Guess the language

The project deals with the creation of a serious game whose function is to familiarize the players with the abstract properties that regulate the diversity of human languages around the world.

This project is articulated in three phases. The first phase is devoted to the design of the game itself and the creation of a prototype. The game is a language-based version of the classic game “Guess who?”, produced by Hasbro©. 

While the guessing process of the original game is based on a set of salient physical features associated to a group of characters; in “Guess the language!” the reasoning engages the players in a deeper reflection on what language diversity is like, since the identifying features are properties of natural languages. 

The second phase of the project is the production of a digital version of the game, which will be playable online. Whereas we will explore the potential of the game as teaching tool in the third phase of the project. The game will be used in class (BA/MA level) to illustrate the principles around which language variation revolves; and outside the class, in workshops devoted to familiarizing the local community with basic notions of language diversity and linguistics.