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List of language regulators facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This is a list of bodies that consider themselves to be authorities on standard languages, often called language academies. Language academies are motivated by, or closely associated with, linguistic purism and prestige, and typically publish prescriptive dictionaries, which purport to officiate and prescribe the meaning of words and pronunciations. A language regulator may also have a more descriptive approach, however, while maintaining and promoting (but not imposing) a standard spelling. Many language academies are private institutions, although some are governmental bodies in different states, or enjoy some form of government-sanctioned status in one or more countries. There may also be multiple language academies attempting to regulate and codify the same language, sometimes based in different countries and sometimes influenced by political factors.

Many world languages have one or more language academies or official language bodies. However, the degree of control that the academies exert over these languages does not render the latter controlled natural languages in the sense that the various kinds of "simple English" (e.g. Basic English, Simplified Technical English) or George Orwell's fictional Newspeak are. They instead remain natural languages to a considerable extent and are thus not formal languages such as Attempto Controlled English. They have a degree of standardization that allows them to function as standard languages (e.g. standard French). The English language has never had a formal regulator anywhere, outside of private productions such as the Oxford Dictionary.

Natural languages

Language Territory Regulator(s) Founded
Amis  Republic of China Council of Indigenous Peoples 1996
Afrikaans  South Africa
 Namibia
Die Taalkommissie (The Language Commission) 1909
Akan  Ghana Akan Orthography Committee (AOC)
Albanian  Albania Academy of Sciences of Albania 1972
 Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo 1975
Arabic  Arab League Academy of the Arabic Language (مجمع اللغة العربية)
 Algeria Supreme Council of the Arabic language in Algeria (المجلس الأعلى للغة العربية بالجزائر‎) 1996
 Egypt Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo (مجمع اللغة العربية بالقاهرة) 1932
 Iraq Iraqi Academy of Sciences (المجمع العلمي العراقي) 1948
 Jordan Jordan Academy of Arabic (مجمع اللغة العربية الأردني) 1924
 Libya Academy of the Arabic Language in Jamahiriya
 Morocco Academy of the Arabic Language in Morocco 1960
 Saudi Arabia King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language (مجمع الملك سلمان العالمي للغة العربية)
 Somalia Academy of the Arabic Language in Mogadishu
 Sudan Academy of the Arabic Language in Khartum
 Syria Academy of the Arabic Language in Damascus (مجمع اللغة العربية بدمشق) 1918
 Tunisia Beit Al-Hikma Foundation (مؤسسة بيت الحكمة) 1992
 Israel
 Palestine
Academy of the Arabic Language in Israel (مجمع اللغة العربية) 2007
Aragonese  Aragon Instituto de l´aragonés (Previously: Academy of the Aragonese) 2013
Armenian  Armenia Armenian National Academy of Sciences (Հայաստան) 1943
Assamese India India Asam Sahitya Sabha (অসম সাহিত্য সভা) 1917
Asturian  Asturias Academy of the Asturian Language (Academia de la Llingua Asturiana) 1980
Azerbaijani  Azerbaijan
 Iran
Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (Azərbaycan Milli Elmlər Akademiyası) 1945
Aymara  Bolivia Language and Culture Institute of the Aymara Narion (Instituto de Lengua y Cultura de la Nación Aymara - ILCNA) 2013
Balochi  Iran
 Pakistan
 Afghanistan
 Oman
Balochi Academy Sarbaz (بلۏچی زبانءِ ربیدجاہ) 2017
Basque Basque Country (autonomous community) Basque Country
Navarre Navarre
France French Basque Country
Euskaltzaindia, often translated as Royal Academy of the Basque language 1918
Belarusian  Belarus The Jakub Kolas and Janka Kupala Institute of Language and Literature at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus 1929
Bengali (Bangla)  Bangladesh Bangla Academy (বাংলা একাডেমি) 1955
 India Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi (পশ্চিমবঙ্গ বাংলা আকাদেমি) 1986
Berber  Morocco Royal Institute of Amazight Culture 2001
 Algeria Haut-Conseil à l'amazighité (High Commission for Amazighity) 1995
Algerian Academy of Amazigh Language 2017
Bhojpuri  India Bhojpuri Academy, Bihar
Maithili - Bhojpuri Academy, Delhi
Bhojpuri Sahitya Academy, Madhya Pradesh
Central Bikol  Philippines Academia Bicolana defunct
Bosnian  Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sandžak
University of Sarajevo
Breton  Brittany Public Office for the Breton Language (Ofis Publik ar Brezhoneg) 2010
