A pan-Romance language or Romance interlanguage is a codified linguistic variety which synthesizes the variation of the Romance languages and is representative of these as a whole. It can be seen as a standard language proposal for the whole language family but is generally considered a zonal constructed language because it's the result of intense codification (that is, more construction, planning, design, engineering, manipulation than what regular standard languages usually require). Zonal languages are, according to interlinguist Detlev Blanke, constructed languages which "arise by choosing or mixing linguistic elements in a language group" (meaning elements from one same language family, for example Slavic or Germanic). Several pan-Romance languages have been developed by different individuals or groups in different times (since the 19th century) and places (Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, etc.). They are so similar to each other that they have been considered variations of a same language: 'dialects' is how Campos Lima, one of the developers, refers to several projects of his time. This author also shows that the developers of pan-Romance language projects are generally aware of each other, are in contact and even collaborate, which is another sign of unity. Pan-Romance languages are parallel to pan-Slavic languages and pan-Germanic languages.
Uses and benefits A pan-Romance language is typically intended for communication amongst (or with) speakers of Romance languages, that is as a regional international auxiliary language, for the Latin world. Its vocabulary and grammar are codified to be as communicative as possible for Romance speakers. Words, for example, are chosen preferably if they have cognates among many Romance languages, especially if the meaning is the same or similar. As a result, and thanks to intercomprehension, it's potentially understandable by an audience of up to 800 million speakers of Romance languages. In addition, it can complement Romance intercomprehension in situations where this communication strategy isn't so effective (for example, between French and Romanian speakers). A pan-Romance language can be meant, in some -especially older- projects, to become a global international auxiliary language, to replace English in that role, which is also the aim of Esperanto and Interlingua (IALA). In this case, the reason for its Latin/Romance basis is that much international vocabulary (that is, words which are common to the most internationally influential languages, many of which are European) is of Latin origin. In the opinion of the developers of these pan-Romance languages, the most natural and coherent grammar to use with this international vocabulary is that of the Romance languages, which evolved from Latin and are, furthermore, spoken by millions of people on different continents. A pan-Romance language can even be intended, in certain projects, as an artistic language (as a means of artistic expression in poetry, music, etc., as part of a fantasy world in novels, films, etc. or just for the pleasure of creating it). In addition, developers of pan-Romance languages suggest other uses and benefits: the language can benefit from contributions from Romance's different varieties, which improve and enrich it (with regularizations, expressive means, etc.); it can be a shelter for speakers of Romance languages which are vanishing, like Occitan or Sardinian; it could be effective as a middle step in machine translation between Romance languages; it can be used as a bridge to Romance languages (present and old) and Latin; and it can be practical for foreign speakers as an introduction to Romance.
Background
Latin's descendants, the Romance languages, have developed important differences but share so many traits that they have been considered a unity (a "type") by Romance linguist Michael Metzeltin. He explains the cohesion of the family by its shared Vulgar Latin inheritance, the use and influence of standard Latin until recently and the constant exchanges between Neolatin peoples. The language family as a whole can be referred to as 'Romance', and it still functions as one language or macrolanguage in some present-day situations, where intercomprehension or accommodation (partial assimilation) take place. For example, some adverts (or parts of them) are published in foreign Romance languages (the attached image shows an advert in Italian on a bus in Barcelona). And mixed varieties like Portuñol or Frespañol arise spontaneously to communicate with speakers of other Romance languages, for example while visiting their country. All this shows that spoken and written communication amongst Romance speakers is still a reality and that, to some extent, they are a linguistic community. A manifestation of the tight relationship between different Romance speakers and peoples are the migration flows between Latin countries: Romanians, for example, emigrate preferably to Italy and Spain. And Neolatin countries created in 1954 the Latin Union, an international organization of nations that use Romance languages, which functioned until 2012. Despite these tight connections, since French has been largely displaced as an international auxiliary language by English, which is a Germanic language, the Latin world lacks a common native language model for the first time in history.
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