The following list of notable constructed languages is divided into auxiliary, ritual, engineered, and artistic (including fictional) languages, and their respective subgenres. All entries on this list have further information on separate Wikipedia articles.

Auxiliary languages

International auxiliary languages

International auxiliary languages (IAL) are languages constructed to provide easy, fast, and/or improved communication among all human beings, or a significant portion, without necessarily replacing native languages.

NameISOOriginCreatorDescription
Solresol1827François SudreBased on pitch levels sounded with their solfege syllables (a "musical language") although no knowledge of music is required to learn it.
Communicationssprache1839Joseph SchipferBased on French.
Universalglot1868Jean PirroAn earlya posteriori language, predating even Volapük.
Volapükvo, vol1879–1880Johann Martin SchleyerFirst to generate international interest in IALs.
Esperantoeo, epo1887L. L. ZamenhofThe most popular auxiliary language ever invented, including, possibly, up to two million speakers, the highest ever for a constructed language and the only one to date to have its own native speakers (approximately 1,000).
Mundolinco1888J. BraakmanThe first Esperantido.
Bolak, "Blue Language"1899Léon BollackProspered fairly well in its initial years; now almost forgotten.
Idiom Neutral1902Waldemar RosenbergerA naturalistic IAL by a former advocate of Volapük.
Latino sine Flexionela-peano1903Giuseppe Peano"Latin without inflection", it replaced Idiom Neutral in 1908.
Ro1904Rev. Edward Powell FosterAn a priori language using categories of knowledge.
Idoio, ido1907A group of reformist Esperanto speakersThe most successful offspring of Esperanto.
Adjuvilo1910Claudius ColasAn Esperantido some believe was created to cause dissent among Idoists.
Timerio1921TiemerA language where each concept is replaced with a number, intended to be used as a means for automatic translation.
Interlingueie, ile1922Edgar de WahlA sophisticated naturalistic IAL, also known as Occidental.
Novialnov1928Otto JespersenAnother sophisticated naturalistic IAL by a famous Danish linguist.
Sona1935Kenneth SearightAgglutinative language with universal vocabulary. Its 360 radicals can be combined to form new words.
Esperanto II1937René de SaussureLast of linguist Saussure's many Esperantidos.
Mondial1940sDr. Helge HeimerNaturalistic European language.
Interglossaigs1943Lancelot HogbenIt has a strong Greco-Latin vocabulary.
Interlinguaia, ina1951International Auxiliary Language AssociationA major effort to systematize the international scientific vocabulary. It aims to be immediately comprehensible by Romance language speakers and to some extent English speakers.
Intal1956Erich WeferlingAn effort to unite the most common systems of constructed languages.
Lingua sistemfrater1957Pham Xuan ThaiGreco-Latin vocabulary with southeast Asian grammar.
Neoneu1961Arturo AlfandariA very terse Esperantido.
Babm1962Rikichi OkamotoNotable for using Latin letters as a syllabary.
Unilingua (now Mirad)1966 (revised 1967 and 2022)Noubar AgopoffA priori ontological vocabulary. Every letter has semantic or functional meaning.
Arcaicam Esperantomeo-arkaika1969Manuel Halvelik'Archaic Esperanto', developed to produce an archaic effect in Esperanto literature.
Eurolengo1972Leslie JonesCombines elements of English and Spanish.
Glosa1975Ronald Clark and Wendy AshbyAn evolution of Interglossa.
Kotavaavk1978Staren FetceyA sophisticated a priori IAL focused on cultural neutrality.
Uropi1986Joël LandaisBased on the common Indo-European roots and the common grammatical points of the IE languages.
Poliespo1990s?Billy Ray WaldonEsperanto grammar with significant Cherokee vocabulary.
Romániço1991AnonymousVocabulary is derived from common Romance roots.
Europanto1996Diego MaraniA "linguistic jest" by a European diplomat.
Unish1996Language Research Institute, Sejong UniversityVocabulary from fifteen representative languages.
Lingua Franca Novalfn1998C. George Boeree and othersRomance vocabulary with creole-like grammar.
Sambahsa-Mundialect2007Olivier SimonMixture of simplified Proto-Indo-European and other languages.
Lingwa de planeta2010Dmitri IvanovWorldlang based on Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Hindi, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

Zonal auxiliary languages

Zonal auxiliary languages are languages created with the purpose of facilitating communication between speakers of a certain group of related languages. Unlike international auxiliary languages for global uses, they are intended to serve a limited linguistic or geographic area. Examples include Pan-Slavic languages, Pan-Romance languages and Pan-Germanic languages.

