{"id":33568,"date":"2018-01-12T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-01-12T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/researchdev\/2018\/01\/12\/theatre-prof-contributes-to-constructed-language-in-hit-sci-fi-tv-show-2\/"},"modified":"2025-01-30T08:58:33","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T13:58:33","slug":"theatre-prof-contributes-to-constructed-language-in-hit-sci-fi-tv-show-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/2018\/01\/12\/theatre-prof-contributes-to-constructed-language-in-hit-sci-fi-tv-show-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Theatre prof contributes to constructed language in hit sci-fi tv show"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Eric Armstrong got the call from his agent about <\/em><\/strong>made-up science fiction languages, he was up for the challenge. In this Q&A, he talks about this exciting chapter in his career.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Eric

Eric Armstrong<\/p><\/div>\n

Theatre professors are no strangers to the limelight, but for one York University academic, Eric Armstrong, the cool factor is off the charts. He created the accent for a constructed language called Belter, used in the white-hot sci-fi television series \u201cThe Expanse,\u201d set 200 years in the future. This new language, developed by linguist Nick Farmer with the assistance of Armstrong as dialect\/accent coach, mashes up six existing languages.<\/p>\n

The American series, the third season of which airs 2018, has a captivating premise: Humans have colonized the solar system and Mars has become a military power. One social class has not fared well in this world. The new language belongs to this group of people, called Belters, who survive by scavenging materials in a particular Asteroid Belt.<\/p>\n

In this Q&A with Brainstorm<\/em>, Armstrong\u00a0 \u0336 \u00a0who teaches voice, speech, dialects and Shakespearean text at York\u00a0 \u0336 \u00a0talks about the new language and the television show that are taking centre stage in his career.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\u201cThe<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Expanse.\u201d Image reproduced with permission<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Q: <\/strong>How did this gig on \u201cThe Expanse\u201d transpire?<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> One day, I got a call from my agent, asking if I knew anything about made-up languages in science fiction shows. I have to admit, I\u2019m a bit of a nerd. I had read a lot about what are called \u2018con langs\u2019 or constructed languages in the press, most notably due to \u201cGame of Thrones.\u201d Dothraki and Valyrian are two made-up languages in that show.<\/p>\n

When I was brought in to speak with the show creators, they could see that I knew what I was talking about, even though it was a \u2018first\u2019 for me.<\/p>\n

\n
\u201cOne day, I got a call from my agent, asking if I knew anything about made-up languages in science fiction shows. I have to admit, I\u2019m a bit of a nerd. I had read a lot about constructed languages.\u201d \u2013 Eric Armstrong<\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Q:<\/strong> How did your career lead up to this position as dialect\/accent coach on a hit television series?<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> I trained to be an actor and worked professionally in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal for about five years. I always felt an attraction to teaching voice. York had an MFA program in this field. One of my mentors was David Smukler, Canada\u2019s foremost voice teacher at the time, who started the voice teacher diploma program here at York. I completed this program, then worked freelance for a year. And from then on, I\u2019ve had full-time voice teaching jobs in Canada and the United States. I returned to York [as a faculty member] in 2003.<\/p>\n

\n

\"York<\/p>\n

The Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre at the Keele campus is one of the venues used by York University\u2019s Theatre Program<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\u201cOur acting classes at York are diverse; and that diversity motivates me to teach in a way that is inclusive\u2026 That\u2019s very rewarding.\u201d \u2013 Eric Armstrong<\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/blockquote>\n

One of the jobs that I took early on teaching was at Brandeis University [Massachusetts] where I was the speech and accents teacher \u2013 a narrower niche in the voice teaching field. I felt a little underqualified, so I took the time to do further research. I started to coach professionally in the theatre in Boston. That got me on the path. After that, I went to Chicago, where I started to work on film and television on a much bigger scale. My first film coaching job was with the [British actor] Tom Wilkinson, who had just been nominated for an Academy Award.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Belter is comprised of Chinese, Japanese, Slavic, Germanic and other languages. What was it like developing the accent for this fabricated language?<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> Belter is a creole, a combination of languages. Nick Farmer, creator of the Belter language, studied creoles and used the structure of many creoles to create a new creole. English is at the core of Belter. But he took many of these other languages that you referenced as ingredients.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Diogo,<\/p>\n

Diogo, a Belter (played by Andrew Rotilio). Image reproduced with permission<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

To begin with, he created a basic dictionary. For this, he turned to different languages for the source words, then undertook a transformational process to create phonological rules. [Phonology is the study of how sounds are used in language. This includes how sounds interact with each other.]<\/p>\n

So, Nick handed me the phonological rules [for Belter] and gave me some samples of what Belter sounded like. As I \u2018auditioned\u2019 for the show \u2013 really, it was more like an extended interview \u2013 \u00a0I took those sounds and developed an overall feeling of the language.<\/p>\n

At first, Belter felt like Jamaican, also a creole. But we didn\u2019t want it to be exclusively one thing; we wanted it to feel global. So, I took elements from Chinese, European and English accents, and salted them in to the recipe as a means of counterbalancing the Jamaican accent. As a result, Belter seems familiar\u2026 but you can\u2019t quite put your finger on it. Later, I was surprised to find out that a Singaporean accent sounds quite a lot like Belter.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Two Belters: Drummer (played by Cara Gee) and Anderson Dawes (played by Jared Harris). Image reproduced with permission<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Q: <\/strong>What\u2019s next for you at York?<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> I\u2019m currently working on a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)-funded project on developing accent resources for the Indigenous performance community, which is underserved. This is a mandate I created for myself. For far too long, accent resources have primarily targeted mainstream actors. The industry is dominated by people who look like me, and I would like that to change.<\/p>\n

Our acting classes at York are diverse; and that diversity motivates me to teach in a way that is inclusive\u2026 That\u2019s very rewarding.<\/p>\n

To learn more about the television show, visit the space.ca website<\/a>. To read an interview with Armstrong in Wired <\/em>magazine, visit the site<\/a>. Armstong\u2019s credits are listed in the Internet Movie Database, IMDb<\/a>. For more information about Armstrong, visit his faculty profile<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To learn more about Research & Innovation at York, follow us at @YUResearch<\/a>, watch the York Research Impact Story<\/a> and see the snapshot infographic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By Megan Mueller, manager, research communications, Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation, York University, <\/em>muellerm@yorku.ca<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Eric Armstrong got the call from his agent about made-up science fiction languages, he was up for the challenge. 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