Learning a new language is a fairly difficult task, let alone learning a fictional language. Getting the intonations and pronunciations to the point takes months of dedicated practice. As some of you may know, the Dothraki and High Valyrian languages were fully developed solely for the TV adaptation of Game of Thrones, based upon the limited use of the languages in the books, by linguist David J. Peterson. Peterson has returned to recreate the languages for the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel House of The Dragon. The show’s star Emma D’Arcy (Rhaenyra Targaryen) recently talked to The Hollywood Reporter about their experience learning High Valyrian for the show.
D’Arcy said, “We get sent the English translation, the High Valyrian, a phonetic translation, and then also audio recordings, and one [method] would be to try and parrot back the audio recordings. It’s ideal as an actor to be able to command the language you’re having to use. I had a really nice time using gestures, for example, to embed meaning into unfamiliar language. And now I have an incredible rolling R. So really, it’s paid back dividends.”
Have you ever tried learning High Valyrian? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!
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