My name is Mareike Huber and I am a PhD student at University of Freiburg, Germany. My dissertation is about the functions and effects of invented languages across different types of media. Invented languages, also called constructed languages or conlangs, differ from so-called natural languages in that they were explicitly and purposefully created by one or several inventors for a variety of purposes. I am primarily concerned with conlangs that are part of a fictional setting, so-called artlangs or fictional languages, such as those invented by J.R.R. Tolkien or the language fragments found in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels.

As part of my dissertation, I am conducting this survey to find out how people evaluate different invented languages on the basis of their sound. You will be asked to listen to 18 audio clips from invented languages, varying between twenty to thirty seconds each. At the end of the survey you will be asked a couple of questions about the natural languages you speak or are familiar with, as well as your knowledge of invented languages in general.

None of the audio clips are from natural languages found in our world, they are all invented. Please be honest and do not feel pressured to give answers that differ from your subjective impressions of these invented languages. There are no right or wrong answers to any of the questions in this survey. You can keep track of your progress at the bottom of each page.

For the best listening experience, please complete this survey in a quiet room and use headphones if at all possible. Below you can find a test clip to check if everything is working fine before starting the survey proper.

Test Audio