Interglossa

Interglossa
Created byLancelot Hogben
Date1943
Setting and usageinternational auxiliary language
Purpose
SourcesLatin and Greek
Language codes
ISO 639-3igs
Linguist List
igs
Glottologinte1261

Interglossa is a simple, made-up language created in 1943 by British scientist Lancelot Hogben. He designed it to help people from different countries communicate easily, especially in science and technology.

Key features

  • No word changes: In Interglossa, words don't change form. This means the same word can be used in different ways without adding endings or changing spelling.
  • Simple grammar: The language uses word order and a few helper words to show meaning, similar to how Chinese works.
  • Small vocabulary: It has about 880 basic words, mostly from Greek and Latin, which are common in science.
  • Easy spelling: Each letter represents one sound, and spelling is regular and phonetic.

Purpose

Hogben wanted to create a language that was easy to learn and use, helping people from different backgrounds talk to each other, especially in scientific fields.

Evolution

Later, in the 1970s, Interglossa was updated and renamed Glosa by Ron Clark and Wendy Ashby. They added more words and made some changes to improve it.