Proposals and Objectives
Imagine inventing a language from scratch. How would it sound? What words would you create? What rules would define its organization?
This is the central proposal of our project: to use the creation of artificial languages (conlangs) as an innovative, engaging, and scientifically grounded tool to uncover the mysteries of language.
How does this take place in practice?
Inspired by successful experiences both in Brazil and abroad, we developed the Invented Language Workshop (ILW). In this workshop, 6th- and 7th-grade students are challenged to construct their own language based on a set of initial guidelines.
Throughout the process, they are encouraged to reflect on questions such as:
- How are sounds organized?
- In what way are words formed?
- How are sentences structured?
By comparing the invented language with Portuguese, students engage in a type of “reverse engineering” of language, intuitively discovering the structures and mechanisms we use daily to communicate.
Our Main Objectives
- To develop an accessible method: provide, free of charge, a comprehensive set of teaching materials—including lesson plans, activities, texts, and videos—enabling basic education teachers to implement the ILW in their schools practically and without significant preparation costs.
- To promote linguistic knowledge: allow students to achieve a deeper understanding of Portuguese and of human languages in general, going beyond the standard norm while valuing creativity and intuition.
- To foster cognitive skills: stimulate creativity, logical reasoning, analytical capacity, and scientific curiosity—competencies that are fundamental not only to language learning but also to all areas of knowledge.
- To integrate knowledge: demonstrate how language connects with other disciplines, such as History, Geography, and the Arts, by encouraging the creation of cultural and social contexts for the peoples who would speak the invented languages.
An Invitation
More than a workshop, the ILW is an adventure into language, bringing together science, imagination, and discovery.
We invite you to join us on this journey and explore the fascinating universe of linguistic creation.