Now Anyone can Learn to Speak High Valyrian
Are you a Game of Thrones fan? With the launch of the HBO’s spinoff House of the Dragon only three weeks away, you may want to hone your High Valyrian skills. You can binge watch old episodes or you can find an easier way by checking out the newly expanded Duolingo course.
How to command dragons
You can learn how to command dragons and just about everything else in the newest update to the Duolingo High Valyrian course, according to Cnet. The language app just added 159 new vocabulary words as well as grammar and situation specific language to the popular TV series.
High Valyrian, if you are not a Game of Thrones fan, is a conlang or constructed language that David J. Peterson created for the show. He also partnered with Duolingo in 2019 to create a course on the app.
The language was developed by Peterson based on the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, according to a company press release.
“I am thrilled for new and old fans of the Game of Thrones series to experience the High Valyrian language. It’s been a pleasure to revisit the world of Westeros for House of the Dragon and work with the team at Duolingo to breathe new life into this course,” Peterson said in the press release.
Why should you learn the language?
In Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen was one of the last people who were fluent in High Valyrian, but according to The Verge, the language is being used in the new spinoff which is a prequel series that takes place 200 years earlier.
House of the Dragon is set to premier on August 21, 2022 but the expanded course is available now. Duolingo is promoting the course in cryptic billboards in major cities like New York, the press release reported.
In July, Duolingo went to Comic-Con International: San Diego 2022, where it reminded fans to complete their language course with push notifications and signs with dragon commands in High Valyrian. Attendees also received “Wing of the King” pins.
Another incentive for fans to complete their language lessons is that users of the House of Dragon: DracARys app will be able to hatch a virtual dragon that will only respond to commands in High Valyrian. So start practicing now!
