conlang

The noun is a blend of constructed +‎ language,^[1] while the verb is derived from the noun. By surface analysis, con- (“constructed”) +‎ lang or -lang (“language”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒnlæŋ/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑnˌlæŋ/, /ˈkɑnˌleɪŋ/
• Hyphenation: con‧lang

conlang (plural conlangs)

1. (linguistics, colloquial) Alternative form of constructed language (“a human language consciously devised by an individual or a small group, as opposed to having naturally evolved as a natural language”) [from 1990s]

   Synonyms: (humorous) clong, cloŋ

   The Klingon language is a conlang created for use in the Star Trek franchise.

   • 2012 October 31, Laura Wright, “UT Language Creation Society invites students to learn origins of newer languages”, in The Daily Texan‎^[1], Austin, Tex.: Texas Student Media, University of Texas at Austin, published 8 April 2013, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 August 2020:

     You might be familiar with more a priori conlangs than you think: The Klingon language from the television series "Star Trek," the Na’vi language from the movie "Avatar," and the Dothraki language from the television series "Game of Thrones" are all examples of a priori languages. […] Others both inside and outside the academic community feel that conlanging veers too easily into the realm of cultural exploitation (viewers of “Game of Thrones” will remember how the portrayal of the Dothraki race on the show, including the conlang the Dothraki people speak, seemed to many like a portrayal of Native Americans as “barbaric” and “exotic”).

conlang (third-person singular simple present conlangs, present participle conlanging, simple past and past participle conlanged)

1. (ambitransitive, linguistics) To create or work on a conlang (constructed language).

   I've been conlanging since I was nine years old.

   Brithenig was conlanged with the purpose of looking how Welsh might have developed if it were a Romance language.

• conlanger
• conlanging