Interlingue facts for kids

Edgar de Wahl (far right) in 1927

Interlingue is a constructed language. This means it's a language that someone created, instead of one that grew naturally over time. It was first called Occidental between 1922 and 1947.

It was invented by a man named Edgar de Wahl. He was from the Russian Empire and spoke German. Edgar de Wahl was very good with languages. He was one of the first people to learn Esperanto, which is another constructed language.

Interlingue: A Language Made for Everyone

Interlingue is a constructed language. It was designed to be an international auxiliary language. This means it was meant to be a helpful second language for people from different countries. The goal was to make it easy for everyone to learn and use.

Who Created Interlingue?

The creator of Interlingue was Edgar de Wahl. He was born in 1869 and was a talented linguist. He had a natural ability to learn and understand languages. De Wahl was interested in creating a language that could help people communicate across borders.

Why Was Interlingue Created?

Edgar de Wahl was not completely happy with Esperanto, even though he was an early supporter. He felt that Esperanto was not natural enough. He wanted to create a new language that looked and sounded more like the languages already spoken in Europe. He hoped this would make it even easier for people to learn.

How Did Interlingue Change Its Name?

De Wahl first published his new language in 1922. He called it "Occidental." The name "Occidental" means "Western." This name showed that the language was based on Western European languages. In 1947, the name of the language was changed to Interlingue. This new name means "language between" or "international language." The change happened to show that the language was for everyone, not just people from Western countries.

What Makes Interlingue Special?

Interlingue was designed to be very readable. It uses words that look similar to words in many European languages. This makes it easier for people who already speak English, French, Spanish, or other European languages to understand it quickly. The grammar rules are also quite simple. This helps new learners pick up the language faster.

Images for kids

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  The first issue of Kosmoglott (later Cosmoglotta), published in haste after the announcement that the League of Nations was studying the problem of an international language.

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  Participants at an Occidental gathering in Vienna, 1928: Engelbert Pigal, Karl Janotta, A. Deminger, Hanns Hörbiger, Eugen Moess, Franz Houdek, Johann Robert Hörbiger

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  Meeting of Occidental (Interlingue) language users in Vienna in 1927.

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  PR postcard with Occidental text created in 1928 in Vienna

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  Issue 325 of Cosmoglotta for the period January to December 2019.

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  Sticker from 1930 created to emphasize readability at first sight: Li lingue quel vu comprende (The language you understand) and Occidental propaga se self (Occidental promotes itself)

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  An example of derivation from the magazine Cosmoglotta.

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  Flowchart demonstrating derivation of nouns from verbs using de Wahl's rule.

See also

In Spanish: Idioma occidental para niños