Bulgarian  Bulgaria Institute for Bulgarian Language at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences 1942
Burmese  Myanmar Myanmar Language Commission ( မြန်မာစာအဖွဲ့) 1963
Catalan  Catalonia Institute for Catalan Studies (Institut d'Estudis Catalans) 1907
 Valencian Community Valencian Language Academy (Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua) 2001
Cebuano  Philippines Visayan Academy of Arts and Letters (Akademyang Bisaya)
Cherokee  Cherokee Nation Council of the Cherokee Nation (ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ)
Standard Chinese  China State Language Work Committee (国家语言文字工作委员会) 1986
 Republic of China Ministry of Education (教育部)
 Singapore Promote Mandarin Council (讲华语运动理事会) 1979
 Malaysia Chinese Language Standardisation Council of Malaysia (马来西亚华语规范理事会)
Cornish  Cornwall Cornish Language Partnership (Keskowethyans an Taves Kernewek) 2005
Croatian  Croatia Institute of Croatian Language and Linguistics (Institut za hrvatski jezik i jezikoslovlje) 1948
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Czech  Czech Republic Institute of the Czech Language (of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic) (Ústav pro jazyk český (Akademie věd České republiky)) 1946
Danish  Denmark Dansk Sprognævn (Danish Language Council) 1955
Dalecarlian Sweden Dalarna County Ulum Dalska 1984
Divehi  Maldives Dhivehi Academy (ދިވެހި އެކެޑަމީ) 2011
Dutch  Netherlands
 Belgium
 Suriname
Dutch Language Union (Nederlandse Taalunie) 1980
Dzongkha  Bhutan Dzongkha Development Commission (རྫོང་ཁ་གོང་འཕེལ་ལྷན་ཚོགས) 1968
English None None official, but the Oxford English Dictionary is the principal historical dictionary of the English language.
Estonian  Estonia Emakeele Seltsi keeletoimkond (Language Board at the Mother Tongue Society) sets rules and standards, authoritative advice is given by the Institute of the Estonian Language (Eesti Keele Instituut) 1993
Faroese  Faroe Islands Faroese Language Board (Málráðið) 1985
Filipino  Philippines Commission on the Filipino Language (Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino) 1937
Finnish  Finland Institute for the Languages of Finland 1976
French  France French Academy (Académie française) 1635
General Delegation for the French language and the languages of France (Délégation générale à la langue française et aux langues de France) 1989
 Belgium Royal Academy of French Language and Literature of Belgium (Académie royale de langue et de littérature françaises de Belgique) 1920
 Quebec Office québécois de la langue française (Québec Office of the French Language) 1961
Friulian  Friuli-Venezia Giulia Agjenzie Regjonâl pe Lenghe Furlane 2001
Galician  Galicia Royal Galician Academy (Real Academia Galega) 1906
Georgian  Georgia (country) Cabinet of Georgia (საქართველოს მთავრობა)
German  Germany
 Austria
 Switzerland
 South Tyrol
 Belgium
 Alsace
 Liechtenstein
 Luxembourg
 Namibia
 Syddanmark
 Opole Voivodeship
 Silesian Voivodeship
Council for German Orthography (Rat für deutsche Rechtschreibung) 2004
Greenlandic  Greenland The Greenland Language Secretariat (Oqaasileriffik) 1998
Guarani  Paraguay Guarani Language Academy (Guarani Ñe’ ẽ Rerekuapavẽ) 2013
Gujarati  India Gujarat Sahitya Akademi (ગુજરાત સાહિત્ય અકાદમી) 1981
Hakka  Republic of China Hakka Affairs Council (客家委員會) 2001
Haitian Creole  Haiti Haitian Creole Academy (Akademi Kreyòl Ayisyen) 2014
Hebrew  Israel Academy of the Hebrew Language (האקדמיה ללשון העברית) 1890
Hindi  India Central Hindi Directorate (केन्द्रीय हिन्दी निदेशालय) 1960
Hmar  India Hmar Literature Society
Hungarian  Hungary
 Slovakia
 Romania
 Serbia
 Austria
Hungarian Research Centre for Linguistics (Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont) 1949
Icelandic  Iceland Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies (Stofnun Árna Magnússonar í íslenskum fræðum) 1962
Igbo  Nigeria Society for Promoting Igbo Language and Culture 1949
Indonesian  Indonesia Language Development and Fostering Agency (Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa) 1947
Inuktitut  Canada Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑕᐱᕇᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ) 1971
Irish  Ireland
 Northern Ireland
Foras na Gaeilge (Irish Institute) 1999
Italian  Italy
 San Marino
 Switzerland
 Vatican City
 Monaco
 Corsica
 Istria County
 Eritrea
 Libya
Accademia della Crusca (Academy of the bran) 1583
Japanese  Japan National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics (国立国語研究所) 1948
Kabiye  Togo Kabiye Academy (Académie kabiyè) 1975
Kannada India Karnataka Various academies and Government of Karnataka
Kashubian  Poland The Kashubian Language Council (Radzëzna Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka) 2006
Kazakh  Kazakhstan Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Қазақстан Республикасының Ғылым және жоғары білім министрлігі) 2022
Khmer  Cambodia Royal Academy of Cambodia (រាជបណ្ឌិត្យសភាកម្ពុជា) 1965
Korean  South Korea National Institute of the Korean Language (국립국어원/國立國語院) 1991
 North Korea The Language Research Institute, Academy of Social Science (사회과학원 어학연구소)
 China China Korean Language Regulatory Commission (중국조선어규범위원회/中国朝鲜语规范委员会)
Kven  Norway Kainun institutti – kvensk institutt 2007
Kurdish  Kurdistan Kurdish Academy (ئەکادیمیای کوردی) 1971
Kyrgyz  Kyrgyzstan National Committee for State Language under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic (Кыргыз Республикасынын Президентине караштуу Мамлекеттик тил боюнча улуттук комиссия) 2009
Lao  Laos Educational Science Research Institute, Ministry of Education and Sports (ສະຖາບັນຄົ້ນຄວ້າວິທະຍາສາດການສືກສາ ກະຊວງສຶກສາທິການ ແລະ ກີລາ)
Institute of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, National University of Laos (ສະຖາບັນວິທະຍາສາດສັງຄົມ ຄະນະອັກສອນສາດ ມະຫາວິທະຍາໄລແຫ່ງຊາດລາວ)
Latin  Holy See Pontifical Academy for Latin (Pontificia Academia Latinitatis) 2012
International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (of the International Association for Plant Taxonomy: botanical Latin) 1867
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature: zoological Latin) 1905
Latvian  Latvia Latvian State Language Center (Valsts Valodas Centrs) 1992
Lithuanian  Lithuania Commission of the Lithuanian Language (Valstybinė lietuvių kalbos komisija) 1990
Lusoga  Uganda Lusoga Language Authority
Luxembourgish  Luxembourg Council for the Luxembourgish Language (Conseil fir d'Letzebuerger Sprooch) 1998
Macedonian  North Macedonia Linguistics and Literary Science Department at the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts 1967
Malagasy  Madagascar Malagasy Academy (Académie Malgache) 1902
Malay  Malaysia Institute of Language and Literature (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka) 1956
 Brunei Language and Literature Bureau (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka) 1960
 Singapore Majlis Bahasa Melayu Singapura (Malay Language Council, Singapore)
Malayalam  India Kerala Sahitya Akademi (കേരള സാഹിത്യ അക്കാദമി) 1956
Maltese  Malta National Council for the Maltese Language (Il-Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ilsien Malti) 2005
Manx  Isle of Man Manx Language Advisory Council (Coonceil ny Gaelgey) 1985
Māori  New Zealand Māori Language Commission (Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori) 1987
Marathi  India Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad (महाराष्ट्र साहित्य परिषद) 1906
Meitei (officially called Manipuri)  India Directorate of Language Planning and Implementation (ꯗꯥꯏꯔꯦꯛꯇꯣꯔꯦꯠ ꯑꯣꯐ ꯂꯦꯡꯒ꯭ꯋꯦꯖ ꯄ꯭ꯂꯥꯅꯤꯡ ꯑꯦꯟ꯭ꯗ ꯏꯝꯄ꯭ꯂꯤꯃꯦꯟꯇꯦꯁꯟ) 2013
Manipuri Sahitya Parishad (ꯃꯅꯤꯄꯨꯔꯤ ꯁꯥꯍꯤꯇ꯭ꯌ ꯄꯔꯤꯁꯗ) 1935
Mirandese  Portugal Anstituto de la Lhéngua Mirandesa (Institute of the Mirandese Language) 2000
Mixtec  Mexico Academy of the Mixtec Language (Ve'e Tu'un Sávi) 1997
Khalkha Mongolian  Mongolia Council of the official state language (Төрийн хэлний зөвлөл). Decisions have to be confirmed by the Mongolian government.
Chakhar Mongolian  China Council for Language and Literature Work
Nepali  Nepal Nepal Academy (नेपाल प्रज्ञा–प्रतिष्ठान) 1957
Northern Frisian Nordfriesischeflagge.svg North Frisia Northern Frisian Institute (Nordfriisk Instituut) 1964
Norwegian (Riksmål/Bokmål)  Norway Norwegian Academy 1953
Norwegian Bokmål
Norwegian Nynorsk
Norwegian Language Council 2005
Occitan  Occitania
 France
 Spain
 Monaco
 Italy
Occitan Language Council (Conselh de la Lenga Occitana),
Permanent Congress of the Occitan Language (Congrès Permanent de la Lenga Occitana),
Institute of Aranese Studies (Institut d'Estudis Aranesi) (Aranese)
1996
Odia  India Odisha Sahitya Akademi (ଓଡ଼ିଶା ସାହିତ୍ୟ ଏକାଡେମୀ) 1957
Pashto  Afghanistan Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan (د علومو اکاډمي نښه) 1978
 Pakistan Pashto Academy (پښتو اکېډمي) 1955
Persian  Iran Academy of Persian Language and Literature (فرهنگستان زبان و ادب فارسی) 1935
 Afghanistan Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan (آکادمی علوم افغانستان) 1978
Paiwan  Republic of China Council of Indigenous Peoples 1996
Polish  Poland Polish Language Council (Rada Języka Polskiego) 1996
Portuguese  Portugal Lisbon Academy of Sciences (Academia das Ciências de Lisboa) 1779
 Brazil Brazilian Academy of Letters (Academia Brasileira de Letras) 1897
 Galicia Galician Academy of the Portuguese Language (Academia Galega da Língua Portuguesa) 2008
