science

Interlinguistics

Interlinguistics is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Interlinguistics rather than just read about it. In short: Interlinguistics, also known as cosmoglottics, is the subfield of linguistics that studies planned languages with practical and theoretical perspectives. Formalised by Otto Jespersen in 1931 as the science of interlanguages, in more recent times, the field has been more focused with language planning, the collection of strategies to deliberately influence the structure and function of a living language.

Key takeaways

Interlinguistics belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Interlinguistics to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Interlinguistics from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Interlinguistics, also known as cosmoglottics, is the subfield of linguistics that studies planned languages with practical and theoretical perspectives. Formalised by Otto Jespersen in 1931 as the science of interlanguages, in more recent times, the field has been more focused with language planning, the collection of strategies to deliberately influence the structure and function of a living language. In this framework, interlanguages become a subset of planned languages, i.e. extreme cases of language planning. Interlinguistics first appeared as a branch of studies devoted to the establishment of norms for auxiliary languages, but over its century-long history it has been understood by different authors more and more broadly as an interdisciplinary branch of science which includes various aspects of communication, language planning and standardization, multilingualism and globalisation, language policy, translation, sociolinguistics, intercultural communication, the history of language creation and literature written in constructed languages (international auxiliary languages (auxlangs) as well as constructed languages : conlangs), fictional artistic languages (artlangs), lingua francas, pidgins, creoles and constructed languages in the internet and other topics were added.

Etymology and history

The hybrid term was first coined in French (as Interlinguistique) by the Belgian Esperantist Jules Meysmans. The main historical periods of interlinguistics are:

first, the pioneer era (1879–1911), when its basis was put forth; secondly, the foundational era (1911–1951), when the interlinguistics wars took place to decide the most appropriate form of an auxiliary language; thirdly, the school era (1951–1990), when independent Interlinguistics schools formed in different countries, mainly Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland, each with particular attention to Esperanto; lastly, the current era of language policy (1990–today), during which interlinguistics is more tightly integrated with other disciplines, mainly linguistics and various social and political sciences, particularly via the topics of globalism, linguistic justice, management of multilingualism, and new forms of mobility. At the Institute of Linguistics of Adam Mickiewicz University (Poznań) there is the extramural Interlinguistic studies program. "Over the course of three years these studies provide the students with a basic knowledge of general linguistics, interlinguistics, international and intercultural communication with a focus on the linguistics, culture and movement of the internationally dispersed and naturally functioning planned language Esperanto." As of 2017, every third year the Interlinguistic Studies program was also organizing an international interlinguistic symposium. The University of Amsterdam also has a chair of interlinguistics and Esperanto.

Field of studies The field of interlinguistics is concerned with international planned languages [also called 'constructed languages', 'auxiliary languages', or 'artificial languages'] as Esperanto, and with the relationship between planned languages and language planning. Increasingly, undergraduate courses in planned languages are expanding to embrace not only the history of languages planned for international use, but also the field of imaginary and fictional languages. Interlinguistics is also concerned with investigating how ethnic and international planned languages work as lingua franca and with the possibilities of optimizing interlinguistic communication. The term Interlinguistics can be interpreted in at least two ways:

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Interlinguistics

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Interlinguistics claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Interlinguistics before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Interlinguistics ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Interlinguistics

In research: Interlinguistics appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Interlinguistics in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Interlinguistics is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Interlinguistics, Language contact, Otto Jespersen, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Interlinguistics outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Interlinguistics in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Interlinguistics means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Interlinguistics out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Interlinguistics in simple terms?

Why does Interlinguistics matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Interlinguistics?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Interlinguistics.