International Languages

I enjoy languages. You'll probably see posts here in other languages from time to time. That's just the way it is. Recently, I've been looking at some international auxiliary languages (IAL), seeing which one I like best. Here's my thoughts so far.

Esperanto - Probably the most popular and widely used IAL today. I've tried to learn it before, but I just can't seem to do it. It uses some odd diacritics which make it more difficult to use in the electronic age (I still don't know how to get them on my BlackBerry). The vocabulary is an odd mix. Some of it's familiar and some isn't. As far as grammar is concerned, it's needlessly complicated. Case in point: pick up any Esperanto grammar and find the "Table of Correlatives." I'm sorry, but that's just a mess! I'm going to give up on Esperanto for a while.

Interlingua - A very attractive language, in both written and spoken form. My guess is it's probably the second most widely used IAL. If you know any of the Romance languages (Italian, French, Spanish or Portuguese) the vocabulary will be pretty familiar. The pronunciation occasionally seems to be a little vague, though. The grammar is pretty simple. I think it's still a little more than necessary. I mean, who really needs an accusative case? Still, I like it a lot, and can generally sight read texts.

toki pona - A fascinating concept, and I like the way it looks and sounds. Both the vocabulary and the grammar are extremely simplified. The entire vocabulary is 118 words. Or maybe as many as 125 (some words might not be official yet). Of the four languages, toki pona is probably my favorite. It may be too simple, though. I have real trouble trying to communicate anything beyond simple sentences in it. As for understanding it, I need a lot more study time yet.

Lingua Franca Nova - Another Romance-based language. Pronunciation is simple, phonetic and well designed. The vocabulary seems more familiar to me than Interlingua's. I think it came more from the Spanish side of the family. The grammar is simpler than Interlingua's, which is something I like. To be honest, it's even easier than English grammar. I believe this is going to be the language I focus on learning.

If you've looked at any of the IAL's, I'd be interested in hearing your views. Especially if it's a language I've overlooked.