New Language Boom Upper-Intermediate - Vocabulary

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the ARTICLE (for teachers)

New Language Boom

People learn languages all the time, and for all kinds of reasons. For example, you probably have different

reasons to study English than your classmates. But have you ever thought about creating an entirely new

language from scratch?

There's been a boom in made-up languages recently, driven by the epic "Lord of the Rings" and other fantasy

movies and books. The trend has also been fueled as more and more people venture online. There are

websites, discussion boards, and chat rooms that teach how to build a language, others that share new

languages, and some that seek collaborators. Made-up languages aren't restricted to Star Trek fans and

Esperanto speakers.

It takes time and determination to create a new language. A creator needs to do more than substitute existing

words with invented ones. There's rhythm and intonation to consider -- how does the language sound when

spoken? If it's invented for non-humans in a movie or book, how does biology change the sound? How does it

represent the culture of the people who speak it? Then there are grammar rules, such as masculine and

feminine nouns or verbs, word order, or the use of irregular verbs. Even a simple language can take years to

develop.

Yet the new languages don't have the same sticking power as real languages like English, French, or Japanese.

Only Esperanto is the exception, because it has about two million speakers. It was created in the 19th century

to give humanity an easily learned language for international use. As for the made-up languages of today, there

are an infinite number of reasons behind their creation. Some people do it as a hobby, others as a way to relax.

Some just like the challenge.

Teacher's Notes:

* Underlined words in red typeface are the answers.

New Language Boom Upper-Intermediate - Vocabulary

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the Article (for students) Fill in the blank with the correct word.

physiology infinite collaborators exposure intonation

scratch fare exception tenacity venture

abound fabrication feminine reasons roughly

New Language Boom

People learn languages all the time, and for all kinds of (a. _______________). You're doing it now, and

you probably have different reasons than your classmates for acquiring English. But how about creating an

entirely new language from (b. _______________)?

There's been a boom in made-up languages, driven in part by (c. _______________) to the epic "Lord of

the Rings," as well as other science fiction and fantasy (d. _______________). The trend has also been

fueled as more and more people (e. _______________) online. Websites, discussion boards, and chat

rooms (f. _______________) on building languages, sharing languages, or ones seeking

(g. _______________). The (h. _______________) of new languages is no longer restricted to Star Trek

fanatics and Esperanto speakers.

To create a language takes time and (i. _______________). An invented language requires a lot more than

simply replacing existing words with invented ones. There's rhythm and (j. _______________) to consider

-- just how does the language sound when spoken? If invented for non-humans in a movie or book, how

does (k. _______________) affect the language? Similarly, how does it represent the culture? Then there

are grammar rules, too, such as masculine and (l. _______________) nouns or verbs, word order, or the

use of irregular verbs. Even a relatively simple language can take years to develop and refine.

Yet invented languages don't have the sticking power of naturally evolved languages, such as English,

French, or Japanese. The (m. _______________), perhaps, is Esperanto, which has

(n. _______________) two million speakers. The language was created in the 19th century to give

humanity an easily learned, common language for international use. As for the made-up languages

invented nowadays, there are an (o. _______________) number of reasons behind their creation. Some do

it as a hobby, others as a way to relax, and some just like the challenge.

New Language Boom Upper-Intermediate - Vocabulary

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STEP ONE Brainstorm: Brainstorm with a partner(s) words and ideas associated with "language" for 2 minutes. Spend

another 5 minutes or less discussing the words and ideas together.

STEP TWO Target Word Pool: Find the target words (in bold) with their exact match. How long did it take to find all the

words?

exception abound fabrication collaborators exposure

fare infinite venture physiology tenacity

STEP THREE Fill in the Blanks: Fill in the blank with the correct word.

consider from scratch venture determination restricted

collaborators substitute infinite fueled exception

a. Have you ever thought about creating an entirely new language ( )?

b. The trend has also been ( ) as more people use the Internet.

c. More and more people ( ) online.

d. There are websites, discussion boards, and chat rooms that seek ( ).

e. Made-up languages aren't ( ) to Star Trek fans and Esperanto speakers.

f. It takes time and ( ) to create a new language.

g. A creator needs to do more than ( ) existing words with invented ones.

h. There's rhythm and intonation to ( ) --how does the language sound when spoken?

i. Esperanto is the ( ), because it has about two million speakers.

j. As for the made-up languages, there are an ( ) number of reasons behind their creation.

exception

excepting except

exertion

excepted

fare

farewell

fair foul

fared

abound

bound

unbound

abounding

bountiful

infinite

infinity

finite

infinitesimal

finish

fabrication

fabricate

fabricating

fabricated

fibrillate

venture

adventure

misadventure

venturing

ventured

collaborators

collaboration

collaborating

collateral

collaborated

physiology psychology

physiological

psychological phosphorous

exposure

exposing

expose

disclosure

expansion

tenacity

tinnitus tenants

tenacious

tendentious

New Language Boom Upper-Intermediate - Vocabulary

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STEP FOUR The Article: 1) Read the article, but don't worry about the missing words. 2) Fill in the blanks with today's

vocabulary, followed by all the other words. 3) Read the article again, and circle any unknown words/phrases. In

pairs/groups, use your dictionaries to understand the words or phrases your circled. 4) Answer the questions to

check your comprehension.

a. According to the article, what has recently boomed?

b. Why has it boomed?

c. What are some points to consider when creating a new language?

d. How long could it take to develop a new language?

e. Why do people create new languages?

STEP FIVE Discuss: Write down five vocabulary words from today's article that you want to use.

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

Now talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Every time you use a vocabulary word, place a check

next to it.

a. Did you like this article?

b. Would you want to learn a made-up language? Why/not?

c. What do made-up languages say about the people who create and speak them? Why?

d. The article mentions that language represents the culture of the people who speak it. How?

Score yourself:

10 or more times: Fantastic! Be sure to review the words at home.

6-9 times: Pretty good! You're on your way to acquiring today's vocabulary. Try writing your own

sentences at home for additional practice.

5 or less times: Try harder next time! To acquire new vocabulary, you need to use the new words as much

as possible.