Native Tongue

The author, who was a professional linguist, actually constructed the language called Láadan for the purpose of this series. She developed it as a thought experiment to test whether a language designed specifically to express the perceptions of women could function in reality, and instructional materials for it exist.

This is the first installment of a trilogy that continues with The Judas Rose and concludes with Earthsong. While the narrative arc of the secret language spans all three volumes, the author wrote the first book as a distinct experiment in linguistic relativity.