NameISOOriginCreatorDescription
Ruski jezik1666Juraj KrižanićThe first known example of an artificially created Pan-Slavic language.
Tutonish1901Elias MoleeThe first Pan-Germanic language, later reformed under names like nu teutonish, alteutonik, etc.
Romanid1956Zoltán MagyarA zonal auxiliary language based on the Romance languages.
Guosa1965Alexander IgbinéwékáA zonal auxiliary language for West Africa derived primarily from Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo.
Afrihiliafh1970K. A. Kumi AttobrahA pan-African language.
Runyakitaraearly 1990sA standardized language based on four closely related languages of western Uganda.
Palawa kani1992Tasmanian Aboriginal CentreBased on reconstructed vocabulary from the limited accounts of the various Tasmanian languages once spoken by the eastern Aboriginal Tasmanians.
Slovio1999Mark HučkoA constructed language based on the Slavic languages and Esperanto grammar.
Romance Neolatino2006Jordi Cassany Bates and othersA Pan-Romance language
Slovianski2006Ondrej Rečnik, Gabriel Svoboda, Jan van Steenbergen, Igor PolyakovA naturalistic language based on the Slavic languages.
Neoslavonic2009Vojtěch MerunkaA modernized form of Old Church Slavonic.
Budinos2009Aleksey Andreyevitch ArzamazovA zonal auxiliary language based on the Finno-Ugric languages.
Interslavicisv2011–2017Jan van Steenbergen, Vojtěch MerunkaA Pan-Slavic zonal auxiliary language, the result of the merger of Slovianski and Neoslavonic.
Ortatürk / Öztürkçe1992, 2008Baxtiyar Kärimov, Shoahmad MutalovA Pan-Turkic zonal auxiliary language, with statistically calculated vocabulary.

Controlled languages

Controlled natural languages are natural languages that have been altered to make them simpler, easier to use, or more acceptable in certain circumstances, such as for use by people who do not speak the original language well. The following projects are examples of controlled English:

NameOriginCreatorComments
Basic English1925Charles Kay OgdenSeek to limit the language to a given list of common-use words and terms in order to make it simpler to foreign learners or other people who may have difficulties.
Special (Learning) English1959Voice of America
Globish2004Jean-Paul Nerrière
E-Prime1940sD. David Bourland Jr.Eliminates the verb to be with the intent of making writing more expressive and accurate.
Simplified Technical English1983European Association of Aerospace IndustriesSeeks to largely reduce the complexity and ambiguity of technical texts such as manuals.
Parallel English1998Madhukar GogateA constructed language, which is based on, but independent of, English.
Plain EnglishVariousProposes a more direct, short, clear language by avoiding many idioms, jargon and foreign words.

Visual languages

Visual languages use symbols or movements in place of the spoken word. Constructed sign languages also fall in this category.

NameISOOriginCreatorComments
Blissymbolszbl1949Charles K. BlissAn ideographic writing system, with its own grammar and syntax.
International Signils1970sJasin MalokuInternational auxiliary sign language. Also known as Gestuno.
Isotype1925–1934Otto Neurath et al.A pictographic language.

Ritual languages

These are languages in actual religious use by their communities or congregations.

NameISOOriginCreatorComments
Iyaricc. 1930sRastas"Rasta Talk" "Dread Talk" Constructed in the Rastafari Movement to replace lost ancestral African languages.
Eskayanesyc. 1920–1940Mariano DatahanGrammatically based on the Boholano dialect of Cebuano.
Medefaidrindmf1930sObɛri Ɔkaimɛ churchUsed by this Nigerian Christian church
Daminunknownthe Lardil peopleCreated by native speakers of Lardil; only click language outside Africa.

Engineered languages

Engineered languages are devised to test a hypothesis or experiment with innovative linguistic features. They may fall into one or more of three categories: philosophical, experimental and logical.

NameISOOriginCreatorDescription
Logopandecteision1653Sir Thomas UrquhartSuggestions toward a taxonomic language of great complexity.
Unnamed language1668John WilkinsDetailed suggestions for a symbolic language capable of philosophical precision.
Loglan1955James Cooke BrownCreated to test the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis; the inspiration for Lojban.
aUI1962W. John WeilgartEach phoneme is also a morpheme and a sememe, so that a single word can express a complex idea.
Ithkuil1978–2023John QuijadaComplex language designed to express deeper meanings briefly and clearly.
Láadanldn1982Suzette Haden ElginA tonal language oriented towards women; created to test if natural languages are biased towards men.
Lojbanjbo1987Logical Language GroupLogical and syntactically unambiguous language; successor of Loglan.
Toki Ponatok2001Sonja LangMinimalist language with 120–137+ words, with over 1600 speakers.
Kēlen2009Sylvia SotomayorAn alien language that attempts to eliminate verbs, which would violate a universal feature among natural human languages.
Viossa2014Artificial pidgin language with no strict grammar or phonetic rules; accepted as correct as long as speakers can understand each other.

Others

NameOriginCreatorDescription
Lincos1960Hans FreudenthalDesigned to be understandable by any possible intelligent extraterrestrial life, for use in interstellar radio transmissions.
Attempto Controlled English1995University of ZurichA controlled natural language that is also a knowledge representation language.
Mänti2006Daniel TammetAn invented language that uses some Finnic words and grammar.

Artistic/fictional languages

Languages mainly used in fiction

Constructed by J. R. R. Tolkien

Tolkien's most prominent languages are:

LanguageISODescription
Sindarinsjnan Elvish language, largely inspired by Welsh.
Quenyaqyaan Elvish language, largely inspired by Finnish, Latin, and Ancient Greek.
Khuzdula Dwarvish language, largely inspired by the Semitic languages.

Film

NameWorkOriginCreatorDescription
KlingonStar Trek1979–presentMarc OkrandLanguage of the Klingon alien species.
AtlanteanAtlantis: The Lost Empire2001Marc OkrandLanguage of the citizens of the mythical city of Atlantis.
KuThe Interpreter2005Said el-GheithyFictional African language.
NaʼviAvatar2009Paul FrommerSpoken by the Naʼvi.
BarsoomianJohn Carter2012Paul Frommer, Edgar Rice BurroughsLanguage of the Martians.
KilikiBaahubali2015Madhan KarkySpoken by the Kalakeyas.

Games

NameWorkOriginCreatorDescription
TsolyaniEmpire of the Petal Throne1940sM. A. R. BarkerLanguage of the world of Tékumel as described in this roleplaying game.
GargishUltima series1981–2013Language of the gargoyle race.
WenjaFar Cry Primal2016Andrew Byrd, Brenna ByrdThree dialects (Wenja, Udam, Izila) used in all dialogs and by NPCs. Engineered as an archaic version of PIE.

Internet-based

NameOriginCreatorDescription
Teonaht1962Sally CavesLanguage of the Teonim, a race of polydactyl humans who have a cultural history of worshiping catlike deities.
Verdurian and others1995Mark RosenfelderSpoken in the country Verduria of planet Almea.
Dritok2007Don BoozerSpoken by the Drushek, a large-eared, long-tailed race without vocal cords that lives in the continent Kryslan.

Music

NameOriginCreatorDescription
Kobaïan1970sChristian VanderUsed by French rock group Magma.
Loxian2005Roma RyanUsed on Enya's 2005 album Amarantine and 2015 album Dark Sky Island.
Moss2009Jackson MooreA language with a musical phonology, modeled on pidgins.

Television

NameWorkOriginCreatorDescription
VulcanStar Trek: The Original Series1966–1969Further developed by fans as Golic Vulcan.
EnchantaEncantadia and Etheria television series2005Suzette DoctoleroSpoken by the denizens of Encantadia, known as Encantado(s)/Encantada(s) or Diwata (fairies).
The Valyrian languages and DothrakiGame of Thrones2011–2019David J. Peterson
Belter CreoleThe Expanse2014Nick FarmerSpoken by Belters, inhabitants of the asteroid belt and outer planets of the Solar System.
RomulanStar Trek: Picard2019Trent Pehrson

Other literature

NameWorkOriginCreatorDescription
UtopianUtopia1516Thomas More, Pieter GillisConstructed language created for the residents of More's fictional nation of Utopia; one of the first attempts at a constructed language.
Zaum1913Velimir Khlebnikov, Aleksei Kruchonykh et al.Poetic tongue elaborated by these Russian Futurists as a "transrational" and "most universal" language "of songs, incantations, and curses."
SyldavianThe Adventures of Tintin, mostly in King Ottokar's Sceptre1938–39HergéFictional West Germanic language of Syldavia, a Balkan kingdom.
BordurianThe Adventures of Tintin, mostly in The Calculus Affair1954–56HergéLanguage of Borduria, a country bordering Syldavia.
Spocanian1962Rolandt TweehuysenLanguage of Spocania.
ChakobsaDune1965Frank Herbert, David J. Peterson, Jessie PetersonSpoken by the Fremen.
LapineWatership Down1972Richard AdamsSpoken by rabbits.
Láadan (ldn)Native Tongue and sequels1984Suzette Haden ElginSpoken by women.

Alternative languages

Some experimental languages were developed to observe hypotheses of alternative linguistic interactions which could have led to very different modern languages. The following two examples were created for Ill Bethisad, an alternate history project.

NameISOOriginCreatorDescription
Brithenigbzt1996Andrew SmithA Romance language that replaced native Celtic languages in Great Britain instead of the Germanic Anglo-Saxon. A scenario where British Latin survived and developed further into a modern language.
Wenedyk (Venedic)2002Jan van SteenbergenPolish as a Romance language. A language with Polish phonetics and orthography but with Romance instead of Slavic vocabulary.

Micronational languages

NameISOOriginCreatorDescription
Talossantzl1980R. Ben MadisonUsed for the Talossa micronation
Flandriaans2024Used for the Grand Duchy of Flandrensis micronation. The language is based on West Germanic languages, mainly on Dutch and English.

Personal languages

NameISOOriginCreatorDescription
Lingua ignota12th centuryHildegard of BingenLatin-influenced mystical language.
Balaibalanzbac. 14th to 16th centuryMuhyî-i GülşenîLanguage with mostly a priori vocabulary and written in Arabic script; influenced by Persian, Turkish and Arabic.
Enochianlate 16th centuryJohn Dee, Edward KelleyPurported Angelic language, possibly used in magic and occultism.
Vendergoodearly 20th centuryWilliam James SidisBased mainly on Latin and Greek, with influence from German, English and Romance languages. Contains eight moods, including Sidis's own strongeable, and has a base twelve number system.

Constructed languages in Wikipedia

There is a version of Wikipedia in each of the following ten constructed languages. Eight of these languages are IALs (international auxiliary languages), while Lojban and Toki Pona are engineered languages. Until 2005, there were also versions of Wikipedia in the constructed languages Toki Pona and Klingon, but these have been deleted. Toki Pona Wiki project continued independently under the name "Wikipesija", and re-opened in 2025.

Constructed languages in Wikipedia
NameISO/LinkOriginUsers worldwideActive editorsArticles
Esperantoeo1887100,000 – 2,000,000413384,303
Volapükvo1880?4350,445
Idoio1907c. 10007861,989
Interlinguaia1951c. 10006330,414
Kotavaavk1978?2229,900
Interlingueie1922?3813,537
Lingua Franca Novalfn1998?324,563
Toki Ponatok2001?1253,852
Novialnov1928?212,070
Lojbanjbo1987?221,350
Láadanldn1982?—N/a—N/a
Interslavicisv2011–20177,000 – 20,000—N/a—N/a

See also

Notes

Further reading

  • Adams, Michael, ed. (2011). . Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780192807090. OCLC .
  • Okrent, Arika (2009). . New York: Spiegel & Grau. ISBN 9780385527880. OCLC . Reprinted as: ——— (2010). In the Land of Invented Languages: Adventures in Linguistic Creativity, Madness, and Genius. New York: Spiegel & Grau. ISBN 9780812980899. OCLC .
  • Peterson, David J. (2015). The Art of Language Invention: From Horse-Lords to Dark Elves, the Words Behind World-Building. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780143126461. OCLC .
  • Rosenfelder, Mark (2010). The Language Construction Kit. Chicago: Yonagu Books. ISBN 9780984470006. OCLC .
  • Rosenfelder, Mark (2012). Advanced Language Construction. Chicago: Yonagu Books. ISBN 9781478267539. OCLC . The sequel to The Language Construction Kit.

External links