Create Your Own Secret Language: Invent Codes, Ciphers, Hidden Messages, and More

by David J. Peterson, Ryan Goldsberry (Illustrator), Odd Dot

Overview

Protect your diary from snooping siblings. Share your secrets with a BFF. Guard your texts from unwanted eyes. Create the lingua franca for your own fantastical secret world!

Expert language creator David J. Peterson (inventor of languages for Game of Thrones, the Marvel Universe, and more) guides you as you create your own secret languages, codes, ciphers, and hidden messages.

From simple cyphers to entirely new alphabets, CREATE YOUR OWN SECRET LANGUAGE will help you master the skills of secret communication, whether it’s written, drawn, or spoken. By the time your finished reading, you’ll be able to share messages memora vosak laz vos otihoe vosecchi! (“that no one will be able to understand!")

Illustrations by Ryan Goldsberry

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250222329
Publisher:	Odd Dot
Publication date:	06/30/2020
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

David J. Peterson is an author, language creator, and all-around language enthusiast. He's created languages for shows like the HBO's Game of Thrones, CW's The 100 and Netflix's The Witcher, as well as films like Marvel's Doctor Strange and Legendary's Dune. He can often be found curled up in an armchair with his two cats doodling in his invented scripts. He lives in Orange County, California with his wife Erin and his daughter Meridian.

Ryan Goldsberry is an illustrator, graphic designer, animator, and board game maker. He's best known for the tabletop games, Burgle Bros. and Paperpack. He also spent over a decade working in video games as an animator for the Tomb Raider franchise. Ryan has five children, which technically makes him insane, and severely sleep deprived. He is a child of the 80s so things like the Ghostbusters, Goonies, He-man and the Ninja Turtles have all combined to make him who he is today.

Odd Dot is a boutique imprint that publishes author-driven brands, select licensing partnerships, fiction, nonfiction, and innovative formats for ages 0-12. From toy-like board books and trend-setting sticker collections, to inspirational picture books and more, we are always steered by kids' interests and the transformative power of reading. Odd Dot's core mission is to craft books that inspire joy, foster connections, and ignite curiosity—all the while having a ton of fun together. Harnessing the magic of collaboration, Odd Dot specializes in delivering exceptional originality in whatever form our ideas and partnerships take.

Table of Contents

Introduction 5

Part 1 From Letters and Numbers to Ciphers

Part 1 Challenge 10

Decoding Part 1 Challenge 12

Creating a Simple Substitution Cipher 17

Part 1 Challenge Response 20

Buffing Up Your Simple Substitution Cipher 22

Creating Your Own Brand-New Cipher 24

Buffing Up Your Cipher Even More 28

Moving Beyond Letters and Numbers 32

Disguising Your Cipher as Another Language 38

A Note About Key Security 48

Part 2 From Ciphers to Codes

Part 2 Challenge 56

Decoding Part 2 Challenge 58

Creating a Code 62

Designing Your Own Writing System 66

Part 2 Challenge Response 69

Buffing Up Your Writing System 72

Designing Unique Glyphs 75

Buffing Up Your Writing System Even More 83

Part 3 From Ciphers and Codes to a Language

Part 3 Challenge 94

Decoding Part 3 Challenge 96

Creating a Sound-Based Cipher 101

Creating Your Own Language 103

Making Word Forms 107

Creating Words 110

Creating Nouns 111

Creating Verbs 114

Creating Adjectives 117

Creating Pronouns 119

Creating Adverbs and Adpositions 122

Creating a Relexification 124

Part 3 Challenge Response 126

Buffing Up Your Language Buffing 128

Up Your Word Meanings 129

Buffing Up Your Nouns 133

Buffing Up Your Verbs 138

Final Thoughts 144