Interview

Emma D’Arcy says learning High Valyrian for House of The Dragon felt rewarding

Published

2 years ago

January 18, 2023

Learning a new language is a fairly difficult task, let alone learning a fictional language. Getting the intonations and pronunciations to the point takes months of dedicated practice. As some of you may know, the Dothraki and High Valyrian languages were fully developed solely for the TV adaptation of Game of Thrones, based upon the limited use of the languages in the books, by linguist David J. Peterson. Peterson has returned to recreate the languages for the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel House of The Dragon. The show’s star Emma D’Arcy (Rhaenyra Targaryen) recently talked to The Hollywood Reporter about their experience learning High Valyrian for the show.

D’Arcy said, “We get sent the English translation, the High Valyrian, a phonetic translation, and then also audio recordings, and one [method] would be to try and parrot back the audio recordings. It’s ideal as an actor to be able to command the language you’re having to use. I had a really nice time using gestures, for example, to embed meaning into unfamiliar language. And now I have an incredible rolling R. So really, it’s paid back dividends.”

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Sayantan Choudhary

Sayantan is a keen follower of everything pop culture; from films, shows, anime to video games and latest memes. He started writing professionally for Wiki of Thrones during the 2021 lockdown, and has been developing his writing and editing skills ever since. Sayantan has since worked for several reputed firms, such as Collider and FandomWire, gathering experience and nods from some of the best in the industry. With a growing repertoire amassing renowned websites, Sayantan is your go to guy for all things Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. When he is not hunting for headlines and theories, you can find him engrossed in fantasy shows, conspiracy theories and video games.