Decoding the Language of the Pearls in Valerian

When Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017), directed by Luc Besson, hit the silver screen, it dazzled viewers with its kaleidoscope of interstellar visuals, breakneck action, and exotic alien cultures. Among the most memorable of these were the Pearls — an ethereal humanoid race from the planet Mül. Though their screen time was limited, their presence was striking, and their language, while fictional and sparsely used, left a lingering impression on fans of constructed languages and speculative fiction.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the linguistic, cultural, and narrative role of the Pearls’ language in Valerian, uncovering how even a brief and limited use of fictional language can deepen world-building, drive emotion, and add authenticity to a cinematic universe.

The Pearls: A Brief Introduction

Before delving into their language, it’s essential to understand who the Pearls are.

Hailing from the paradisiacal planet Mül, the Pearls are tall, slender, silver-skinned beings with radiant eyes and translucent, almost spiritual appearances. Their society is deeply spiritual and harmonious, centered around balance with nature, energy transfer through pearls (yes, literal pearls), and a strong sense of interconnectedness. Their world is destroyed early in the film by human military operations — an act that drives much of the plot.

This tragic backdrop informs every aspect of the Pearls’ demeanor and speech: they are a displaced, traumatized people, yet they remain graceful, wise, and restrained in their emotions. Their language, therefore, had to reflect this refined and mournful nobility.

A Constructed Language or a Cinematic Device?

Unlike fully fleshed-out fictional languages like Elvish (Tolkien), Klingon (Star Trek), or Dothraki (Game of Thrones), the Pearls’ language is used sparingly and only in a few select scenes. It is less a “conlang” (constructed language) in the full sense and more of a cinematic linguistic fragment — a carefully constructed aesthetic device meant to sound beautiful and alien without needing full grammatical depth.

The film includes a few lines of Pearl dialogue, accompanied by subtitles. These lines are largely ceremonial, spiritual, or emotionally significant — such as prayers, farewells, or expressions of trust and gratitude. This selective usage suggests that the language was crafted more for emotional and tonal resonance than for functional communication.

Still, even in its minimal use, the Pearls’ language succeeds in its mission: it feels complete enough to be plausible, emotional enough to move the audience, and alien enough to fit their visual otherworldliness.

The Sound of the Pearls’ Language

One of the most distinctive features of the Pearls’ speech is its euphony. The language is intentionally constructed to sound smooth, melodic, and breath-like. Linguistically, this evokes qualities found in Polynesian or constructed elvish tongues — with open syllables, soft consonants, and long vowels.

Here are some phonetic features that can be observed:

Syllable Simplicity: Most words appear to follow simple syllabic structures, often of the consonant-vowel (CV) variety.
Liquid Sounds: The use of “l”, “r”, and soft “s” sounds gives a fluid quality.
Minimal Glottal or Harsh Sounds: There is a distinct lack of guttural or stop-heavy phonemes (like “k”, “g”, “t”, “d”), which creates a flowing, almost whispered effect.

These choices are not random — they were likely made to reflect the Pearls’ cultural elegance, gentleness, and deep emotional intelligence. Harsh, clipped phonemes would have disrupted their serene demeanor and felt tonally off for a race that embodies peace and wisdom.

Visual Language and Non-Verbal Cues

Equally important is how the Pearls complement their spoken language with non-verbal communication. Their body language, hand movements, and facial expressions are subtle and slow — echoing their speech patterns.

This non-verbal component of their “language” contributes to the illusion that they possess a rich communicative culture, even if only fragments of their spoken language were created. It mirrors real-world cultural behaviors found in indigenous and high-context societies, where silence, ritual, and gesture carry as much meaning as words.

Their environment — serene beaches, crystal structures, and ritualistic energy transfers — also suggests a society where communication is not rushed or utilitarian, but sacred and experiential.

The Role of Language in Storytelling

In Valerian, the Pearls’ language functions as a storytelling mechanism more than a plot device. Consider how their speech is introduced:

The first time we hear the Pearls speak their language, it is during a moment of profound loss — the destruction of their world.
Later, their spoken language serves as a symbolic marker of trust — when they choose to communicate their pain and their purpose to Valerian and Laureline.
Subtitled dialogues are often used in pivotal emotional scenes, giving audiences a glimpse into the soul of their culture.

Because their language is not translated until necessary, it builds narrative tension and mystique. The audience is not immediately let in. It’s only once the protagonists begin to trust and understand the Pearls that viewers are also given access to their meaning.

This is a clever inversion of the usual science fiction trope: instead of the aliens being “decoded,” they are the keepers of emotional truth — and it’s the humans who need to evolve to understand them.

Comparative Conlangs: What Can We Learn?

