What would it take to create a language made entirely of music? In this episode of Science Quickly, Scientific American’s Allison Parshall explores the science and linguistics behind musical languages, from real-world constructed languages to the intricate note-based communication system created for the alien Rocky in Project Hail Mary. Learn how linguists transformed rhythm and pitch into a fully functional language and what these imaginative experiments reveal about the nature of communication itself.Recommended Reading:Andy Weir on Ryan Gosling, alien contact and the wild science of Project Hail MaryRyan Gosling says Project Hail Mary is ‘a reminder of what we’re capable of’How did humans evolve language? It may be far more ancient than scientists realizedJoin our Summer Reading Challenge E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter.Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was reported by Allison Parshall and edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices