Over at the New Yorker a long and complex essay on utopianism of language. An invented language emerges from the mind of one person into Russian consciousness, and expands. Similarity to a Heinlein idea is noted:
An article titled “The Speed of Thought” noted remarkable similarities between Ithkuil and an imaginary language cooked up by the science-fiction writer Robert Heinlein for his novella “Gulf,” from 1949. Heinlein’s story describes a secret society of geniuses called the New Men who train themselves to think more rapidly and precisely using a language called Speedtalk, which is capable of condensing entire sentences into single words. Using their efficient language to communicate, the New Men plot to take over the world from the benighted “homo saps.”
More than 900 languages have been invented since the 12th century, according to the article. Many have as their goal making language more precise, much like the 20th century views of the Logical Positivists, who thought language needed to be codified by their rules into a common language. Thus, like many utopian ideas, language inventors believe their visions needs to be imposed upon everyone. However, John Quijada’s invented language, Ithkuil, isn’t one that he wants to impose, even though he created it because he believed “natural languages are adequate, but that doesn’t mean they’re optimal.”
The problem with invented language is they tend to be overly complex, mentally burdensome, and only a handful of enthusiasts bother to learn them. That, and humans might actually prefer ambiguity, as it allows them degrees of freedom and individuality that preciseness and rules prevent. Interestingly, some of the most ardent Eastern European fans of Ithkuil mentioned in the article lean toward authoritarian ideals.
