The Strain of Language in China Miéville’s Embassytown: between Multiculturalism, Oppression, and the Alien Society

Abstract

Speculative fiction has long escaped the label of ‘frivolous’ literature, garnering respect in its continuous urge towards self-reflection through contrastive narratives. Given that the created languages of fiction, regardless of genre, are written with the overt purpose of being analyzed as intrinsic constituents of the fictional universes to which they belong, the intention behind created languages strips the narrative of an organic language development component, thus leaving behind only a language imbued with purpose reflected in the paradigm, the shifting syntax, vocabulary, and word choice, which aims to aid in the fleshing out of the fictional universe in which it resides. The present paper aims to analyze the language of the Ariekei (known as Language) in China Miéville’s Embassytown and the implications presented by the occurrence of a language functioning within the parameters of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and the strain it poses on the interaction between cultures. As this paper is part of a doctoral thesis, the scope of the paper is restrained, to account for the present limitations. As such, the analysis will aim to highlight the main aspects of Language and Host culture and perception, and how these elements interact with the perceived notion of humanity.

Keywords

• alien language
• created language
• translation
• cultural adaptation
• oppression through language