A posteriori language: Difference between revisions

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An a posteriori language (from Latin a posteriori - from the latter), according to Louis Couturat, is any constructed language whose elements are borrowed or based on existing languages, as opposed to the a priori languages.

The a posteriori languages can be divided into three categories:

Simplified ethnic languages, like Basic English or Latino sine flexione
Naturalistic languages, i.e. closest to the real ethnic languages (most often Latin or Romance languages), like the Occidental language or Interlingua
Autonomous (schematic) languages, in which grammar is a priori but vocabulary is a posteriori, like Esperanto or, to some extent, Volapük.

In distinguishing whether the language is a priori or a posteriori the prevalence and distribution of respectable traits is often the key.

Louis Couturat, Les nouvelles langues internationales. Paris: Hachette. 1907. With Léopold Leau. Republished 2001, Olms.
Louis Couturat, Étude sur la dérivation dans la langue internationales. 1910. Paris: Delagrave. 100 p.

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 {{Types of conlangs}}
-An '''a posteriori''' language (from [[w:Latin language|Latin]] [[wikt:a posteriori|a posteriori]] - from the later), according to [[w:Louis Couturat|Louis Couturat]], is any [[constructed language]] whose elements are borrowed or based on existing languages, as opposed to the [[A priori|''a priori'' languages]].
+An '''a posteriori''' language (from [[w:Latin language|Latin]] [[wikt:a posteriori|a posteriori]] - from the latter), according to [[w:Louis Couturat|Louis Couturat]], is any [[constructed language]] whose elements are borrowed or based on existing languages, as opposed to the [[A priori|''a priori'' languages]].
 The ''a posteriori'' languages can be divided into three categories: