Language and linguistics in Frank Herbert's Dune

Frank Herbert's novel Dune incorporates a number of different themes related to language or linguistics.


 * One of the most prominent examples is the use of Voice by the Bene Gesserit. The concept is that by varying pitch and tone, a skilled speaker can exert influence over listeners, subtly influencing their patterns of thought or even causing them to act physically without their control.


 * The Atreides have developed a unique form of sign language called "Battle Language."


 * At a dinner party on Arrakis, Jessica Atreides is able to discern a speaker's cultural origin and education by noticing their speaking cadence and pacing, rather than a specific regional accent.


 * Bene Gesserit adepts are able to learn and comprehend new languages at a superhuman rate, by listening to snatches of conversation. During the siege of Arrakis, Jessica hears Harkonnen code over the radio, but "not enough to register the language."


 * The "violence" of the Fremen Chakobsa tongue is described as indicating the fierce violence of the Fremen culture; see the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis for discussion of this theory.


 * Much of the common Fremen language is derived from modern Arabic words.


 * Count Hasimir Fenring and Lady Margot Fenring appear to have developed a private language that is based on humming.