Idiom Neutral
Encyclopedia
Idiom Neutral is an international auxiliary language
, published in 1902 by the International Academy of the Universal Language (Akademi Internasional de Lingu Universal) under the leadership of Waldemar Rosenberger
, a St. Petersburg
engineer
.
) at a congress in Munich
in August 1887, was set up to conserve and perfect the auxiliary language Volapük
. Under Rosenberger, who became the Academy’s director in 1892, the group began to make considerable changes in the grammar and vocabulary of Volapük. The vocabulary was almost completely replaced by words more closely resembling those used in Western European languages, and a number of grammatical forms unfamiliar to Western Europeans were discarded. It was understood that the changes effectively resulted in the creation of a new language, which was named “Idiom Neutral” (which means “the neutral idiom” or “the neutral language”). The name of the Academy was changed to Akademi Internasional de Lingu Universal in 1898 and the circulars of the Academy were written in the new language from that year.
Dictionaries of Idiom Neutral including an outline of the grammar were published in several European languages in 1902 and 1903.
The language, sometimes referred to as “Neutral” or “the Neutral language” by English-speaking writers, created interest among international language enthusiasts at the time. Rosenberger published a periodical in the language called Progres. In 1907 Neutral was one of the projects considered by a committee of scholars which met in Paris
to select an international auxiliary language (what the committee actually decided upon is disputed; see Ido
and its external links for more information).
In 1908 the Akademi which had created Idiom Neutral effectively chose to abandon it in favor of Latino sine flexione
, a simplified form of Latin
developed by Italian mathematician Giuseppe Peano
. Peano was appointed the director of the Akademi, and its name was changed to Academia pro Interlingua
. Peano's language was sometimes called Interlingua, not to be confused with the better-known Interlingua
presented in 1951 by the International Auxiliary Language Association
(IALA
).
In 1912 Rosenberger published a reformed version of Neutral called Reform-Neutral.
. It does not lay out every detail of grammar worked out for the language. The simple grammar of Idiom Neutral is similar to Interlingua's
.
are used to write Neutral; the letters q, w, x, and z do not occur. The five vowel
s (a, e, i, o, u) are pronounced roughly as in Spanish
. Vowels which appear next to each other are pronounced separately, not as a diphthong
. The consonant
s have the same values as in English
, except that c is pronounced like English ch in church, g is always like the g in gate, and j is pronounced as the s in measure. The combination sh is pronounced like English sh.
As with Interlingua
, the stress falls on the vowel that precedes the last consonant. If no vowel precedes the last consonant (e.g. via way) the stress is on the first vowel. In a few cases the vowel at the end of a word is stressed; these vowels are marked with an acute accent
(e.g. idé idea). Such accents are the only diacritic
s used in writing Neutral words.
and Ido
, noun
s can end in any letter. There is no inflection
for case
. The plural
is formed by adding the letter i at the end of the word.
Adjective
s can also end in any letter. They normally appear after the nouns they modify and do not agree in number
with their nouns, e.g. kaset grand big box, kaseti grand big boxes.
Comparison
of adjectives (and adverb
s) is with plu ... kam (more ... than), tale ... kuale (as ... as) and leplu (most, -est).
s are conjugated
as follows. Examples are shown for the verb amar to love in the active voice; the endings do not change for person
or number
, except in the imperative
.
Infinitive
: amar to love
Present
: mi am I love
Imperfect: mi amav I loved, I was loving
Future
: mi amero I will love
Present perfect: mi av amed I have loved
Pluperfect: mi avav amed I had loved
Future Perfect
: mi avero amed I will have loved
Conditional: mi amerio I would love
Past conditional: mi averio amed I would have loved
Imperative
second person singular: ama! Love!
Imperative second person plural: amate! Love!
Imperative first person plural: amam! Let's love!
Present participle
: amant loving
Past participle
: amed loved
The passive voice is formed with the verb esar to be and the past participle: mi es amed I am loved, mi averio esed amed I would have been loved, etc.
There is no inflection for a subjunctive
or volitive. In expressions of desire etc., the present tense is used e.g. mi desir ke il am I want him to love; ila demandav ke vo lekt it she asked you to read it.
. Adverb
s can be formed from adjectives by adding e. Some prepositions are formed from other words by adding u e.g. relativu relative to from relativ relative (adj.).
The apparatus must be addressed to the chief of the St. Petersburg station and must be insured by you and by your account; if the apparatus or parts of them are ruined or lost in the voyage, you must send others immediately in place of the apparatus and parts ruined or lost.
"Publikasion de idiom neutral interesero votr filio, kel kolekt postmarki, kause ist idiom es lingu praktikal pro korespondad ko kolektatori in otr landi."
The publication of Idiom Neutral will interest your son, who collects postage stamps, because this idiom is a practical language for correspondence with collectors in other countries.
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...
, published in 1902 by the International Academy of the Universal Language (Akademi Internasional de Lingu Universal) under the leadership of Waldemar Rosenberger
Waldemar Rosenberger
Waldemar Rosenberger, from Saint Petersburg, Russia, became director of the Volapük Academy in 1892. Under his leadership, the Academy began to experiment more with the Volapük language. In 1902 the Academy proposed a heavily revised version which was known as Neutral and later Idiom Neutral....
, a St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
.
History
The Academy, created under the name Kadem bevünetik volapüka (International Academy of VolapükInternational Academy of Volapük
The International Academy of Volapük was a ruling body established at the second Volapük congress in Munich in August 1887 with the goal of preservation and improvement of Volapük....
) at a congress in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
in August 1887, was set up to conserve and perfect the auxiliary language Volapük
Volapük
Volapük is a constructed language, created in 1879–1880 by Johann Martin Schleyer, a Roman Catholic priest in Baden, Germany. Schleyer felt that God had told him in a dream to create an international language. Volapük conventions took place in 1884 , 1887 and 1889 . The first two conventions used...
. Under Rosenberger, who became the Academy’s director in 1892, the group began to make considerable changes in the grammar and vocabulary of Volapük. The vocabulary was almost completely replaced by words more closely resembling those used in Western European languages, and a number of grammatical forms unfamiliar to Western Europeans were discarded. It was understood that the changes effectively resulted in the creation of a new language, which was named “Idiom Neutral” (which means “the neutral idiom” or “the neutral language”). The name of the Academy was changed to Akademi Internasional de Lingu Universal in 1898 and the circulars of the Academy were written in the new language from that year.
Dictionaries of Idiom Neutral including an outline of the grammar were published in several European languages in 1902 and 1903.
The language, sometimes referred to as “Neutral” or “the Neutral language” by English-speaking writers, created interest among international language enthusiasts at the time. Rosenberger published a periodical in the language called Progres. In 1907 Neutral was one of the projects considered by a committee of scholars which met in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to select an international auxiliary language (what the committee actually decided upon is disputed; see Ido
Ido
Ido is a constructed language created with the goal of becoming a universal second language for speakers of different linguistic backgrounds as a language easier to learn than ethnic languages...
and its external links for more information).
In 1908 the Akademi which had created Idiom Neutral effectively chose to abandon it in favor of Latino sine flexione
Latino sine Flexione
Latino sine flexione , or Peano’s Interlingua , is an international auxiliary language invented by the Italian mathematician Giuseppe Peano in 1903. It is a simplified version of Latin, and retains its vocabulary...
, a simplified form of Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
developed by Italian mathematician Giuseppe Peano
Giuseppe Peano
Giuseppe Peano was an Italian mathematician, whose work was of philosophical value. The author of over 200 books and papers, he was a founder of mathematical logic and set theory, to which he contributed much notation. The standard axiomatization of the natural numbers is named the Peano axioms in...
. Peano was appointed the director of the Akademi, and its name was changed to Academia pro Interlingua
Academia pro Interlingua
The Academia pro Interlingua was an organization dedicated to the promotion of international auxiliary languages, and is associated in particular with Prof...
. Peano's language was sometimes called Interlingua, not to be confused with the better-known Interlingua
Interlingua
Interlingua is an international auxiliary language , developed between 1937 and 1951 by the International Auxiliary Language Association...
presented in 1951 by the International Auxiliary Language Association
International Auxiliary Language Association
The International Auxiliary Language Association was founded in 1924 to "promote widespread study, discussion and publicity of all questions involved in the establishment of an auxiliary language, together with research and experiment that may hasten such establishment in an intelligent manner and...
(IALA
IALA
IALA can stand for:*International Association for Learning Alternatives*International Association of Lighthouse Authorities *International Auxiliary Language Association...
).
In 1912 Rosenberger published a reformed version of Neutral called Reform-Neutral.
Grammar
The following is a rough sketch of Idiom Neutral grammarGrammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
. It does not lay out every detail of grammar worked out for the language. The simple grammar of Idiom Neutral is similar to Interlingua's
Interlingua
Interlingua is an international auxiliary language , developed between 1937 and 1951 by the International Auxiliary Language Association...
.
Writing and pronunciation
Twenty-two letters of the Roman alphabetLatin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
are used to write Neutral; the letters q, w, x, and z do not occur. The five vowel
Vowel
In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, such as English ah! or oh! , pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants, such as English sh! , where there is a constriction or closure at some...
s (a, e, i, o, u) are pronounced roughly as in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. Vowels which appear next to each other are pronounced separately, not as a diphthong
Diphthong
A diphthong , also known as a gliding vowel, refers to two adjacent vowel sounds occurring within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: That is, the tongue moves during the pronunciation of the vowel...
. The consonant
Consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
s have the same values as in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, except that c is pronounced like English ch in church, g is always like the g in gate, and j is pronounced as the s in measure. The combination sh is pronounced like English sh.
As with Interlingua
Interlingua
Interlingua is an international auxiliary language , developed between 1937 and 1951 by the International Auxiliary Language Association...
, the stress falls on the vowel that precedes the last consonant. If no vowel precedes the last consonant (e.g. via way) the stress is on the first vowel. In a few cases the vowel at the end of a word is stressed; these vowels are marked with an acute accent
Acute accent
The acute accent is a diacritic used in many modern written languages with alphabets based on the Latin, Cyrillic, and Greek scripts.-Apex:An early precursor of the acute accent was the apex, used in Latin inscriptions to mark long vowels.-Greek:...
(e.g. idé idea). Such accents are the only diacritic
Diacritic
A diacritic is a glyph added to a letter, or basic glyph. The term derives from the Greek διακριτικός . Diacritic is both an adjective and a noun, whereas diacritical is only an adjective. Some diacritical marks, such as the acute and grave are often called accents...
s used in writing Neutral words.
Nouns and adjectives
Unlike EsperantoEsperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
and Ido
Ido
Ido is a constructed language created with the goal of becoming a universal second language for speakers of different linguistic backgrounds as a language easier to learn than ethnic languages...
, noun
Noun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
s can end in any letter. There is no inflection
Inflection
In grammar, inflection or inflexion is the modification of a word to express different grammatical categories such as tense, grammatical mood, grammatical voice, aspect, person, number, gender and case...
for case
Grammatical case
In grammar, the case of a noun or pronoun is an inflectional form that indicates its grammatical function in a phrase, clause, or sentence. For example, a pronoun may play the role of subject , of direct object , or of possessor...
. The plural
Plural
In linguistics, plurality or [a] plural is a concept of quantity representing a value of more-than-one. Typically applied to nouns, a plural word or marker is used to distinguish a value other than the default quantity of a noun, which is typically one...
is formed by adding the letter i at the end of the word.
Adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
s can also end in any letter. They normally appear after the nouns they modify and do not agree in number
Grammatical number
In linguistics, grammatical number is a grammatical category of nouns, pronouns, and adjective and verb agreement that expresses count distinctions ....
with their nouns, e.g. kaset grand big box, kaseti grand big boxes.
Comparison
Comparative
In grammar, the comparative is the form of an adjective or adverb which denotes the degree or grade by which a person, thing, or other entity has a property or quality greater or less in extent than that of another, and is used in this context with a subordinating conjunction, such as than,...
of adjectives (and adverb
Adverb
An adverb is a part of speech that modifies verbs or any part of speech other than a noun . Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives , clauses, sentences, and other adverbs....
s) is with plu ... kam (more ... than), tale ... kuale (as ... as) and leplu (most, -est).
Verbs
VerbVerb
A verb, from the Latin verbum meaning word, is a word that in syntax conveys an action , or a state of being . In the usual description of English, the basic form, with or without the particle to, is the infinitive...
s are conjugated
Grammatical conjugation
In linguistics, conjugation is the creation of derived forms of a verb from its principal parts by inflection . Conjugation may be affected by person, number, gender, tense, aspect, mood, voice, or other grammatical categories...
as follows. Examples are shown for the verb amar to love in the active voice; the endings do not change for person
Grammatical person
Grammatical person, in linguistics, is deictic reference to a participant in an event; such as the speaker, the addressee, or others. Grammatical person typically defines a language's set of personal pronouns...
or number
Grammatical number
In linguistics, grammatical number is a grammatical category of nouns, pronouns, and adjective and verb agreement that expresses count distinctions ....
, except in the imperative
Imperative mood
The imperative mood expresses commands or requests as a grammatical mood. These commands or requests urge the audience to act a certain way. It also may signal a prohibition, permission, or any other kind of exhortation.- Morphology :...
.
Infinitive
Infinitive
In grammar, infinitive is the name for certain verb forms that exist in many languages. In the usual description of English, the infinitive of a verb is its basic form with or without the particle to: therefore, do and to do, be and to be, and so on are infinitives...
: amar to love
Present
Present tense
The present tense is a grammatical tense that locates a situation or event in present time. This linguistic definition refers to a concept that indicates a feature of the meaning of a verb...
: mi am I love
Imperfect: mi amav I loved, I was loving
Future
Future tense
In grammar, a future tense is a verb form that marks the event described by the verb as not having happened yet, but expected to happen in the future , or to happen subsequent to some other event, whether that is past, present, or future .-Expressions of future tense:The concept of the future,...
: mi amero I will love
Present perfect: mi av amed I have loved
Pluperfect: mi avav amed I had loved
Future Perfect
Future Perfect
-Album Credits:*Produced by T-Bone Burnett*All Songs Written by Autolux*Engineered by Mike Piersante*Mixed by Dave Sardy*Mastered by Stephen Marcussen *Artwork by Carla Azar-Vinyl releases:...
: mi avero amed I will have loved
Conditional: mi amerio I would love
Past conditional: mi averio amed I would have loved
Imperative
Imperative mood
The imperative mood expresses commands or requests as a grammatical mood. These commands or requests urge the audience to act a certain way. It also may signal a prohibition, permission, or any other kind of exhortation.- Morphology :...
second person singular: ama! Love!
Imperative second person plural: amate! Love!
Imperative first person plural: amam! Let's love!
Present participle
Participle
In linguistics, a participle is a word that shares some characteristics of both verbs and adjectives. It can be used in compound verb tenses or voices , or as a modifier...
: amant loving
Past participle
Participle
In linguistics, a participle is a word that shares some characteristics of both verbs and adjectives. It can be used in compound verb tenses or voices , or as a modifier...
: amed loved
The passive voice is formed with the verb esar to be and the past participle: mi es amed I am loved, mi averio esed amed I would have been loved, etc.
There is no inflection for a subjunctive
Subjunctive mood
In grammar, the subjunctive mood is a verb mood typically used in subordinate clauses to express various states of irreality such as wish, emotion, possibility, judgment, opinion, necessity, or action that has not yet occurred....
or volitive. In expressions of desire etc., the present tense is used e.g. mi desir ke il am I want him to love; ila demandav ke vo lekt it she asked you to read it.
Other parts of speech
There is no definite or indefinite articleArticle (grammar)
An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. Articles specify the grammatical definiteness of the noun, in some languages extending to volume or numerical scope. The articles in the English language are the and a/an, and some...
. Adverb
Adverb
An adverb is a part of speech that modifies verbs or any part of speech other than a noun . Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives , clauses, sentences, and other adverbs....
s can be formed from adjectives by adding e. Some prepositions are formed from other words by adding u e.g. relativu relative to from relativ relative (adj.).
Sample texts
"Aparati deb esar adresed a shef de stasion Peterburg e deb esar asekured per vo e per votr kont; if aparati u partii de ili esero ruined u perded in voyaj, vo deb mitar nemediate otri, plasu aparati e partii ruined u perded."The apparatus must be addressed to the chief of the St. Petersburg station and must be insured by you and by your account; if the apparatus or parts of them are ruined or lost in the voyage, you must send others immediately in place of the apparatus and parts ruined or lost.
"Publikasion de idiom neutral interesero votr filio, kel kolekt postmarki, kause ist idiom es lingu praktikal pro korespondad ko kolektatori in otr landi."
The publication of Idiom Neutral will interest your son, who collects postage stamps, because this idiom is a practical language for correspondence with collectors in other countries.
External links
- Dictionary of the Neutral Language (direct pdf download) by M.A.F. Holmes (1903) (at Google Book Search; includes grammar and a history of the Academy)
- Chapter on Idiom Neutral in Otto JespersenOtto JespersenJens Otto Harry Jespersen or Otto Jespersen was a Danish linguist who specialized in the grammar of the English language.He was born in Randers in northern Jutland and attended Copenhagen University, earning degrees in English, French, and Latin...
's An International Language (1928) - Idiom Neutral on the Langmaker wiki Page F30: Complete grammar of Idiom Neutral