Thoughts on naming alien species

‪The Ovokali came from Eric, so he’s the one to ask for that!‬

But when I name aliens, I think of what language I’m working with: do we call them what they call themselves in their alien language? Does their name have meaning in that language, or is it “just sounds?” Or is it the translation of the name so that we humans can pronounce it for the purpose of story? When I named the Sweet Relief for VAST, I chose an English name, as if the meaning of a species’ name had been directly translated from another language. In fact, the Sweet Relief communicated ultrasonically and my character spoke through a translator, so it was as if “Sweet Relief” was what the translator spit out!

Even when your aliens’ race name is in their language,” you can draw on human language roots to evoke associations for your audience. Did Eric make up “ovokali” as nonsense words? Maybe. But “Ovokal” also calls up root words from our languages: “ovo,” like the Latin root for egg, brings to mind the oviparous lizard part of that species. Meanwhile, “kal” seems a little like the Irish “cál” for “cabbage”—same root word as modern English “kale!” You get a sort of planty vibe from it. Those sort of indirect associations convey meaning without hitting your audience over the head.

(Also pro-tip: if your species uses a made-up name, make sure you’re clear on the grammar rules of that name! Using the Ovokali as an example:
One single lizard plant is an Ovokal.
The planet is also Ovokal.
Two lizard-plants are Ovokali.
The collective noun for the species is the Ovokali
Same for the adjectival form: Ovokali artwork, the Ovokali Academy etc)

If you have other parts of your worldbuilding established, names are an opportunity to link those elements together. When Eric told me my character’s name was Rokokokoko, my first instinct was that sounded like the language of the Judoon from Season 3 ep 1 of Doctor Who. When I wrote the Ovokali history, I decided that the Ovokali had at one point been subject to colonization and rule by the Judoon, so they’d have those cultural remnants embedded in the language.

To sum up, names are cultural artifacts. Find ways to make that name a part of the world.