Thread: To invent a new language, or not to invent a new language?

I'm writing a story that I suppose could be called slightly Tolkein-esque (it does include the stock elves, dwarves, and well, humans, as well as the occasional baddie), but it's steam-punk.
I love the sound of Old Norse, and I'm resisting the urge to create a language based on that, but I'm not sure if I should be anymore. Resisting, I mean.
Should I just italicize what is spoken in this language that is yet to be named, or should I actually make one? And if so, should I make it more elegant than Old Norse, or keep it somewhat gutteral?
Thanks in advance!

Is there any actual plot value in having some 'foreign' language? If you can't answer a definite yes there, then it's an automatic negative.

There is a reason why after getting on for 650 years; and even longer in the case od Beowulf; we are still getting fresh translations of The Canterbury Tales is that even educated English people have trouble reading Chaucer. If you wish to restrict sales to the few who wish to learn a new language solely in order to read a book, go ahead. If you wish to use what may sound like foreign words, try and restrict it to nouns, and do it carefully by introducing words in a clear context so that it is obvious what they mean, at the beginning, use them often so that the reader becomes familiarised.

He opened the oggelfloggle valve and allowed the anti-matter stream to flow into the expansion chamber clearly tells the reader what the ogglefloggle valve is and what it does, so that when later, the pilot says "Blenkinsop, shut off the ogglefloggle valve immediately" the reader knows exactly what is about to happen.

As the storyteller, you're 'translating' what the characters are saying so that we can understand what's going on. Maybe you can have us experience their language through song, while they're working or celebrating something together (indent and italicize).

I guess I should have clarified that objects and places don't have specific names in this language; the language is only spoken by some characters, and even then, rarely. I think it does have plot value because one clan . . . tribe . . . group-thing has a very beautiful, delicate dialect, whilst the other's is quite harsh and gutteral. It's supposed to reveal some of the clans' psyches, as well as the characters themselves.
And italics is what I was leaning towards; thank you, Patsky!

Your idea reminds me of a cool science fiction TV show from the 1990s called "Spellbinder." It was about a boy who was on a field trip with his classmates. 'Something' happened, and the kid ended up in a parallel world. The actors from the boy's world were all Australian, and of course had Aussie accents. The actors who played the inhabitants of the alternate world were from Poland. Having two groups with vastly different accents was a brilliant idea! Of course, they were all speaking the same language, but in strikingly different ways.

I don't know how to apply any of this to your story idea, but maybe it will spark your imagination!

In the story I am currently writing I have created a lanuage of my own. It isn't a full language, like I couldn't just go on a rant in it or anything, and it is still in the works. I use it for when only a few characters talk and only sometimes. I have italicized the words in the language and put the translation after it. Up to where I am now the speaker of it only says a couple words at a time to one character, so it is simple and easy, but later I will ahve someone in the story translate for those that can't understand. To create this language I just basically said a combination of random syllables and came up with the definition, simple but effective.

Not sure if any of this will help, but I tried