As any die hard Games of Thrones fan can tell you, UC Berkeley alum David J. Peterson is responsible for creating both the Dothraki and High Valyrian languages spoken on HBO's hit fantasy show. This summer, Peterson is returning to his alma mater to teach the next generation of nerds how to speak and create fictional languages.
The three-unit class is called “The Linguistics of Game of Thrones and the Art of Language Invention” and students will learn how to create their own fictional language, including the writing system, over the course of six weeks.
If that seems like a short amount of time to create a whole new language, Peterson is a serious expert —he also created fictional languages for Marvel’s Thor, Showtime’s Penny Dreadful, and the CW series The 100.
Not a UC student and unwilling to pay tuition? Peterson’s YouTube channel The Art of Language Invention has about three dozen videos where you can learn to speak like the Mother of Dragons for free.