International Auxiliary Languages

International auxiliary languages (IALs) are languages consciously planned for enabling communication between speakers having different native tongues on an equal footing. They are the most developed area of interlinguistics, the science of languages that are constructed or planned on purpose. The term “auxiliary” refers to the fact that IALs are intended to be used as second languages only. In general, IALs are supported by people who are dissatisfied of the use of national languages – like English or French – in international settings, so they promote the use of a “neutral” tool. For IAL supporters, “neutral” means that they are not bound to any specific ethnicity. The most successful IAL ever is Esperanto, which succeeded to gather a community of practice without substantial interruption, for over a century. Today, IALs are enjoying renewed attention thanks to the internet, especially social media and Wikipedia, which have provided them with a new visibility to the general public.