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
how to learn a new language on your own! (a guide) ⭑
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.
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
How to START learning a new language on your own？Step by step tips! (Subtitles)
4 Videos
How to START learning a new language on your own？Step by step tips! (Subtitles)
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Facts about constructed languages for kids
🧙♂️ J.R.R. Tolkien created full languages like Quenya and Sindarin with their own grammar and vocabularies for Middle-earth.
🛸 The Klingon language has a published dictionary and a lively community of learners who study and speak it.
🔤 There are roughly 7,000 languages spoken around the world today, so there's tons of inspiration for sounds and rules.
🪨 The Rosetta Stone helped scholars decode Egyptian hieroglyphs because it showed the same text in three scripts.
🔐 Kids often use language games like Pig Latin or simple substitution ciphers to send secret messages to friends.
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?
