# Engineered language

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{{short description|Category of constructed language}}

'''Engineered languages''' (often abbreviated to '''engelangs''', or, less commonly, '''engilangs''') are [constructed languages](/source/constructed_languages) devised to test or prove some hypotheses about how languages work or might work.  There are at least three subcategories, [philosophical languages](/source/philosophical_languages) (or ideal languages), logical languages (sometimes abbreviated as ''loglangs''), and [experimental language](/source/experimental_language)s.  Raymond Brown describes engineered languages as "languages that are designed to specified ''objective'' criteria, and modeled to meet those criteria".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Glossopoeia & Glossopoeic Languages|url=http://www.carolandray.plus.com/Glosso/Glossopoeia.html|access-date=2021-05-26|website=www.carolandray.plus.com}}</ref>

Some engineered languages have been considered candidate global [auxiliary language](/source/International_auxiliary_language)s, and some languages intended as international auxiliary languages have certain "engineered" aspects (in which they are more regular and systematic than their natural language sources).

== Logical languages ==<!-- This section is linked from [List of cognitive science topics](/source/List_of_cognitive_science_topics) -->

{{further|Knowledge representation}}

Logical languages are meant to allow (or enforce) syntactically unambiguous statements.  They are typically based on [predicate logic](/source/predicate_logic) but can also be based on any system of formal [logic](/source/logic).  The two best-known logical languages are the predicate languages [Loglan](/source/Loglan) and its successor [Lojban](/source/Lojban). They both aim to eliminate [syntactical ambiguity](/source/syntactical_ambiguity) and reduce [semantic ambiguity](/source/semantic_ambiguity) to a minimum.  In particular, the [grammar of Lojban](/source/lojban_grammar) is carefully engineered to express such predicate logic in an unambiguous manner. [Toaq](/source/Toaq) and [Eberban](/source/Eberban) are also logical languages.

== Philosophical languages ==
{{main|Philosophical language}}
Philosophical languages are designed to reflect some aspect of philosophy, particularly with respect to the nature or potential of any given language. [John Wilkins](/source/John_Wilkins)' [Real Character](/source/An_Essay_towards_a_Real_Character_and_a_Philosophical_Language) and Edward Powell Foster's [Ro](/source/Ro_(language)) constructed their words using a taxonomic tree. Vocabularies of [oligosynthetic](/source/oligosynthetic) languages, for example [aUI](/source/aUI_(constructed_language))<ref>Look: https://www.frathwiki.com/Language_of_Space_aUI#:~:text=aUI%20is%20a%20prime%20example%20of%20an%20oligosynthetic%20conlang</ref> and Ygyde,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://csqbtzv.cluster029.hosting.ovh.net|title=Ygyde Language|date=May 15, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.medianet.pl/~andrew/ygyde/ygyde.htm|title=Ygyde Language|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201111356/http://www.medianet.pl/~andrew/ygyde/ygyde.htm|archive-date=February 1, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> are made of  [compound word](/source/compound_word)s, which are coined from a small (theoretically minimal) set of [morpheme](/source/morpheme)s. Sonja Lang's [Toki Pona](/source/Toki_Pona) is based on [minimalistic](/source/minimalism) [simplicity](/source/voluntary_simplicity).

== Experimental languages ==

{{main|Experimental languages}}

An experimental language is a [constructed language](/source/constructed_language) designed for the purpose of exploring some element in the theory of [linguistics](/source/linguistics).  Most such languages are concerned with the relation between [language and thought](/source/language_and_thought); however, languages have been constructed to explore other aspects of language as well. 

In [science fiction](/source/science_fiction), much work has been done on the assumption popularly known as the [Sapir–Whorf hypothesis](/source/Sapir%E2%80%93Whorf_hypothesis). [Suzette Haden Elgin](/source/Suzette_Haden_Elgin)'s [Láadan](/source/L%C3%A1adan) is designed to lexicalize and grammaticalize the concepts and distinctions important to women, based on [muted group theory](/source/muted_group_theory).

[Story of Your Life](/source/Story_of_Your_Life) is a short story by [Ted Chiang](/source/Ted_Chiang) that heavily features a written-only non-linear language (text in it has no discernible beginning or end) in the form of its [Heptapod B](/source/Heptapod_languages), though the language is only described vaguely and never actually shown. This story was adapted into the movie [Arrival](/source/Arrival_(film)), though its version of [Heptapod B](/source/Heptapod_languages) is only non-linear to a certain extent.

==Examples==
{{main|List of constructed languages#Engineered languages}}

==See also==
*[Controlled natural language](/source/Controlled_natural_language)
*[International auxiliary language](/source/International_auxiliary_language)
*[Artistic language](/source/Artistic_language)
*[Ithkuil](/source/Ithkuil)
*[Lojban](/source/Lojban)

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://minyeva.alkaline.org/links.htm Garrett's Links to Logical Languages]
*[http://archives.conlang.info/phi/zelghon/jhaufuersuan.html Origin of the term "engelang"], by And Rosta (CONLANG mailing list post, 19 July 2007)

{{Constructed languages}}

Category:Engineered languages
Category:Constructed languages
Category:Interlinguistics

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