Socialese
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Socialese is a constructed language, specifically a philosophical language based on existentialism, socialism, and other concepts. It is characteristically oligosynthetic (having few morphemes) and polysynthetic (relying heavily on inflections) making it quite different than Western languages such as English or Spanish.
[edit] Goals
The goals of Socialese are:
- Simplicity — The grammar, though quite different from English grammar, is very regular and lacks tenses, plurals, and many other distinctions.
- Non-eurocentricity — The language borrows few influences from European languages.
- Socialism — In contrast to English, the words for socialist/anarchist politics and economics do not have negative connotations.
[edit] Influences
Socialese was created quite recently, but it is based on concepts that stretch back for decades or more. Many of the philosophical concepts that it incorporates go back to the 1800s, for example. Existentialism began with Kierkegaard and Nietzsche and socialism also made its real debut in the 1800s, being advocated by Marx and Proudhon.
The conlang Pravic, created by anarchist and SF author Ursula K. le Guin, is one influence, though Navajo, Japanese, and Korean have also influenced it to various degrees. This gives it a very alien flavor to English speakers who are not used to the many non-European features of the language.
[edit] External links
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