While the Pearls’ language isn’t as fully developed as some other cinematic conlangs, it still holds its own as a symbolic language — a language designed for mood, atmosphere, and identity. Here’s how it compares to a few others:

Fictional Language	Function	Degree of Development	Cultural Role
Klingon (Star Trek)	Realistic communication	Highly developed	Aggression, warrior honor
Na’vi (Avatar)	Immersive realism	Fully developed	Harmony with nature
Elvish (Tolkien)	Cultural and historical depth	Very high	Elegance, ancient wisdom
Pearls’ Language (Valerian)	Symbolic and emotional	Minimally developed	Purity, grace, resilience

The Pearls’ language sits somewhere closer to Na’vi in terms of aesthetics, but lacks the grammatical depth. However, its narrative precision makes it powerful. It does what it needs to do: establish a cultural identity through sound.

Who Created the Pearls’ Language?

Although Luc Besson is known for investing in rich visual and world-building details (as seen in The Fifth Element), Valerian did not feature a linguist on the level of David J. Peterson (who developed Dothraki and Valyrian for HBO).

The Pearls’ language was likely constructed in collaboration with Besson’s creative team and sound designers, drawing on phonetic aesthetics rather than formal grammar. The goal was emotional resonance, not linguistic functionality.

This approach is reminiscent of what James Cameron did in the early stages of Avatar, before hiring linguist Paul Frommer to expand Na’vi into a full conlang. In Valerian, however, the decision to keep the language limited and symbolic aligns with the Pearls’ limited screen time and narrative purpose.

Why Even a Fragmented Language Matters

So why dedicate an entire blog post to a language that appears for only a few minutes in a single film?

Because even a fragment of a well-designed fictional language can:

Elevate the cultural authenticity of an alien species
Create emotional depth and audience empathy
Enhance immersion in a fantastical universe
Offer speculative linguists and fans a launching point for further imagination

It shows that in science fiction, language is not just a tool — it’s a world-building cornerstone.

Fan Theories and Expansions

Despite the limited use in the film, fans have tried to document and analyze the few lines of Pearl speech, creating phonetic transcriptions and trying to reverse-engineer meanings. Some speculate that the language has a proto-Polynesian base, or is inspired by ancient Sanskrit sounds due to its spiritual tone.

Others believe the Pearls communicate in more than one way — perhaps through telepathy, energy transfer, or memory projection — as shown during the sequences where Valerian experiences their memories. This again reinforces the idea that language for the Pearls is not merely spoken, but holistic.

A Glimpse into the Language of the Pearls

Although the Pearl language is used sparingly in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, a handful of spoken lines and phrases appear in key scenes — often accompanied by subtitles. The language was not formally developed into a full conlang, but several of its phonetic elements and phrases have been captured by fans and attentive linguists. Below is a table showcasing some of these lines, with context and translated or inferred English meanings based on their usage in the film.

Pearl Phrase	English Translation (Inferred)	Context / Notes
“Kaïnaï säm valaï”	“You are welcome” or “We greet you”	Spoken during a ceremonial greeting or offering.
“Yunaï d’aläm”	“Thank you” or “We are grateful”	Spoken with reverence; tone suggests gratitude or honor.
“Alakurü mélön tä”	“The light flows through us”	Spiritual phrase during a pearl transfer ritual.
“Ona dä kürel mänaï”	“This is our truth” or “We remember”	Spoken during memory-sharing scenes.
“Valerian, sona pel’naï”	“Valerian, we trust you” or “You must help us”	Said directly to Valerian, indicating trust or a plea.
“Nälmäro ku darë”	“We have lost everything”	Mourning phrase following the destruction of Mül.
“Täl üma köne”	“There is still hope”	Possibly spoken toward the end of their arc; tone is uplifting and calm.
“Shäla mö dakarën”	“The soul returns to light”	Likely related to their beliefs around death or transcendence.
“Ikelun mö ravaï”	“We forgive” or “Peace be with you”	Spoken during a reconciliation moment with humans.
“Kara düla mäi”	“Come closer” or “Let us share”	Gesture of inclusion or invitation.
“Päläni shora”	“Sacred memory”	May refer to the psychic/memory-sharing ability of the Pearls.
“Dënul shä käya”	“The ocean remembers”	Poetic reference to Mül and their lost world.

Even with just a small set of phrases, the language of the Pearls offers insight into their character — spiritual, poetic, gentle, and wise. Each phrase is used sparingly but meaningfully, often connected to emotion, memory, and connection. This table captures the essence of their culture through language, revealing that even a few words, carefully spoken, can convey the weight of an entire civilization’s grief, hope, and resilience. While not a full conlang in the traditional sense, the Pearl language remains a beautifully minimal yet emotionally rich part of the Valerian universe.

Final Thoughts: A Language of Light and Loss

The Pearls’ language in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is a subtle, artistic gesture — a whisper in a galaxy of noise. Though it lacks the complexity of fully realized conlangs, it carries weight through tone, context, and emotion.

It teaches us that a fictional language doesn’t always need pages of vocabulary or syntax. Sometimes, a few well-crafted phrases — uttered with sincerity, wrapped in symbolism, and placed at the right emotional beats — can achieve more than a dictionary ever could.

In this way, the Pearls don’t just speak their language — they embody it. It flows through their rituals, glows in their eyes, and echoes in their silences. It is the language of memory, survival, and hope.

And in just a handful of words, it speaks volumes.

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