Quechua  Ecuador Academy of the Kichwa Language (Kichwa Amawta Kamachik/ Academia de la Lengua Kichwa, abbreviated 'KAMAK') 2003
 Peru Peruvian Ministries of Education and of Culture (as part of their functions)
Department of Cuzco High Academy of the Quechua Language (Qheswa Simi Hamut'ana Kuraq Suntur/ Academia Mayor de la Lengua Quechua) 1953
Department of Cajamarca Cajamarca Regional Academy of the Quechua Language (Academia Regional del Idioma Quechua de Cajamarca - ARIQ) 1986
Department of Ancash Ancash Regional Academy of Quechua (Academia Regional de Quechua de Ancash - ARQA)
 Bolivia Language and Culture Institute of the Quechua Nation (Instituto de Lengua y Cultura de la Nación Quechua - ILCNQ) 2013
Department of Cochabamba Cochabamba Regional Academy of the Quechua Language (Academia Regional de la Lengua Quechua de Cochabamba)
Rohingya Arakan (Rakhine State) Rohingya Language Academy (𐴌𐴟𐴇𐴥𐴝𐴚𐴒𐴙𐴝 𐴎𐴟𐴁𐴝𐴕 𐴀𐴠𐴑𐴝𐴋𐴠𐴔𐴞)
Romanian  Romania Academia Română (Romanian Academy) 1866
 Moldova Academy of Sciences of Moldova (Academia de Științe a Moldovei) 1961
Romansh  Switzerland Lia Rumantscha 1919
Russian  Russia
 Belarus
 Kazakhstan
 Kyrgyzstan
 Tajikistan
Russian Language Institute (Институт русского языка) 1944
Scots  Scotland Scots Language Centre (Center for the Scots Leid) 1993
Scottish Gaelic The Gaelic Board (Bòrd na Gàidhlig) 2006
Secwepemctsín  Canada Secwepemc Cultural Education Society 1983
Serbian and Montenegrin  Serbia
 Montenegro
 Srpska
Board for Standardization of the Serbian Language (Одбор за стандардизацију српског језика) 1997
Sicilian  Sicily Cademia Siciliana 2016
Sindhi  Pakistan Sindhi Language Authority (سنڌي ٻولي جو با اختيار ادارو) 1992
Sinhala  Sri Lanka Hela Havula (හෙළ හවුල) 1941
Slovak  Slovakia Slovak Academy of Sciences (Slovenská akadémia vied) 1942
Slovene  Slovenia Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti) 1938
Somali  Djibouti
 Ethiopia
 Somalia
Regional Somali Language Academy (Akademiye Goboleedka Af Soomaaliga) 2013
Sorbian  Germany
 Czech Republic
 Poland
Sorbian Institute (Serbski institut) 1951
Spanish  Spain
 Colombia
 Ecuador
 Mexico
 El Salvador
 Venezuela
 Chile
 Peru
 Guatemala
 Costa Rica
 Philippines
 Panama
 Cuba
 Paraguay
 Bolivia
 Dominican Republic
 Nicaragua
 Argentina
 Uruguay
 Honduras
 Puerto Rico
 United States
 Equatorial Guinea
 Israel
Association of Spanish Language Academies 1951
Swahili  Tanzania National Swahili Council (Baraza la Kiswahili la Taifa) 1967
 Kenya National Kiswahili Association (Chama cha Kiswahili cha Taifa) 1998
Swedish  Sweden Language Council of Sweden (Språkrådet) 1941
Swedish Academy (Svenska Akademien) 1786
 Finland Institute for the Languages of Finland
Tajik  Tajikistan
 Uzbekistan
Rudaki Institute of Language and Literature (Институти забон ва адабиёт ба номи А. Рӯдакии) 1932
Tamil  India Tamil University (தமிழ்ப் பல்கலைக்கழகம்) 1981
Tamil Nadu State Official Language Commission (மாநில அலுவல் மொழி ஆணையம்) 1965
 Sri Lanka Department of Official Languages (அதிகாரப்பூர்வ மொழிகள் துறை)
 Singapore Tamil Language Council (வளர்தமிழ் இயக்கம்) 2000
 Malaysia Malaysian Tamil Language Standardisation Council (மலேசியத் தமிழ் மொழியின் காப்பகம்) 2019
Tatar  Tatarstan Tatarstan Academy of Sciences (Татарстан Республикасы Фәннәр академиясе) 1804
Telugu  India Telugu Academy and Official Language Commission of Government of Andhra Pradesh
Tetum  East Timor National Institute of Linguistics at the National University of East Timor
Thai  Thailand Royal Society of Thailand (ราชบัณฑิตยสภา) 1926
Tibetan China Tibet Autonomous Region Committee for Tibetan Language Affairs [1]
 India Committee for the Standardisation of the Tibetan Language
Tulu  India Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy
Turkish  Turkey
 Cyprus
 Northern Cyprus
Türk Dil Kurumu (Turkish Language Association) 1932
Ukrainian  Ukraine NASU Institute of Ukrainian Language 1991
Urdu  Pakistan National Language Promotion Department (اِدارۀ فروغِ قومی زُبان)
 India National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (قومی کونسل برائے فروغ اردو زبان)
Urhobo  Nigeria Urhobo Studies Association
Vietnamese  Vietnam Institute of Linguistics of Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences
Võro  Estonia Võro Institute
Waray  Philippines Sanghiran san Binisaya ha Samar ug Leyte (Academy of the Visayan Language of Samar and Leyte) defunct
Welsh  Wales Welsh Language Commissioner (Aled Roberts) 2012
West Frisian  Friesland Fryske Akademy (Frisian Academy) 1938
Wolof  Senegal Centre de linguistique appliquée de Dakar (Center of Applied Linguistics of Dakar at the Cheikh Anta Diop University)
Yiddish  United States
 Sweden
 Russia
YIVO 1925
Yoruba  Nigeria Yoruba Academy October 2007

