The Philoſophical Language

Introduction

The Philoſophical Language (or PL for ſhort) was created by John Wilkins of the Royal Society and was firſt introduced in his book, An Eſſay Towards a Real Character, and a Philoſophical Language. You can read an e-book of it here.
It was meant as a way that different people could communicate with, namely merchants, and was not thought of as an outright replacement.
In the book, there was alſo a new ſyſtem of measurement, ſimilar to the Metric Syſtem implemented a few centuries later.

The Lexicon

The lexicon was divided into ſubcategories, them being:

  • Tranſcendental General,
  • Tranſcendental Relative Mixed,
  • Tranſcendental Relative of Action,
  • Diſcourſe,
  • God,
  • World,
  • Element,
  • Stone,
  • Metal,
  • Herbs According to their Leaf,
  • Herbs According to their Flower,
  • Herbs According to their Seed-Veſſel,
  • Shrub,
  • Tree,
  • Animals Exanguious,
  • Fiſh,
  • Bird,
  • Beaſt,
  • Parts Peculiar,
  • Parts General,
  • Magnitude,
  • Space,
  • Meaſure,
  • Natural Power,
  • Habit,
  • Manners,
  • Senſible Quality,
  • Diſeaſe,
  • Spiritual Action,
  • Corporeal Action,
  • Motion,
  • Operation,
  • Economic Relation,
  • Poſſeſſion,
  • Proviſion,
  • Civil Relation,
  • Judicial Relation,
  • Military Relation,
  • Naval Relation,
  • And Eccleſiaſtical Relation.

    • That was long.
    These were also ſubdivided into differences, and thus every word an be either two, three, or four letters long.

    The Phonology

    Since the IPA did not exist yet, Wilkins had to deſcribe the ſounds uſing mouth diagrams and deſcriptions.
    There are 34 different ſounds, them being:

  • o /o/,
  • ȣ /ʊ/,
  • u /u/,
  • α /ɑ/,
  • a /æ/,
  • e /e/,
  • ι /i/,
  • y /ə/
    • for the vowels, and
  • b /b/,
  • v /v/,
  • m /m/,
  • d /d/,
  • dh /ð/,
  • l /l/,
  • r /r/,
  • z /z/,
  • p /p/,
  • f /f/,
  • hm /m̥/,
  • t /t/,
  • th /θ/,
  • hl /ɬ/,
  • hr /r̥/,
  • s /s/,
  • zh /ʒ/,
  • n /n/,
  • g /g/,
  • c /k/,
  • gh /ɣ/,
  • ch /x/,
  • ng /ŋ/,
  • hng /ŋ̊/
    • for the consonants.
    The IPA ſymbols wer found after ſome conſulting with the Agma Schwa Diſcord Server, and with my own ſcouring through the book for details.
    Keep in mind that theſe are ſtill gueſſes.

    This is a work in progreſs.
    I will be porting from this Google Document.
    For the most detailed and up-to-date details, go check it out!