conlanger meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

conlanger

noun

US /ˈkɑn.læŋ.ɚ/ · UK /ˈkɒn.læŋ.ə/

Etymology From conlang + -er.

Someone who creates constructed languages (conlangs).

The fact that the Internet has given visible shape to communities of invented language proponents through web sites and chat rooms for enthusiastic conlangers (‘language constructors’) has probably done little to dispel its reputation as a somewhat unusual and, to all intents and purposes, intangible undertaking.2005, Mari C. Jones, Ishtla Singh, Exploring Language Change, page 154:
The split was between two groups. The first was composed of people interested in quietly developing and discussing the languages they crafted for science-fictional worlds, what-if-a-language-did-this playfulness, or Tolkienesque fun (the true conlangers).2006, William Allison Shimer, The American Scholar, volume 75, page 99:

3 more examples

The goal of a conlanger, a language creator, is to realize a linguistic system that′s both unique and authentic—something that doesn't exist anywhere on Earth, but which a linguist wouldn′t be surprised to find in the wild.2012, Bryan Cogman, Inside HBO′s Game of Thrones, page 174:
The personalization of language allowed by conlanging is what draws many conlangers to the hobby. […] However, Woodbury is quick to remember Marc Okrand, a classmate of his from graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley, who was both an accomplished linguist and a conlanger. Okrand invented Klingon, a language he intentionally designed to sound “alien.”2012 October 31, Laura Wright, “UT Language Creation Society invites students to learn origins of newer languages”, in The Daily Texan, Austin, Tex.: Texas Student Media, University of Texas at Austin, published 8 April 2013, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 Aug 2020:
No conlanger could hope to create a language with the depth and richness of a natural language.2023 December 30, Daniel W. Hieber, “Why I hate conlangs”, in Linguistic Discovery, archived from the original on 24 May 2024: