An international auxiliary language (sometimes abbreviated as IAL or auxlang) or interlanguage is a
language meant for communication between people from different nations who do not share a
common native language. An auxiliary language is primarily a second language. Thus, while
English is in wide international use, it is not generally considered an auxiliary
language because of its close association with nations and cultures in which it is spoken natively.[citation needed]
History of auxiliary language
The history of auxiliary language is controversial. Louis Couturat et al. exemplified
the controversy in the Preface to their book on International Language and Science:
The question of a so-called world-language, or better expressed, an international auxiliary language, was during the now past
Volapük period, and is still in the present Esperanto
movement, so much in the hands of Utopians, fanatics and enthusiasts, that it is difficult to form an unbiassed opinion
concerning it, although a good idea lies at its basis. (1910, p. v).
For Couturat et al, both Volapukists and Esperantists confounded the linguistic aspect of the question with many side issues,
and for this reason discussions about the international auxiliary language has appeared unpractical. However as Pfaundler wrote
in the same publication, the language was intimatedly connected to science, and not simply linguistics:
All who are occupied with the reading or writing of scientific literature have assuredly very often felt the want of a common
scientific language, and regretted the great loss of time and trouble caused by the multiplicity of languages employed in
scientific literature.
Auxiliary
The term "auxiliary" implies that it is intended to be an additional language for the people of the world, rather than to
replace their native languages. Often, the phrase is used to refer to planned or constructed languages proposed specifically to ease worldwide international communication, such as
Esperanto, Ido, and Interlingua. However, it can also refer to the concept of such a language being determined by international
consensus, including even a standardized natural language (e.g., International
English), and has also been connected to the project of constructing a universal
language. Some auxiliary language aficionados call these languages auxlangs.
Classification
The following classification of auxiliary languages was developed by Pierre Janton in 1993: [1]
- A priori languages are characterized by largely artificial
morphemes (not borrowed from ethnic languages), schematic derivation, simple phonology, grammar and morphology. None of these languages have a large
number of speakers.
- Philosophical languages are based on philosophical ideas about thought
and language.
- Oligosynthetic languages have no more than a few hundred
morphemes. Most of their vocabulary is made of compound words coined from these morphemes.
- Taxonomic languages, for example, Ro resembles the Dewey Decimal Classification System used in libraries.
- Logical languages, for example, Loglan
and Lojban, aim to eliminate ambiguity.
These categories are not exhaustive and may also overlap.
- A posteriori languages are based on existing ethnic languages. Nearly all the auxiliary languages with fluent speakers
are in this category. Most of the a posteriori auxiliary languages borrow their vocabulary primarily or solely from
European languages, and base their grammar more or less on European models. (Aficionados sometimes refer to these European-based
languages as "euroclones", although this term is not used in the academic literature.) A posteriori languages (or language
projects) have been based on all the major linguistic divisions within Europe: Romance, Germanic, Slavic and Celtic. The only ones to achieve any notable
success have been based largely on Romance and Latin elements, and of these, only Esperanto and Interlingua have significant
bodies of speakers today. Ido has shown something of a resurgence as a result of publicity on the Internet. Occidental has historically enjoyed some popularity, and Lingua
Franca Nova has a small following. The ongoing Folkspraak project aims at creating a pan-Germanic IAL, whilst
Europaio is based on the northern dialects of proto-Indo-European languages. Interlingua was drawn originally from the International Scientific Vocabulary.
- Mixed languages use some morphemes borrowed from ethnic languages, and some a
priori coinages.
- Schematic languages have ethnic morphemes in distorted form (e.g., Volapük) or both artificial and ethnic morphemes (e.g., Perio).
- Partly Schematic Languages have partly schematic and partly naturalistic derivation, for example, Esperanto and Ido. Ethnic morphemes of
languages in this group are seldom or never distorted, but compound and derived words are generally not recognizable at sight by
people familiar with the source languages. (While Janton classifies Esperanto as partly schematic, it is most often considered
schematic.)
- Naturalistic languages resemble existing ethnic languages.
- Languages with some schematic traits, for example, Novial.
- Languages with naturalistic derivation; for example, Occidental and
Interlingua, are developed so that not only the root words but their compounds and
derivations will often be recognizable immediately by large numbers of people.
- Simplified ethnic languages, for example, Basic English and Special English.
Methods of propagation
Several approaches exist toward the eventual full expansion and consolidation of an international auxiliary language.
- Laissez-faire. This approach is taken in the belief that one language will eventually and inevitably "win out" as a world
auxiliary language (e.g., International English) without any need for specific action.
- Institutional sponsorship and grass-roots promotion of language programs. This approach has taken various forms, depending on
the language and language type, ranging from government promotion of a particular language to one-on-one encouragement to learn
the language to instructional or marketing programs.
- National legislation. This approach seeks to have individual countries (or even localities) progressively endorse a given
language as an official language (or to promote the concept of international legislation).
- International legislation. This approach involves promotion of the future holding of a binding international convention
(perhaps to be under the auspices of such international organizations as the United
Nations or Inter-Parliamentary Union) to formally agree upon an
official international auxiliary language which would then be taught in all schools around the world, beginning at the primary
level. This approach seeks to put international opinion and law behind the language and thus to expand or consolidate it as a
full official world language. This approach could either give more credibility to a natural language already serving this purpose
to a certain degree (e.g., if English were chosen) or to give a greatly enhanced chance for a constructed language to take root.
