Wenja language
Constructed prehistoric language for Far Cry Primal.
Wenja is a constructed language made for Ubisoft's video game *Far Cry Primal*. It belongs to the Wenja, a fictional nomadic tribe living in the valley of Oros in Central Europe. Two related dialects are spoken by the Udam and Izila tribes. A team of linguists, headed by Indo-European expert Andrew Byrd, created the language. The developers chose a prehistoric language over English to make the game world feel more authentic. Proto-Indo-European (PIE), thought to have been spoken around 4000 BCE, was considered too recent for a game set roughly 10000 BCE. Ubisoft wanted a language projected further back in time, which Byrd called a "proto-Proto-Indo-European". This ancient form split into two dialects: Wenja and Udam. The Izila tribe uses a different dialect that more closely resembles standard PIE. These dialects are among the few examples of PIE and a PIE-based constructed language in a mainstream product, and *Far Cry Primal* was the first video game to feature a constructed prehistoric language. By June 2017, Wenja and Izila together had about 2400 words (roughly 1200 each), both with full grammatical systems. In total, 40,000 words of dialogue, mostly in Wenja, were created for the game. Early in development, the Ubisoft team struggled to write dialogue that felt convincing for the prehistoric setting. Every attempt in English sounded "trite or just plain wrong, either too much like modern man or too much like science fiction." They then found recordings of Andrew Byrd reciting Proto-Indo-European for an archaeology project. They hired Byrd and his wife Brenna Byrd to lead a team of linguists—including Jessica DeLisi, Chiara Bozzone, and Ryan Paul Sandell—to build a suitable language. The team tested a script in simple English and another in Wenja. English did not fit the period, so they decided to expand Wenja. At first, Wenja was just a simplified version of PIE, but that was still too modern. The linguists were asked to push the language further back in time, creating what Byrd called a "proto-Proto-Indo-European". To imagine a language spoken about 7,000 years before PIE, the team studied PIE's earlier stages. They identified features in PIE that seemed archaic and treated those as normal for Wenja.
- Field
- Constructed language, historical linguistics
- Known for
- First video game to feature a constructed prehistoric language; based on a projected 'proto-Proto-Indo-European'
- Developed by
- Andrew Miles Byrd, Brenna Reinhart Byrd, Jessica DeLisi, Chiara Bozzone, Ryan Paul Sandell
- Dialects
- Wenja, Udam, Izila
- Word count
- Approximately 2,400 words (Wenja and Izila roughly 1,200 each) as of June 2017
Lore & Background
During early development of Far Cry Primal, the Ubisoft team struggled to create a convincing script for the prehistoric setting, finding English attempts 'trite or just plain wrong.' They discovered recordings of Proto-Indo-European by Andrew Byrd and hired him and his wife Brenna Byrd to lead a team of linguists. The team conducted a test comparing primitive English and Wenja, finding English did not fit the period, leading to further development of Wenja. Initially a simplified version of Proto-Indo-European (PIE), it was deemed too modern for a game set around 10000 BCE, so the linguists projected the language further back in time, creating what Byrd called a 'proto-Proto-Indo-European.' The team used knowledge of earlier stages of PIE, looking at archaic features and assuming them as normal for Wenja. Inspiration came particularly from Hittite, the oldest attested Indo-European language. Wenja lacks grammatical gender and is pre-ablaut, as those features were imagined to have developed later. Vocabulary was inspired by the imagined contemporaneous material and religious culture. A small number of words necessary for the game could not be reconstructed from PIE and were invented via compound words, derivation from modern roots, or plausible evolution. Once ready, the language was taught to actors, who spoke it in their spare time, making it feel 'tangible, natural, a living language.' The game translates only part of the dialogues, encouraging players to learn keywords.
Reader's Guide
Wenja represents a significant achievement in constructed languages for entertainment media, being the first video game to feature a fully developed prehistoric constructed language. Its creation by a team of professional linguists, led by an Indo-Europeanist, brought academic rigor to a mass-market product. The language's basis in Proto-Indo-European, projected backward to a hypothetical 'proto-Proto-Indo-European,' demonstrates how linguistic reconstruction can be creatively extended. The three dialects—Wenja, Udam, and Izila—show different stages of development: Wenja and Udam represent an older form created via internal reconstruction of PIE's irregular features, while Izila is closer to standard academic PIE. The language's phonology, with a three-vowel system and trochaic rhythm, was designed for accessibility to English-speaking actors and players. With approximately 2,400 words and 40,000 words of dialogue developed, Wenja provided an immersive experience that encouraged players to learn some of the language to understand gameplay. Its appearance in a widely played video game introduced millions to concepts of historical linguistics and constructed languages, making it a notable case study in the intersection of academic linguistics and popular culture.
Did You Know?
- Wenja was created by projecting Proto-Indo-European further back in time, resulting in what Andrew Byrd called a 'proto-Proto-Indo-European.'
- The word for 'mammoth' in Wenja, mamaf, was derived directly from its English equivalent.
- The Izila dialect is largely based on the standard academic version of Proto-Indo-European, with some simplifications.
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