Constructed languages

Apart from the Akademio de Esperanto, most constructed languages (also called conlangs) have no true linguistic regulators or language academies.

Auxiliary languages

Language Regulator(s)
Esperanto Akademio de Esperanto
Ido Uniono por la Linguo Internaciona Ido
Lingua Franca Nova Asosia per Lingua Franca Nova
Volapük Kadäm Volapüka

Esperanto

Esperanto and Ido have been constructed (or planned) by a person or small group, before being adopted and further developed by communities of users through natural language evolution.

Bodies such as the Akademio de Esperanto look at questions of usage in the light of the original goals and principles of the language.

Interlingua

Interlingua has no regulating body, as its vocabulary, grammar, and orthography are viewed as a product of ongoing social forces. In theory, Interlingua therefore evolves independent from any human regulator. Interlingua's vocabulary is verified and recorded by dynamically applying certain general principles to an existing set of natural languages and their etymologies. The International Auxiliary Language Association ceased to exist in 1954, and according to the secretary of Union Mundial de Interlingua "Interlingua doesn't need its Academy".

Other constructed languages

Language Regulator(s)
Klingon Marc Okrand
Lojban Logical Language Group
Naʼvi Paul Frommer
Talossan Comità per l'Útzil del Glheþ

Other bodies

These bodies do not attempt to regulate any language in a prescriptive manner and are primarily concerned with aiding and advising the government on policies regarding language usage.

  •  Hong Kong: Official Language Division Civil Service Bureau Government of Hong Kong: http://www.csb.gov.hk/english/aboutus/org/scsd/1470.html – concerned with matters concerning government language policy
  •  Macau: Departamento dos Assuntos Linguísticos of the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau of the Government of Macau –concerned with matters concerning government language policy

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Anexo:Academias lingüísticas para niños

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