game of Thrones" (along with Dothraki). "Language is not merely a tool,” he says. “It is our legacy, it's our way of conveying what it means to be human."

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
A story of moral imagination and bold entrepreneurship | Sitoyo Lopokoiyit and Jacqueline Novogratz
In a conversation about visionary leadership, M-PESA CEO Sitoyo Lopokoiyit speaks with impact investor and Acumen CEO Jacqueline Novogratz about how he grew a nascent mobile payment service into Africa’s largest fintech platform — which now handles nearly 60 percent of Kenya's GD ... Show More
19m 36s
Yesterday
"Marigolds," a poem about wonder | Safiya Sinclair
Poet Safiya Sinclair performs "Marigolds: A Letter to Wonder," an original poem she created for TED that explores memory, beauty and the fragility of life. After the poem, she talks with TED's Helen Walters about her writing process — and what it feels like when the creative muse ... Show More
9m 2s
Jul 8
The miraculous device that saved my farm — and changed my life | Josephine Waweru
Exhausted from carrying water up a hill to keep her small farm in Kenya thriving, Josephine Waweru received an unexpected call that offered a nearly unbelievable solution. She shares how one simple device allowed her crops (and her dreams) to flourish — and offers a glimmer of ho ... Show More
10m 18s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2020
Ep101 - David Peterson | Create a Language in Just One Hour
David J. Peterson is a linguist, Hollywood consultant, and professional fictional language creator, or "conlanger". He has worked on shows such as Game of Thrones, The 100, Defiance, and The Witcher where he has developed many languages, including Dothraki, High Valyrian, Irathie ... Show More
58m 58s
Dec 2021
Why language is humanity's greatest invention
Game of Thrones’ language creator David Peterson shows how studying, preserving and inventing new languages helps us understand our collective humanity -- and gives a quick lesson on High Valyrian. This talk was filmed at TEDxBerkeley. All TEDx events are organized independently ... Show More
8m 32s
Nov 2020
Grammar based on the unfamiliar (with Robert Van Valin)
It’s an unfortunate fact that most of linguistic theory is based on a few major European languages, especially English, which actually damages our understanding of how the thousands of languages in the world might work. But there is one man who has spent his career trying to corr ... Show More
44m 26s
Feb 2023
20: New Languages for New Worlds: ConLangs and the Case of Esperanto
In this episode we introduce artificial languages: a group of languages spoken, among other places, on Avatar's Pandora, or Tolkien's Middle-Earth. But the first stop of our trip is actually in Eastern Europe, where Esperanto was created in 1887. In the second part of the episode ... Show More
26m 43s
Dec 2022
Congrats! It’s a Language.” (Language Lifecycle Part 1: Birth)
Constructed Languages and New Languages In the first of our two part series on the life cycle of languages, we address how language is born. We’ll dive into the creation of constructed languages – languages made for film or TV (or even just for fun) – and natural languages, and h ... Show More
29m 56s
Aug 2023
The Creation of the Klingon Language | Unsung Science with David Pogue
Where do fictional languages come from? How are they devised? Hear from the creator of the Klingon language, Marc Okrand, on his process of designing the famous conlang (constructed language) and his first few Star Trek gigs. You'd be surprised by the amount of vocabulary, syntax ... Show More
39m 6s
May 2020
Linguistic Relativity | The Story of Language | Episode 4
Welcome to The Story of Language: an original podcast series about language, linguistics, cognition, and culture. In this episode we talk about linguistic relativity: the idea that the language we speak can change the way we think. 
1h 20m
May 2024
How Can We Be More Effective With Language?
Have you ever wondered what’s up with double negation, the history of gender neutral pronouns, or why swearing is taboo? Then get ready for this week’s guest, linguist Anne Curzan! Anne and Jonathan talk about how the English language has evolved since the 1300s and how our words ... Show More
55m 20s
Oct 2021
The King of Scotland Got Real Weird with Language Experiments
Scottish King James IV was, by all accounts, a learned man. As a polyglot, he was especially interested in the origin of language -- so much so, in fact, that he allegedly conducted an experiment that would scandalize modern scientists: James had two children spirited off to the ... Show More
50m 1s