Invent a new language
Design and build a simple secret language: create alphabet symbols, basic grammar rules, vocabulary, and practice writing and speaking short phrases with friends.
Step-by-step guide to invent a new language
learning a new language is easy, actually
Step 1
Pick a fun name for your secret language and write it big at the top of your page.
Step 2
Draw 10 new alphabet symbols on your paper.
Step 3
Write the sound or English letter that each symbol stands for next to each symbol.
Step 4
Write three simple grammar rules for your language on the page.
Step 5
Make a list of 20 common English words on a new sheet of paper.
Step 6
Write each word's secret-language spelling using your symbols beside the English word.
Step 7
Create five short English phrases and write them in your secret language underneath.
Step 8
Write a secret note to a friend using only your new symbols.
Step 9
Read each of the five phrases out loud three times to practice saying them.
Step 10
Show a friend your alphabet and teach them one secret phrase.
Step 11
Copy your alphabet symbols vocabulary and grammar rules neatly onto index cards to make a codebook.
Step 12
Decorate the cover of your codebook with colours and drawings.
Step 13
Share a photo or description of your finished secret-language creation on DIY.org.
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use if we don't have index cards, colored markers, or a phone to take the photo?
Cut stiff cereal-box cardboard or heavy printer paper into card-sized pieces for your codebook, use coloured pencils or crayons to decorate the cover, and scan the page or ask an adult to photograph your finished secret-language creation for DIY.org.
I'm stuck inventing 10 different alphabet symbols—what should I try so the symbols don't look the same?
Start by modifying existing English letters and simple shapes (circles, hooks, lines), test them immediately by writing the 20-word list to check each symbol is distinct, and erase or redraw any that are confusing.
How can I change the activity for younger kids or make it harder for older kids?
For younger children, do only 5 symbols, use stickers or stamps and say each of the five phrases aloud together, while older kids can create 30 symbols, add tense in three grammar rules, and make index-card flashcards for practice.
What's a fun way to improve or personalize our secret-language project after finishing the codebook?
Turn your index-card alphabet and vocabulary into a matching memory game or laminated flashcards, write a short secret-language story using the five phrases, and record yourself saying the phrases to include a pronunciation guide in your codebook.
Watch videos on how to invent a new language
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How to Make a Language - Part 1: Introduction
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how to learn a new language on your own! (a guide) ⭑
Facts about constructed languages for kids
🔐 Kids often use language games like Pig Latin or simple substitution ciphers to send secret messages to friends.
🛸 The Klingon language has a published dictionary and a lively community of learners who study and speak it.
🪨 The Rosetta Stone helped scholars decode Egyptian hieroglyphs because it showed the same text in three scripts.
🔤 There are roughly 7,000 languages spoken around the world today, so there's tons of inspiration for sounds and rules.
🧙♂️ J.R.R. Tolkien created full languages like Quenya and Sindarin with their own grammar and vocabularies for Middle-earth.
How do you invent a new language with a child?
What materials do I need to create a secret language?
What ages is inventing a language suitable for?
What are the benefits and variations of making a secret language?
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