Construction of languages as the interlinguistic problem Cover Image

Konštruovanie jazykov ako interlingvistický problém
Construction of languages as the interlinguistic problem

Author(s): Stanislav Košecký
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Theoretical Linguistics
Published by: SAV - Slovenská akadémia vied - Jazykovedný ústav Ľudovíta Štúra Slovenskej akadémie vied
Keywords: natural language; national language; planned language; interlinguistics; language construction; language planning; language creation; auxlanguage (auxiliary language); conlanguage

Summary/Abstract: This study attempts to sketch the vast problem of the construction of languages or construction within languages. So far, linguists have paid little attention to these issues, as under the influence of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, stressed especially by A. Schleicher based on Darwinism, they were considered understood and untouchable. Only later, especially under the influence of B. de Courtenay, H. Schuchardt and O. Jespersen, language started to be understood as a sociopsychological tool that allows conscious influence on its structure and evolution. After dealing with the topic of the attributes of language according to a new classification, the author then discusses the object of interlinguistics, which is presented according to the latest concept of the Gesellschaft für Interlinguistik (GIL). The following three overviews of important interlinguistics works with an emphasis on the construction of languages begin with D. Blanke’s book Internationale Plansprachen, which offers the reader the most extensive work on this topic until now, with an extraordinarily rich bibliography. Then there is a rather detailed review of A. Piperski’s book focuses on the construction of languages, and the author ends his extensive study with a short analysis of Y. Wahlgren’s work on fantasy languages, for which the moment of construction plays an essential role.

  • Issue Year: 74/2023
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 803-830
  • Page Count: 28
  • Language: Slovak
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