(Names) As Alien As Possible ~ World-building Series #3

Exploring how conlangs (constructed languages) can be used as narrative tools to give depth to fictional societies, and reveal how reveal how characters of that world think, relate, and dream.

When we talk about world-building in speculative fiction, we often start with maps, nations, ages and significant events, or perhaps the races that inhabit this world…. yet there is one tool that deepens the illusion of a living world: language.

I’m not referring only to the way characters speak, but the structure, rhythm, and roots of the words they use; what they call home, love, war, and sky—and why they call it like so.

Constructed languages—conlangs¹—are more than linguistic curiosities. They’re acts of creation that reflect the bones of a culture. Whether it's Tolkien’s Elvish or the clipped tones of Belter Creole in The Expanse, these languages do more than decorate a setting. They reveal how people in that world think, relate, and dream.

I touched on this before in my World-Building Series, since naming and language creation is not straightforward, and while a poorly chosen word can add unintended complexity, a well-selected one can make the world shimmer to life:

Custom Words, Hidden Meaning ~ World-building Series #1

An Invited Author

However, for today’s essay I will hand over to fellow author Bert-Oliver Boehmer, author of the Galacticide series. I previously interviewed him in my podcast and, truth be told, his way of naming everything in the series made the world shine with life.

Therefore, Bert-Oliver’s essay explores how conlangs can be used as narrative tools: to give depth to fictional societies, to hint at the character’s qualities, and even to tease the history of a fictional universe that is—quite often—to large to fit in a single book.

As usual, you will find a practical guide with key considerations, for you to apply in your next book.

Let’s dive in!

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On Naming & More

(By Bert-Oliver Boehmer for Books Undone)

My last name used to have a German umlaut. The oe (formerly ö) is a tough phoneme for contemporary Anglo-Saxons to pronounce—despite the fact that we share a fairly close cultural foundation, 99.9% of our genome, and the same birth planet.

So how hard would it be to properly pronounce the names given by a species that evolved entirely differently, on another planet—or even in a different galaxy?

As part of my world-building quest to make my aliens as alien as possible, their names and languages needed to reflect that radical otherness.

But my own name is not just a phonetic speed bump—it also reveals the historic roots of my paternal ancestors, hailing from Bohemia. “What’s in a name?” Shakespeare’s Juliet asks. Quite a bit, it turns out, especially when you're building entire societies from scratch. With phonetic clustering and societal origins jotted down on my requirements list, I initially tried creating a language cloud around my various characters—but that proved to be the wrong approach.

Characters are born into a place, a culture, a caste, class, belief system, tradition. As good novel characters, they will eventually forge their own destiny—but they are born into a world that forms them. Names them.

So, I reversed the process and dove headfirst into the world of conlang (CONstructed LANGuage) generation. Weeks later, I resurfaced with three languages—each with its own grammar, phonology, and roughly 5,000-word vocabulary. Overkill? Absolutely. But it laid the groundwork for the Galacticide universe (now featuring five languages). Everything, everyone, and every place has a name. And each name is based on the phonemes the faction or species can produce—and the conceptual patterns it can think in.

Humans can be alien, too. To someone living 3,000 years ago, we would be just as incomprehensible as a silicon-based lifeform from the galaxy's edge. So in Galacticide, human languages reflect regional dialects, social standing, ancestry, and whether someone is part of the “old-core nobility” or an upstart frontier colonist.

Names have meaning.

How to Create Meaningful, World-Building Names

If you’re a writer or world-builder, here are a few principles I’ve found useful when building believable naming systems. They’re presented in a logical sequence from phonetic foundations to cultural layering. You don’t have to follow them step by step. Feel free to dip in, borrow what serves your world, and ignore what doesn’t. You can use it like a builder’s kit, not a checklist.

1. Start with Abilities and Phonology

Different species should have different concepts of speech.

• The silicate Traaz characters use hissy sibilants, long vowels, and voiceless stops: Zihriik, Raar, Ssuw. Their telepathic “language” works with (thought) patterns, rather than sounds.

• The Artificial Intelligence race Me-Ruu chooses a human-palatable compression of its 125-digit numerical identity.

2. Encode Status into Structure

Name length, complexity, and rhythm can indicate class or rank.

• Kel Chaada: Clipped and utilitarian—befitting a citizen-soldier.

• Pyaavuu Shiirde Prarrbo: Formal, weighty, triple name—just what you'd expect from an Assembly member with ceremonial duties.

• Vriifaach Deegb: Dense consonant clusters, with difficult endings. If the ch hasn’t tripped you, the gb will. A complex name for a difficult-to-deal-with side character.

Rule of thumb: short names serve the plot; long names serve the world.

3. Let Language Mirror Culture

Each political or planetary entity should show linguistic divergence.

• In the human empire’s spiritual center, Aloo Dash, names like Sya Omga or Vnaas “the Cruel” Omga reflect both tradition and dread.

• In the outer colonial democracies, you get denser names like Lotnuuk Rrupteemaa or Drrem Rrunsash—still Old Galactic, but no longer rolling off the tongue. These are people who had to work their way up.

Group names by vowel texture, consonant rhythm, and pacing. Don’t mix your linguistics unless the cultures or classes are mixing, too.

4. Build Naming Rules (Then Occasionally Break Them)

Create internal logic:

• Are names gendered?

• Are family names inherited or earned?

• Are honorifics visible?

• Are names ever changed due to status, rank, exile, or rebirth?

For instance:

• Raar, heir to the Traaz throne, bears a mythically short name.

• Taawa Nyiitsats, a secret agent, uses a cover name that still fits the cultural style of Aloo Dash but hints at hidden intent.

• Sya Omga inherits her last name from her father, breaking the custom that females carry their mother’s name—because he is the ruler, and eventually passes his title to Sya.

5. Consistency

Names don’t have to be realistic to feel real. They just need internal consistency. When you see:

• Vyoz Vyooma

• Vye Kyokp

• Vriifaach Deegb
  …you can tell these characters likely come from similar phonetic traditions. These patterns help anchor your reader—even if they can’t recite the rules.

Readers love patterns—even when they don’t consciously notice them.

6. Think in Soundscapes

Read your names aloud. Do they hiss, boom, purr, or hum?

The EsChii elite have semi-musical names like:

• Ahma Zhanyza (a scientist from the central academy)

• Daaw Krrua (an archaeologist from the capital)

Their cadence reflects controlled, hierarchical thought—precise, melodic, but a little rigid. In contrast, Gameny Tswosna sounds casual, loose, almost indie—a space freighter pilot without aristocratic roots.

Bonus: Sample Blueprint for Naming Design

The following are element/considerations pairs—for every point, what should you consider:

• Phoneme palette: What sounds are possible to pronounce for this species or culture?

• Syllable patterns: Is there a preferred rhythm? (e.g., CVCV, CCVVC)

• Name length: What does length imply? Simplicity? Nobility?

• Prefixes/suffixes: Are there honorifics, clan markers, or roles?

• Written vs spoken: Do AIs, nobles, or soldiers use different modes?

• Exceptions: Who gets special naming treatment—and why?

Names in Galacticide are not decorations. They’re architecture. They help build the reality of a vast, messy galaxy where everyone—from warlords to whispering priests to AI minds with 125-digit identities—has a place, a voice, and a reason for being hard to pronounce.

Go alien. Go meaningful. Just don’t go random.

To Close Off

Livia here, again! I hope you enjoyed this invited post, and if you are interested on learning more about the Galacticide series (perfect for classic sci-fi fans), you can listen to my interview with Bert-Oliver Boehmer and even check his Substack.

1. Note from Livia. Conlang is not a minor thing—many languages we have heard of were constructed and not developed by a society. In the real-world, we have Esperanto; in fiction (especially in speculative fiction) we have Klingon, Dothraki and Valyrian, Tolkien’s Elvish languages, the Na’vi (yes, Avatar de movie), and if you want to be chaotic, Orwell’s Newspeak. If this rabbit hole interests you, there is a conference for it: https://conlang.org/