Constructed language
A constructed language (sometimes abbreviated conlang) is a language that has been created intentionally, often by a single person, rather than developing over time through the necessity of human social interaction.[1] The most well-known constructed language is Esperanto, devised in 1887 by Ludwik Zamenhof with the goal of creating a universal auxiliary language to facilitate international communications. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá praised Esperanto in several of His talks given while travelling in Europe and America and encouraged its use, although he implied in His writings that it would not become universal in its current form.[2] In a 1911 talk in London, He noted some requirements for the construction of a universal language:
| “ | "The love and effort put into Esperanto will not be lost", he ‘Abdu’l-Bahá answered, "but no one person can construct a Universal Language. It must be made by a Council representing all countries, and must contain words from different languages. It will be governed by the simplest rules, and there will be no exceptions; neither will there be gender, nor extra and silent letters. Everything indicated will have but one name. ..." | ” |
| — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, p. 94. [2] | ||
Besides Esperanto, many other constructed languages exist. Many of these are listed in the code tables for the ISO 639 standard. Bahá’ís are represented in organizations devoted to various constructed languages, including Esperanto and Interlingua; the Bahá’í Esperanto-League was founded in 1973 and as of 2020[update] had around 200 members. Lidia Zamenhof, daughter of Esperanto founder L.L. Zamenhof, was a Bahá’í.
ISO 639[edit]
The ISO 639 standard defines codes for languages, including constructed ones. The following constructed languages are represented in the standard:[3]
- ISO 639-1
- Esperanto, Ido, Interlingua, Interlingue (Occidental), Volapük
- ISO 639-2
- Afrihili, Blissymbols, Esperanto, Ido, Interlingua, Interlingue (Occidental), Klingon, Lojban, Volapük
- ISO 639-3
- Afrihili, Balaibalan, Brithenig, Blissymbols, Dutton Speedwords, Eskayan, Esperanto, Ido, Interglossa, Interlingua, Interlingue (Occidental), Interslavic, Klingon, Kotava, Láadan, Lingua Franca Nova, Lojban, Medefaidrin, Neo, Novial, Quenya, Romanova, Sindarin, Talossan, Toki Pona, Volapük
References[edit]
- ↑ Okrent, Arika. "Artificial Languages". Oxford Bibliographies. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ↑ Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Vol III. p. 692. [1]
- ↑ "ISO 639 Code Tables". iso639-3.sil.org. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
