Sci-fi and fantasy creators often use constructed languages (or conlangs) to help us believe that the characters come from ancient times or distant galaxies. But what happens when a fictional language jumps off the screen and into the real world? This story comes from the Imaginary Worlds podcast.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced out of the studios of Defacto Sound and hosted by Dallas Taylor. Follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, & Reddit.Become a monthly contributor at 20k.org/donate. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org. Discover more at lexus.com/curiosity.Subscribe to Imaginary Worlds wherever you get your podcasts.Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/conlangLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices