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Gone are the days when fantasy shows could get away with characters speaking nonsensical gibberish as their 'language.' When a series invests heavily in crafting detailed costumes, weapons, and hairstyles for a fictional culture, it’s only fitting to develop a fully functional language. This allows dedicated fans—and there are plenty—to decode its structure and even learn to speak it fluently. The creators of Game of Thrones made a wise decision by hiring linguist David Peterson to design authentic languages for the series. Here are seven fascinating insights about Dothraki, the language featured in the show's first two seasons.
1. Peterson secured the role of developing Dothraki by winning a competition among language creators.
The Language Creation Society, established in 2007, serves as a hub for enthusiasts who craft languages as a creative and intellectual pursuit (known as 'conlangers' from 'constructed language'). When the show’s producers sought assistance in creating Dothraki, the society organized an internal contest. Peterson’s comprehensive 180-page proposal, complete with a dictionary and audio samples, impressed the producers, leading to his hiring.
2. Much of Dothraki's vocabulary and grammar has never been showcased on the series.
Peterson's dictionary boasts over 3000 words, along with detailed rules for constructing various sentence types. This means you can express countless ideas in proper Dothraki that have never been spoken on the show. Whether you want to craft wedding vows, pen a poem, or even translate Shakespeare, Learn Dothraki and give it a try!
3. A unique grammatical feature was inspired by Dwight Schrute.
In a past episode of The Office, NBC featured a scene where Dwight persuades Erin to study Dothraki instead of French. The show's writers did their research and, without consulting Peterson, used accurate Dothraki. They even expanded the grammar creatively. Peterson hadn't yet defined how noun-verb compounds function, but he noticed Dwight's examples—foth aggendak (I throat-rip), foth aggendi (you throat-rip), foth aggenda (he/she/it throat-rips)—and approved them as valid. This structure is now referred to as a "Schrutean compound."
4. Peterson's wife and cat are affectionately immortalized in the Dothraki lexicon.
In a heartfelt tribute, Peterson transformed his wife's name, Erin, into the Dothraki adjective meaning kind or good. This inspired the verb "erinat" (to be good) and the noun "erinak" (lady, kind one). The term "okeo" honors a cherished cat adopted by Peterson and his wife during the early stages of developing the language. Originally named "Oreo" at the shelter, a misread tag led them to call him "Okeo." Though Okeo passed away at seven months due to a congenital liver issue, his memory endures as the Dothraki word for "friend."
5. Any improvised Dothraki lines by actors must be adjusted to fit the language's grammar.
The final Dothraki line in season 2 was improvised by Iain Glen, who portrays Jorah. During a last-minute shoot, the producers urgently requested a translation for "take all the gold and jewels," but Peterson's translation arrived too late. Glen improvised a line, which Peterson later adapted into proper Dothraki by introducing new words and attributing minor errors to Jorah, a non-native speaker. The revised line, meaning "the loose valuables are for loading," seamlessly aligned with both the language and the scene.
6. Dothraki includes its own tongue-twisters.
Qafak qov kaffe qif qiya fini kaf faggies fakaya. Try saying this three times quickly. It translates to "the trembling questioner crushed the bleeding boar that squished a kicking corn bunting." Listen to it here.
7. Dothraki features culturally rich metaphors within its idiomatic expressions.
Athastokhdevishizar: Nonsense (literally "fog talking")Hash yer dothrae chek?: How are you? ("Do you ride well?")Shierak qiya: Comet ("bleeding star")Ki fin yeni!: WTF! ("By what failure!")Thirat atthiraride: To dream ("to live a wooden/fake life")Fonas chek!: Goodbye! ("Hunt well!")
