Constructed Languages

To this date, mankind has invented many things, and languages are no exception. Thousands of human languages occur naturally, and over time, some languages and dialects disappear and become extinct due to various factors such as colonization, globalization, and multiculturalism. While this is somewhat alarming, a new trend called “constructed” languages has emerged, becoming a new source of linguistic diversity. Whether they are created by an individual or a group (or institution), conlangs serve many different purposes, such as a common language within a certain community, or just for enthusiasm.

A constructed language, or for short, a “conlang”, is characterized as a language whose phonology, morphology, syntax, and sometimes its alphabet are consciously created by one or more people to serve a specific purpose, either auxiliary, creative, or for another reason. There is no consensus on a generally accepted term in linguistics, and they are often referred to as “artificial” or invented languages as well. Unlike those that evolve naturally (as it is an ongoing process), constructed languages have no historical lineages. On the surface, these languages make us question the notion of natural language, as the boundaries between them are somewhat blurred.

In the 18th century, there was an interest in constructing languages, especially in Europe. With the concept of auxiliary languages, people aimed for a lingua franca, or common tongue, that could be a means of international communication between speakers of different native languages. They were designed to be learned rather quickly and had some common properties, such as simple syntax (or word order), which is S-V-O, common vocabulary shared in most of the European languages, mostly drawn from Latin and Greek, and rather simple phonology (or sound system).

One of the most famous contemporary examples, Esperanto, was created by Dr. Ludwig Zamenhof, and he aimed to provide a “neutral” language that could break the barrier of hostility between groups of Russians, Jews, Germans, and Poles, as he lived in Poland during World War II. Although it could not reach its ultimate goal, it enjoyed a rather prominent status, and its use was allowed and even recommended. As a result, it is still spoken today, and there are even people who speak Esperanto from birth, as their first language.

Other constructed languages are artistic, intended to exist only in an imaginary setting. These can be incorporated into a fictional world to provide unique depth and richness. As an activity, it could be an enjoyable exercise involving creativity. One might engage in it just for pleasure, and it can help them improve their linguistic skills. So, enthusiasts create languages simply because they enjoy it. Artistic languages may feature their own scripts and unique grammatical structures. These might be based on or inspired by “real” languages so that they have a natural or familiar feel.

J.R.R Tolkien, an English writer, and philologist, created multiple languages, such as Quenya and Sindarin, for the races of elves and dwarfs of his fictional “Middle Earth” in his fantasy novels. He also made linguistic notes about them, and this marked the beginning of the modern age of fictional conlangs. Tolkien described his passion for creating languages for pleasure as his “secret vice”, and he created the fictional worlds in “The Lords of the Rings" and his other works solely for his languages. He designed different writing scripts and formed a map of language families. He wanted his conlangs to be esthetically pleasing and drew inspiration from Latin, Greek, and Finnish. His works, in this sense, were quite influential in popular culture.