Conlang at school: writing and speaking of invented languages

• Grant number: 23/07141-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2023
• End date: August 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Linguistics - Applied Linguistics
• Principal Investigator: Dirceu Cleber Conde
• Grantee: Beatriz Habara Morgon
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The present project aims to analyze and describe the perception that children participating in the Invented Language Workshop have about the written system. In this workshop, 6th-grade students are encouraged to create a fictional language (constructed language - conlang) following a plot and some basic guidelines. Based on the generated data, we analyze the students' intuitions to understand the impressions they have of the system by comparing the writing of the invented language, its translation into Portuguese, and its pronunciation. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the creation of a pedagogical method for conlang through a creative and active learning exercise in order to promote metalinguistic reflection on the part of the student and, consequently, lead to more efficient teaching and learning methodologies in and about languages.