Balaibalan
Encyclopedia
Balaibalan is a constructed language
that probably originated from the 14th century mystic Fadl Allah from Asterabad or else his followers in the 15th century. The language is also known as Balibilen, Bala-i-Balan and Balaïbalan. The only known copy of the Bâleybelen-dictionary is to be found in the Bibliothèque nationale de France
in Paris.
Bâleybelen is an a posteriori
constructed language. The vocabulary is borrowed from Persian
, Turkish
and Arabic
, while the grammar is agglutinating like Turkish. The language was written with the Ottoman variant of the Arabic alphabet
. The creator was the mystic Muhyî-i Gülşenî
, born in Edirne
to family originally from Shiraz
. A member of the Gülşenî
sufi order in Cairo, Mehmed Muhyî-i was helped in the creation of Bâleybelen by several other Gülşenî figures.
In contrast to the best-known modern constructed languages, which are usually meant to be used by as many as possible as international auxiliary language
s, or used in literature or film
, Bâleybelen was probably designed as a holy or poetic language for religious reasons (like Lingua Ignota
and perhaps Damin
). Bâleybelen may also have been a secret language which was only known by an inner circle.
It was speculated that each time God gave humans a new revelation, a new language was used. Abraham
received his revelation in Hebrew
, Jesus
his in Aramaic
and Muhammad
his in Arabic
. Consequently, Bâleybelen might have been considered a sign that a new religious revelation was imminent.
Bâleybelen is the only well-documented early constructed language that is not of European origin, and it is independent of the fashion for language construction that occurred in the Renaissance
.
The existence of Bâleybelen shows that constructed languages are neither a modern nor an exclusively western phenomenon. Constructed languages for religious purposes or use by secret societies have probably arisen many times all over the world, since the earliest times.
Research in non-European historical archives, analyses of shamanistic languages and other languages used for religious purposes, might lead to finding many more specimens than are known today.
Constructed language
A planned or constructed language—known colloquially as a conlang—is a language whose phonology, grammar, and/or vocabulary has been consciously devised by an individual or group, instead of having evolved naturally...
that probably originated from the 14th century mystic Fadl Allah from Asterabad or else his followers in the 15th century. The language is also known as Balibilen, Bala-i-Balan and Balaïbalan. The only known copy of the Bâleybelen-dictionary is to be found in the Bibliothèque nationale de France
Bibliothèque nationale de France
The is the National Library of France, located in Paris. It is intended to be the repository of all that is published in France. The current president of the library is Bruno Racine.-History:...
in Paris.
Bâleybelen is an a posteriori
A Posteriori
Apart from the album, some additional remixes were released exclusively through the iTunes Store. They are:*"Eppur si muove" – 6:39*"Dreaming of Andromeda" Apart from the album, some additional remixes were released exclusively through the iTunes Store. They are:*"Eppur si muove" (Tocadisco...
constructed language. The vocabulary is borrowed from Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
and Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, while the grammar is agglutinating like Turkish. The language was written with the Ottoman variant of the Arabic alphabet
Arabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
. The creator was the mystic Muhyî-i Gülşenî
Muhyî-i Gülsenî
Muhyi-i Gülşeni was a Turkish dervish of the Gülşeni order most famously noted for inventing the first known non-European Conlang, Balaibalan Born in Edirne to a family originally from Shiraz...
, born in Edirne
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
to family originally from Shiraz
Shiraz, Iran
Shiraz is the sixth most populous city in Iran and is the capital of Fars Province, the city's 2009 population was 1,455,073. Shiraz is located in the southwest of Iran on the Roodkhaneye Khoshk seasonal river...
. A member of the Gülşenî
Gulshani
The Gulshani is a Halvati sub-order founded by Pir Ibrahim Gulshani, a Turkmen sufi sheikh from Eastern Anatolia, who died in Egypt. His family roots reaches to Oguzata shah in Azerbaijan....
sufi order in Cairo, Mehmed Muhyî-i was helped in the creation of Bâleybelen by several other Gülşenî figures.
In contrast to the best-known modern constructed languages, which are usually meant to be used by as many as possible as international auxiliary language
International auxiliary language
An international auxiliary language or interlanguage is a language meant for communication between people from different nations who do not share a common native language...
s, or used in literature or film
Artistic language
An artistic language is a constructed language designed for aesthetic pleasure. Unlike engineered languages or auxiliary languages, artistic languages usually have irregular grammar systems, much like natural languages. Many are designed within the context of fictional worlds, such as J. R. R....
, Bâleybelen was probably designed as a holy or poetic language for religious reasons (like Lingua Ignota
Lingua Ignota
A Lingua Ignota was described by the 12th century abbess of Rupertsberg, Hildegard of Bingen, who apparently used it for mystical purposes...
and perhaps Damin
Damin
Damin was a ceremonial language register used by the advanced initiated men of the Lardil and the Yangkaal tribes in Aboriginal Australia. Both inhabit islands in the Gulf of Carpentaria, the Lardil on Mornington Island, the largest island of the Wesley Group, and the Yangkaal and Forsyth Islands...
). Bâleybelen may also have been a secret language which was only known by an inner circle.
It was speculated that each time God gave humans a new revelation, a new language was used. Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
received his revelation in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
his in Aramaic
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
and Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
his in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
. Consequently, Bâleybelen might have been considered a sign that a new religious revelation was imminent.
Bâleybelen is the only well-documented early constructed language that is not of European origin, and it is independent of the fashion for language construction that occurred in the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
.
The existence of Bâleybelen shows that constructed languages are neither a modern nor an exclusively western phenomenon. Constructed languages for religious purposes or use by secret societies have probably arisen many times all over the world, since the earliest times.
Research in non-European historical archives, analyses of shamanistic languages and other languages used for religious purposes, might lead to finding many more specimens than are known today.