'Now, when linguistics departments all over are realizing constructed languages can make materials accessible and further engage and attract students, this book feels not just like a reference text but like having an additional instructor at your fingertips. A fantastic collection of examples, including a walkthrough of one of the author's conlangs and a simultaneous guide to creating your own language.' Joseph W. Windsor, University of Calgary

'As the title indicates, this book is about a lesser-studied application of linguistics: creating artificial languages ('conlangs') for novels, films, and TV series. It acts as a how-to guide and is recommended for college courses on language creation. Each chapter is followed by a set of detailed exercises taking readers through the process of constructing their own fictional language. In addition, however, the book acts as a comprehensive account of variation between natural languages ('natlangs') - the author presents the task of creating a fictional language as a series of choices between the various options presented by the vast array of human languages. As well as instructing the reader in language construction, then, it offers an overview of the structures of natural languages... Overall, ... if you are looking for a book that explains aspects of language structure in a clear and fun way, this volume is worth exploring.' Susan Hunston, University of Birmingham, in British Association for Applied Linguistics News, Spring 2026