For constructed languages particularly, this approach has been seen by various individuals in the IAL movement as holding the
most promise of ensuring that promotion of studies in the language would not be met with skepticism at its practicality by its
would-be learners.
Proposals
Proposals for languages to serve as an official international auxiliary language fall into two categories; sentential
languages or diagrammatic/pictographic languages.
Sentential languages are written languages like English, or Spanish. While some existing sentential languages have been
proposed to serve as an official international auxiliary language, the concept has been most commonly associated with constructed
sentential languages such as Esperanto and Interlingua
which were designed from the beginning to serve this purpose. Proponents of such languages often use the term planned
language instead (but this is somewhat ambiguous since it is also used to refer to a standardized ethnic language or
constructed languages in general). Invented auxiliary sentential languages are not
widely used; nor has English penetrated universally, as some people imagine. Moreover,
advocates of various languages disagree about which sentential language should be used. To overcome these difficulties, it has
been proposed that some language (natural or invented) be chosen by consensus of officials elected by the nations of the world,
perhaps through the United Nations, in consultation with experts of various disciplines,
a top-down approach. The adoption of an official script for the blind has
also been proposed, to correspond to the chosen written international language. The sentential language would be implemented in
each nation as an additional (second) language, alongside the national languages. A bottom-up
strategy tries to spread the language among ordinary users, so that it becomes the de facto
standard. However, the idea has not yet spread as widely as intended. Some people see the need for an official political
endorsement from the nations of the world, backed by resources for instruction and implementation.
Diagrammatic languages are languages of drawing diagrams and pictures, like the Phonetic
Picture-Writing, schematics of electronic
circuits, chemical symbols, or the Energy Systems Language of systems ecology. Proposals
for a diagrammatic language to be used as an international auxiliary go back as far as Leibniz's Characteristica Universalis.
Modern forms of such languages are designed to convey and model the circuit properties of systems that involve energy, money and
information flow through different compartments. Unlike sentential languages, diagrammatic languages are widely used as
auxiliaries to national sentential languages throughout the world in the scientific and engineering communities. Moreover
languages like the Energy Systems Language have also been used in the search for sustainablity through an ambitious attempt to
unify science, society and religions of the world by modeling and simulating embodied energy flows as a common basis for
value.
Sign language
An international auxiliary sign language has been developed by deaf people who meet
regularly at international forums such as sporting events or in political organisations. Previously referred to as
Gestuno but now more commonly known simply as 'international sign', the language has continued to develop since the first signs were standardised in
1973, and it is now in widespread use. International sign is distinct in many ways from spoken IALs; many signs are
iconic and signers tend to insert these signs into the grammar of their own sign language,
with an emphasis on visually intuitive gestures and mime. A simple sign language called Plains Indian Sign Language was used by indigenous peoples of the Americas.
Criticism
Although named as International language, most of these kind of languages are constructed on the basis of
Western European languages, or Indo-European
languages.
See also
See List of constructed languages for a list of constructed
international auxiliary languages.
Sources
Notes
- ^ Esperanto: Language, Literature, and Community by Pierre Janton,
translated by Humphrey Tonkin et al. State University of New York Press, 1993. ISBN 0-7914-1254-7.
Bibliography
- L. Couturat, O. Jespersen, R. Lorenz, W.Ostwalkd and L.Pfaundler 1910, International Language and Science: Considerations
on the Introduction of an International Language into Science", Constable and Company Limited, London.
- Sudre, François. "Langue musicale universelle inventée par François Sudre également inventeur de la téléphonie". G. Flaxland,
Editeur, 4, place de la Madeleine, Paris (France), 1866.
- Pirro, Jean, und L. A.. "Versuch einer Universalischen Sprache". Guerin und Cie., Bar-Le-Duc (France), 1868.
- Mainzer, Prof. Ludwig, Karlsruhe. "Linguo international di la Delegitaro (Sistemo Ido.), Vollständiges Lehrbuch der
Internationalen Sprache (Reform-Esperanto)". Otto Nemmich Verlag, Leipzig (Germany), 1909.
- De Wahl, Edgar. "Radicarium directiv del lingue international (Occidental) in 8 lingues". A.-S. "Ühisell" Trükk. Pikk Uul.
42, Tallinn, 1925.
- Gär, Joseph. "Deutsch-Occidental Wörterbuch nach dem Kürschners "Sechs-Sprachen-Lexicon", mit kurzer Occidental-Grammatik".
Kosmoglott, Reval, Estland, 1925/1928.
- Pigal, E. and the Hauptstelle der Occidental-Union in Mauern bei Wien. "OCCIDENTAL, Die Weltsprache, Einführung samt
Lehrkursus, Lesestücken, Häufigkeitswörterverzeichnis u. a.", Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart, 1930.
- Gode, Alexander, et al. Interlingua-English: a dictionary of the international language. Storm Publishers, New York,
1951.
- Pham Xuan Thai. "Frater (Lingua sistemfrater). The simplest International
Language Ever Constructed". TU-HAI Publishing-House, Saigon (Republic of Vietnam), 1957.
External links
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