Show, Don't Tell! A Scheme for Telecinematic Glossopoesis

In this chapter, I explore the discourse surrounding cinema and television productions that incorporate glossopoesis (language invention), deploying the intersection of telecinematic stylistics and narrative theory as my primary frame of reference. Typically, fictional languages – invented languages featured in fiction – can range from a handful of creative coinages right up to fully fledged conlangs (constructed languages) with intricate grammar and vocabulary, at times including conscripts (invented writing systems). These languages are frequently employed as representations of foreignness or alienness in narrative, adding depth and authenticity to imaginary worlds (Noletto et al., 2023 , p. 4). Their potential to lend texture to fantastical settings has led writers to repeatedly describe fictional worlds with more than one fictional language using the extended metaphor of ‘fictional universes’ (see Peterson, 2015 ; Sanders, 2020 ).