UC Berkeley recently welcomed back acclaimed alumnus and professional language creator David J. Peterson, along with his partner and fellow conlanger Dr. Jessie Peterson, for a day of conversation, creativity, and career insight with students in the Division of Arts & Humanities.
David and Jessie—widely recognized as the leading international team of full-time language creators—spent the day meeting with undergraduates and then joined Dean Sara Guyer’s Humanities 20 class, where they spoke about turning a passion for language into a creative career.
David Peterson (UC Berkeley, Linguistics and English, 2003) is best known for creating the Dothraki and High Valyrian languages for HBO’s Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. His work has since expanded to include The Witcher, Dune, and The 100, among others. He is the author of The Art of Language Invention and the creator of Duolingo’s popular High Valyrian course.
Jessie Peterson, who holds a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Colorado Boulder, taught for 13 years before becoming a full-time conlanger. Her credits include Elemental, Dune: Part Two, Vampire Academy, and Shadow and Bone. Together, the couple co-host LangTime Studio on YouTube, a weekly livestream where they build new languages in real time.
The visit offered Berkeley students a firsthand look at how the humanities fuel innovation—and how linguistic expertise can lead to extraordinary and unexpected professional paths.
Look for a Berkeley News interview this summer with David and Jessie.