Encyclopedia of Fictional and Fantastic Languages
A unique addition to the literary reference shelf, this overview of synthetic languages covers the gamut of classic and popular works that feature idiosyncratic speech, writing, or code. Impeccably summarized are the syntactic and verbal elements of argot from works by Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. P. Lovecraft, George Orwell, Edgar Allan Poe, William Shakespeare, Jonathan Swift, and Kurt Vonnegut as well as from films such asBlade RunnerandClose Encounters of the Third Kindand television shows such asAlien NationandBuffy the Vampire Slayer.More than 200 entries are arranged alphabetically by name of work and cover languages found in novels, short stories, films, television shows, and children's books, mostly from the science-fiction realm. Four or five pages illustrated with examples of alphabet systems are devoted toThe Lord of the RingsandStar Trekother entries are just a few lines long. Each entry concludes with a list of sources. "Guide to Related Topics" leads the reader to languages of similar types ("Animal Languages," "Extraterrestrial Languages," "Utopian/Dystopian Languages"). A succinct bibliography and indexing by subject and named language round out the book, which is an essential resource tool for the teacher, researcher, librarian, linguist, and reader.Mary Ellen SnodgrassCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved