Spelling reformers and artificial language advocates
A shifting relation
This article explores the shifting relations that took place from the last
decades of the 19th to the first years of the 20th century between two of the
most innovative language movements of the time: the spelling reform and the
artificial language movements. The article focuses on the United States, the
United Kingdom, Germany and France. Although both movements shared a similar
language ideology which run counter to the organicist perception of language and
emphasized its democratic function, the article shows how the shifting political
environment in which they operated affected their relation. The article
identifies three stages. In a first stage, and convinced that the reform of the
spelling and the promotion of an artificial, neutral language were not mutually
exclusive projects, the spelling reformers were favorably inclined towards
artificial language projects. In a second stage relations began to skew when
some reformers advocated for the “natural Esperanto” solution, which implied the
promotion of a small language to the status of the international lingua franca.
In the last stage, when nationalist sentiments and international rivalries
mounted, the spelling reformers broke ties with the artificial language movement
and worked to improve as much as possible the international standing of their
own languages.
Article outline
- First interactions
- Transition: The search for a natural Esperanto
- Spelling reform and linguistic imperialism
- Conclusion
- Notes
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References