Lapine - Definition and Overview

Lapine is an artificial language constructed by Richard Adams and spoken by the fictional rabbits of his novel Watership Down. The fragments of language presented by Adams consist of about a few tens of distinct words, and are used for naming rabbits, their mythological characters and objects common to their world.

Adams commented that the motivation for the sound of Lapine was that it should sound "wuff-fluffy" (as in the name "Thethuthinnang") and akin in some phonological respects to Arabic (from his time in North Africa in World War II). For example, the proper Lapine name "Kehaar" is quoted as being reminiscent of the Arabic "Behaar".

Other authors, academics and fans of the book have attempted to expand on the few words and phrases extant in the corpus of "Watership Down" and develop it into a fuller language.

External links

• Expansion of the Lapine language by Alowvelki Consulting Ltd (http://www.alowvelkiconsulting.co.uk/language/lapine.html)
• Frithaes! A Guide To Colloquial Lapine (http://www.loganberry.furtopia.org/bnb/lapine/overview.html)
• Lapine Conlang Profile (http://www.langmaker.com/lapine.htm)