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

Interglossa (lit. "between + language") is a constructed language devised by biologist Lancelot Hogben during World War II, as an attempt to put the international lexicon of science and technology, mainly of Greek and Latin origin, into a language with a purely isolating grammar. Interglossa was published in 1943 as just a draft of an auxiliary.[1] Hogben applied semantic principles to provide a reduced vocabulary of just over 880 words which might suffice for basic conversation among peoples of different nationality.

A descendant of Interglossa is Glosa (1970s–), which expanded and made changes to the words of the language.

History

In 1943 Hogben published Interglossa: A draft of an auxiliary for a democratic world order. As a professor, Hogben had seen how hard it was for the students to memorize the terms of biology, as they were poorly acquainted with etymology and the classical languages. So he began to show them the international Greek and Latin roots of these terms to aid their memory. He started to compile a vocabulary, and later, during World War II at Birmingham, he devised some guidelines of syntax, thus completing the draft of a new auxiliary language especially based on the lexicon of modern science:

Because natural science is the only existing form of human co-operation on a planetary scale, men of science, who have to turn to journals published in many languages for necessary information, are acutely aware that the babel of tongues is a social problem of the first magnitude. Men of science, more than others, have at their finger-tips an international vocabulary which is already in existence (...)

Hogben (1943, p. 7)

Eventually, Hogben became convinced that such an auxiliary language appeared to be more necessary than ever before, so he decided to publish his proposal, insisting that it was simply a draft:

A good enough reason for publishing this draft is that the post-war world may be ripe, as never before, for recognition of need for a remedy which so many others have sought. When need becomes articulate, it will be relatively simple for an international committee (...).
(...) the author modestly consigns this first draft in the hope that readers will make suggestions and offer constructive criticisms as a basis for something better. It is not a primer for the beginner.

Hogben (1943, p. 7)

Interglossa might be seen as the draft of its descendant auxiliary language Glosa,[2] which has partly changed and expanded the lexicon.

Alphabet and pronunciation

Interglossa has a Latin alphabet using the 26 letters of the ISO basic Latin alphabet without any diacritics.

Capital letters
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Lower case
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
IPA phonemes
a b k d e f g h i j k l m n o p k r s t u v w ks i z

Most letters of the alphabet are pronounced in accordance with the symbols of the international phonetic alphabet, with the following exceptions:

y is equivalent to /i/.
c and q are equivalent to /k/.
ph, th, ch, rh, have respectively the value /f/, /t/, /k/, /r/.
Initial x is /z/, otherwise /ks/.

In the following initial consonant combinations, the first element is silent: ct-, gn-, mn-, pn-, ps-, pt-.

These rules admit of no inconsistencies. The inconvenience of having a few anomalies which go into a dozen lines of print is far less than the disadvantage which would result from mutilating roots beyond visual recognition.

Hogben (1943, p. 30)

The stress is generally on the penultimate syllable, e.g. billeta (ticket), nesia (island). If the word ends with two vowels (-io, -ia, etc.), these might sound as a diphthong. But Hogben rather keeps a hiatus, stating that the stress in nesia is on the antepenultimate syllable (thus analysed as nE-si-a, not *nE-sia).

Parts of speech

A classification of parts of speech relevant to an isolating language would not follow the categories appropriate to the flexional system of the Indo-European group. The vocables of Interglossa can be classified following the function of individual vocables in the “sentence-landscape”[1] (p. 32-3):

  • Substantives (items no. 483 to 860; and no. 874 to 880; additionally no. 881 to 954): Names for concrete things. Any one of them can act as an adjective, as it increasingly happens in English. Examples (from the sample text below): crati (government), geo (earth), pani (bread), parenta (parent), urani (heaven).
    • Parts of the Body (no. 483 to 550)
    • Zoological and Botanical terms (no. 551 to 630)
    • Geographical names (no. 631 to 668)
    • Food, Clothes and Furniture (no. 669 to 702)
    • Architectural terms; Shapes and Units (no. 703 to 732)
    • Instruments (no. 733 to 783)
    • Substances and Manufactured Articles (other than Foods and Clothes) (no. 784 to 808)
    • Human Affairs (no. 809 to 860)
  • There is a set of generic substantives (no. 47 to 60) used in compounds. Examples: -pe [from persona] (person), dirigo-pe (driver, pilot), tene-pe (keeper), pan-pe (everybody).
  • Amplifiers” (no. 141 to 462; and no. 862 to 873): Abstract words, anyone of which can take the place of a noun, adjective or corresponding adverb. Examples: accido (happening, real, -ity, etc.), demo (population), dirigo / controlo (direction, control, etc.), dyno (power, -ful, etc.), eu (good, -ness, well, etc.), famo (reputation, fame), eu-famo (good fame, glory, etc.), libero (free, -dom), malo (evil), nomino (name), offero (offer, -ing), pardo (forgiving, forgiveness), revero (reverent, -ence).
    • Some of them do the work of place or time particles (no. 61 to 101). Examples: a(d) (to, toward), apo (away from, etc.), di (day, daily, on (the day...), etc.), epi (on), in (in, inner, etc.), tem (time, while, etc.).
    • Some of them do the work of associative particles with additional meaning as prepositions and/or conjunctions (no. 102 to 128). Examples: causo (cause, because, etc.), de (of, in relation to, etc.), harmono (harmony, according to, etc.), hetero (different, unlike, otherwise, etc.), homo (similar, -ly, like), metro (measure, in so far as, etc.), plus (addition, -al, in addition, and, etc.), tendo (aim, will, in order to, etc.).
    • Some of them do the work of auxiliary verbs (no. 129 to 140). Example: volo (willing, wish, wish to, want to, would like to).
  • Verboids” (no. 463 to 482): Names of processes and states. Examples: acte (do, act, etc.), date (give, etc.), dicte (say, express, etc.), gene (get, etc.), habe (have, etc.), tene (keep, etc.). They may not act like a verb, e.g.: plu malo acte (the evil acts, the sins).
    • They may form natural combinations with abstract words, analogous to such Basic English constructions. Examples: acte dirigo (direct, control, etc.), acte malo (do evil, sin, trespass), acte pardo (forgive), date libero (give freedom, free), dicte petitio (say a request, request), dicte volo (wish, etc.), habe accido (happen, etc.).
  • Pseudonyms” (no. 1 to 11): They function both as pronouns and as equivalents for nouns or for corresponding adjectives. Examples: na (we, us, our), mu (they, those, etc. (multitude)), su (who... (relative pronoun when subject)), tu (thou, thee, thy, you, your).
  • Interrogative, Imperative, Negative and Comparative Particles (no. 41 to 46), two of which allow for question, request or command without deviation from the invariant word-pattern. Examples: no(n) (not, no!), peti (request). While peti is a brief way to express the polite imperative, dicte petitio would be the whole expression.
    • In the sample text below, the expression dicte volo may be equivalent to the English subjunctive: Na dicte volo; tu Nomino gene revero : hallowed be thy name.
  • Articles (no. 12 to 40): General words and numerals which have the function of predicating plurality or otherwise in relation to noun-equivalents (all of which are invariant like English sheep). Examples: pan (all), plu (some, a number of, the), u(n) (a(n), any, the).

“Sentence-landscape”

For ready recognition, a language free of flexions can benefit from two types of signposts of “sentence-landscape”: articles (see “Parts of Speech”), and terminals (that is, final vowels):

  • Substantives end in -a or -i. (Exceptions are: geo, cardo, acu, occlu, bureau, computo).
  • Amplifiers” end in -o. (Exceptions are: anni, di, hora, post, pre, tem, ad, contra, epi, ex, extra, in, inter, para, littora, peri, tele, trans, anti, de, minus, per, plus, syn, vice).
  • Verboids” end in -e.
  • Pseudonyms”, otherwise, end in no particular terminal: mi, tu, na, an[dro], fe[mina], re, pe[rsona], mu[lti], auto, recipro, su[bject].

Hogben prefers to have this number of exceptions instead of the disadvantage of mutilating a familiar international stem or of unduly lengthening the word.[1] (p. 37)

Syntax

Interglossa is a purely isolating language like Chinese, not depending on suffixes, neither flexional nor derivational, yet it uses a kind of composites whose second component is a monosyllabic noun. Like in Chinese (and English), composite nouns are essential, and so is the context. According to Hogben, such composite nouns may be self-explicit while we take into account its common context of use [1] (p. 21).

Interglossa provides a minimal grammar with a series of syntactic rules, yet differing from the usual grammar of inflexional-agglutinative languages like the Indo-European ones:

Inevitably, we find our-selves gravitating away from the grammatical pattern of the Aryan [Indo-European] family to a more universal idiom with features common to Chinese. The result is that learning a language so designed is a lively training in clear thinking of a kind which anyone can usefully undertake. In fact, the grammar of Interglossa, as is largely true of Basic English, is semantics.

Hogben (1943, p. 24)

Lexicon

Unlike other auxiliary languages, Hogben's Interglossa tends to adopt the international words from Greek, on account of the intense infiltration of Greek roots into everyday life, which come from modern science and technology. For instance: microbe, microphone, telephone, etc.[1] (p. 30). Even so, a great part of the lexicon is of Latin origin. The term Inter-glossa itself is composed of the Latin inter and the Greek glossa. At times Hogben wavers between Greek and Latin, and suggests pairs of equivalent synonyms (e.g. hypo and infra, soma and corpora), for an eventual international committee to decide between them.

Mass observation on the basis of questionnaires sent out to different groups of people of different nationalities would settle which words in each pigeon-hole are entitled to first-rank.

Hogben (1943, p.15-16)

In 1943 Hogben announced the preparation of an additional volume, A short English-Interglossa Dictionary. It seems that this volume was not in fact published. Its manuscript is kept among Hogben's papers at the University of Birmingham,[3] and was put online in 2014.[4]

Sample text

The following is the Lord's Prayer, in Interglossa “U Petitio de Christi”[1] (p. 242):

Interglossa version: Text in Greek: English version (with final doxology):

Na Parenta in Urani:
Na dicte volo; tu Nomino gene revero;
plus tu Crati habe accido;
plus u Demo acte harmono tu Tendo
epi Geo homo in Urani;
Na dicte petitio: Tu date plu di Pani a Na;
plus Tu acte pardo plu malo Acte de Na;
metro Na acte pardo Mu; Su acte malo de Na.
Peti Tu non acte dirigo Na a plu malo Offero;
Hetero, Tu date libero Na apo Malo.
Causo Tu tene u Crati plus u Dyno plus un eu Famo
pan Tem.
Amen.

Πάτερ ημών ο εν τοις ουρανοίς,
αγιασθήτω το όνομά Σου,
ελθέτω η Βασιλεία σου,
γενηθήτω το θέλημά σου
ως εν ουρανώ και επί της γης.
Τον άρτον ημών τον επιούσιον δος ημίν σήμερον,
και άφες ημίν τα οφειλήματα ημών,
ως και ημείς αφίεμεν τοις οφειλέταις ημών.
Και μη εισενέγκης ημάς εις πειρασμόν,
αλλά ρύσαι ημάς από του πονηρού.
Ότι σου εστί η βασιλεία και η δύναμις και η δόξα
εις τους αιώνας.
Αμήν.

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

Word-list

Hogben provides a numbered list of 880 words with etymologic clues.[1](pp. 256–82) Some of the items (about 100) are pairs of synonyms, for example: dirigo / controlo (item no. 185).
Hogben also provides an additional list of 74 international words, so actually there would be a lexicon of 954.
Hogben finally provides an alphabetical list (pp. 249–56), which unfortunately has frequent mistakes in the item numbers (here corrected).
Syllables in bold type are "generic substantives" used in compound words.

Item no.Word
483abdomini
551acantha
141accido
784acidi
463acouste
142acro
464acte
143activo
733acu
144acuto
076a(d)
180adapto
145adhesio
146aero
147aetio
809agenda
455aggresso
631agri
148algo
149alieno
102allo
633alluvia
150alto
151amico
703amorphi
669ampulla
552amygda
670amyla
004an
553ana
152anemo
175angio
061anni
554anseri
077antero
785anthraci
103anti
810anthropi
556api
078apo
734ara
274arbitro
153archo
786argenta
811arma
329aromo
154arrogo
484arthri
812arti
735artilleri
669asci
556asini
772aspi
155assuro
633astra
634asyla
704atria
156attendo
334attitudo
463audie
787aura
153authorito
009auto
557avi
736axi
737baci
635baia
705balconi
465balle
813banca
157baro
158baso
159batho
028bi
814bibli
160bibo
815billeta
161bio
738blada
162blasto
739bomba
079boreo
558bovi
485brachi
163bronto
558brya
486bucca
560bulba
816bureau
671bursa
672butyri
673caca
674cafa
487calca
196callo
675calyci
861cambio
561cameli
047cameri
676campani
562canabi
636canali
563canceri
564cani
488cantha
164canto
460capacito
546capilla
817capitali
818capitula
819capsa
165captivo
788carba
489cardia
740cardo
565cari
682carni
566carpa
490carpi
637carta
874cartoni
617casea
166catalyso
741catena
548cauda
567caula
104causo
167cavito
168celebro
169celero
037centi
706centra
491cephali
707cera
492cerebra
168ceremonio
170certifo
155certo
568cervi
492cervica
862charito
494chiri
171chloro
678choani
172cholo
495chondra
173choro
820christi
174chromo
062chron
569chyma
863cido
789cigara
790cigaretta
570citra
821classi
175claustro
742clavi
743cleidi
105cleisto
176clepto
638clima
679clinica
177clino
571cochlea
572cocoa
167coelo
178cogito
179coito
744colea
791colla
822coloni
708columni
180comico
823commisari
824commita
181communo
825compani
106comparo
182competo
839computo
864concessio
530concha
107conditio
680confecti
183confessio
871confusio
108congruo
709coni
573coniferi
184consolo
639continenti
080contra
185controlo
745copa
505copra
746copula
514cornua
681corona
541corpora
875corpuscula
747coryna
640cosmi
496costa
534coxa
497crania
826crati
682crea
186credito
187credo
792creta
188critico
710cruci
189cryo
190crypto
793crystali
748cteni
711Cuba
574cucurbi
191culino
192culto
794cupra
193curo
206curso
194curvo
195cyano
712cycli
575cygni
713cylindri
498cysti
499cyti
500dactyli
827data
466date
109de
129debito
036deca
196decoro
197defecto
198demo
199demonstro
576dendra
501denti
749dentili
501dermi
641deserta
200desicco
467detecte
642detriti
081dextro
063di
468dicte
353dieto
865diffusio
110digito
297diluto
185dirigo
750disca
828discipuli
201disputo
202dissipo
203divino
204diviso
048domi
097dorsi
205dramo
206dromo
207duco
064duro
208dyno
551echini
209eco
084ecto
751elasti
210electio
211electro
212elemento
577elepha
503entera
065eo
082epi
213equatio
469eque
578equi
214ergo
518eri
215erro
216erythro
130espero
217espio
470esthe
158evido
218eu
083e(x)
219examino
220excesso
221expecto
219experimento
222experto
163explosio
084extra
579faba
223fabrico
504facia
224facilo
471facte
752falci
829famili
225famo
315fantaso
643farina
049fascio
226fatigo
005fe
505feci
580feli
714fenestra
227fero
795ferra
228fertilo
050fi
622fici
830fili
581filici
229fino
230fisco
231fissuro
232fixo
233flagello
234flavoro
866flexio
582flora
644fonta
867foramino
715forma
583formici
831formula
235forto
236fortuno
716fossa
237fracto
238frequo
239frictio
240frigo
241frustro
242fugo
243fumo
111functio
753furca
584galli
244gameo
796gasi
506gastri
832gazeta
472ge
162gemmo
473gene
245geneto
018geno
683geli
645geo
876glacia
754gladi
507glandi
246glauco
508glena
509glossa
247gluco
585gluma
510glutea
664glypha
511gnatha
248gono
586gossypi
249grado
716grami
587gramini
833gramma
250grapho
251gratio
252gravito
253gravo
254grego
834gyna
255gyro
474habe
512haema
256hagio
797hali
212haplo
588harengi
112harmono
131hedo
207hegemo
646heli
755helica
257helico
626helminthi
258helo
040hemi
513hepa
033hepta
066hespero
259hetero
032hexa
260historo
021holo
589homari
590homini
113homo
067hora
591hordea
261horizo
647horti
262humano
263hydro
085hypo
178ideo
868idio
264immuno
265impacto
836imperia
266impero
086in
756inci
110indico
837industri
835infanti
267inflatio
085infra
268inhibito
051instrumenti
269insuro
087inter
270investo
271iodeo
172iro
044iso
272itero
273itinero
832journali
274judico
275juro
514kerati
038kilo
475kine
515labi
516lacrima
517lacti
088laevo
757lamina
717lampa
518lana
758lancea
276lapso
089latero
592latici
396latrio
277laudo
278lavo
279lecto
280lego
593legumi
594lepi
519lepidi
281leuco
331liabilo
282liberalo
283libero
284libido
285ligato
286limito
648limni
595lina
287lineo
520lipi
288liquo
052lithi
718litri
090littora
053loco
289logo
290longo
521lophi
166lubrico
878luciferi
291luco
649luna
596lupi
292luteo
759lyra
293lyso
760machina
294magico
295magneto
045major
761mallea
296malo
297mano
798margara
650mari
684marsupia
869massago
298masso
054materia
299maturo
055mechani
022mega
300melano
308memo
068mensi
301merco
091meridio
019mero
092meso
799metali
638meteori
302methodo
719metri
114metro
001mi
023micro
303milito
039million
762mimi
651mina
069mini
304ministro
046minor
115minus
305miro
306miso
763missili
685mitra
307mixo
308mnemo
056mobili
309monito
027mono
652monti
310mordo
132moro
311morpho
312morto
476mote
008mu
653muci
720mura
597muri
838musea
313musico
314muto
539mya
039myria
315mytho
003na
316narco
522nari
523nasa
317natio
318nato
764navi
655nebuli
319necro
133necesso
870necto
320negotio
321neo
656nepheli
524nephri
655nesia
525neura
623nicoti
070nocti
322nocuo
323nomino
324nomo
043no(n)
035nonnea
325normo
839nota
326nullo
327numero
071nu(n)
328occasio
093occidento
765occlu
657oceani
034octa
526oculi
329odoro
527oesophagi
330offero
686olea
014oligo
331onero
332oppresso
528ora
596orangi
333ordino
877organa
334orientatio
094oriento
335orno
336ortho
453oscillo
337osculo
529ostea
530ostraca
531oti
532ova
721ovali
599ovi
338oxidatio
144oxyo
339pachyo
340paco
341paleo
699pallia
015pan
687pani
600panica
342papillo
800papyri
095para
343parallelo
344paralyso
345parasito
346pardo
840parenta
254partio
347patho
748pectini
348pecunio
533pedi
349pedio
766peleci
534pelvi
116pendo
350penito
767penna
351peno
031penta
117per
477perde
383perforato
096peri
134permito
871perplexo
332persecuto
601persica
007persona
041petitio
801petrolea
352phaeo
353phago
354phanero
135pheno
355philo
878phlogista
356phobo
602phoeni
357phono
358phoro
359photo
658phrea
360phreno
603phylla
361physio
604phyta
362picto
535pinna
605pisa
606pisci
768pista
688placa
363plano
802plasti
364plato
365pleno
366plico
013plu
803plumba
118plus
367pluto
368pluvio
369pneumo
536poda
841poeti
246polio
842politica
843polizi
016poly
607pomi
721ponti
722porta
136posso
072post
844posta
119postulo
659potami
608potati
137poto
370praxo
073pre
371premio
138preparo
723prisma
372privilegio
102pro
373producto
374profito
342projectio
845proletari
375promisso
846propaganda
376proposo
847propria
848prosa
724prosceni
377prospecto
378protesto
139proto
121proximi
609pruni
661psamma
379pseudo
537pteri
380publico
381pudo
538pulmoni
689pulvini
382puro
510pygea
383pylo
725pyrami
610pyri
384pyro
726quadra
385qualito
042questio
326quito
024quo
386radio
611rami
387rapo
388raso
389ratio
006re
478reacte
414recepto
727recessi
010recipro
390recto
391reflecto
849regi
392religio
524rena
850rentieri
393reparo
209resido
394residuo
395resisto
369respiro
396revero
769reti
097retro
612rhabdi
397rheo
613rhiza
398rhodo
399rigo
400riso
168rituo
770rota
051ru
401rugo
660rura
690sacari
671sacci
841sacramenta
256sacro
402sado
771sagitta
614salmi
403salto
404saluto
405sano
406sapio
804saponi
407sapro
539sarca
615sardini
025satio
728scala
540scapa
408schizo
409scholo
852scientia
410sclero
411scopo
772scuta
616secala
074seci
853secretari
412secto
691sedi
617selachi
413semao
414sensitivo
805sepia
440sepso
720septa
122sequo
415serio
258servo
773seta
416severo
854sibi
774signa
417significo
661sili
618simi
017singulo
418siphono
715skeleta
419societo
420solemno
428solido
020solo
421solutio
541soma
423somno
422sopho
423soporo
775spatula
424specio
662spectra
619sperma
776sphena
730sphera
879sphinctra
692spiriti
257spiro
425sporto
232stabilo
426stalagmo
806stanna
777stapi
427stato
520stea
428stereo
429stigmo
479stimule
528stoma
693strata
430strategico
011su
620suberi
542sudori
621sui
807sulphi
431summatio
694supa
098supero
622syca
432sympto
123syn
778syringi
433systemo
623tabaca
124tacto
388talo
695tapea
156tardo
543tarsi
779taxi
696tea
222techno
731tecti
099tele
855telefon
856telegram
075tem
126tendo
480tene
434tensio
140tentato
663terra
697testa
435testimonio
030tetra
057texti
305thaumo
698theca
544thela
857thema
436theo
437thermo
545thoraci
699toga
438tolero
624tomati
439tono
100topo
440toxo
481tracte
101trans
700trapeza
441traumo
749trepana
029tri
546tricha
625tritica
442tropo
002tu
732tubi
701tunica
664tunneli
443turbo
780tympana
444typo
099ultra
445umbro
012un
547ungua
446uniformo
447unio
880unita
858universita
872universo
548ura
665urani
666urba
549urini
550uteri
873utilo
448vacuo
781vagoni
667valli
449valo
859valuta
450vaporo
314vario
058vasa
782vecti
783vela
169veloco
451vendo
860verba
452verito
626vermi
126verso
627vespi
059vesto
668via
453vibro
127vice
454victo
544villi
702vini
455violo
456viro
482vise
457visito
628viti
808vitri
458vivo
459voco
128volo
460volumo
461vulno
629vulpi
292xantho
149xeno
026zero
630zoa
060zona
462zygo
881*acarina
882*alfalfa
883*alga
884*alkali
885*Anguilla
886*anura
887*anus
888*araneida
889*area
890*arteria
891*avena
892*bacteria
893*banana
894*betula
895*branchia
896*brassica
897*camera
898*capra
899*carina
900*cetacea
901*chela
902*chelonia
903*coleoptera
904*corolla
905*coryza
906*crocodilia
907*diptera
908*dyspepsia
909*embryo
910*erica
911*fungi
912*gemini
913*inertia
914*insecta
915*lacertilia
916*lactuca
917*larva
918*lens
919*leo
920*lepidoptera
921*libra
922*mamma
923*manifesto
924*maxima
925*mica
926*minima
927*nausea
928*ophidia
929*oryza
930*ostrea
931*pediculina
932*pelecypoda
933*piano
934*picea
935*porifera
936*protesta
937*pterygia
938*pyrexia
939*reptilia
940*sago
941*saliva
942*scorpionida
943*sex
944*silica
945*siphanaptera
946*soya
947*trachea
948*ursa
949*vena
950*vertebra
951*violin
952*virgo
953*viscera
954*zea

References

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