Portal:Constructed languages/Language of the month/October 2014

The Dothraki language is a constructed fictional language in George R. R. Martin's fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire and its television adaptation Game of Thrones, where it is spoken by the Dothraki, the indigenous inhabitants of the Dothraki Sea. The language was developed for the TV series by the linguist David J. Peterson based on the Dothraki words and phrases in Martin's novels.

As of September 2011, the language comprised 3,163 words, not all of which have been made public. In 2012, 146 newborn girls in the U.S. were named "Khaleesi", the Dothraki term for the wife of a khal or ruler, and the title adopted in the series by Daenerys Targaryen.

The Dothraki vocabulary was created by Peterson well in advance of the adaptation. HBO hired the Language Creation Society to create the language, and after an application process involving over thirty conlangers, David Peterson was chosen to develop the Dothraki language. He delivered over 1700 words to HBO before the initial shooting. Peterson drew inspiration from George R. R. Martin’s description of the language, as well as from such languages as Turkish, Russian, Estonian, Inuktitut and Swahili. David J. Peterson and his development of the Dothraki language were featured on an April 8, 2012 episode of CNN's The Next List. He went on to create the Valyrian languages for season 3 of Game of Thrones. Find out more...