Volapük
/ˈvɒləˌp(j)uːk
/noun [mass noun]
An artificial language devised in 1879 for universal use by a German cleric, Johann M. Schleyer, and based on extremely modified forms of words from English and Romance languages, with complex inflections.To help us understand the mechanisms through which new codes originate, grow and thrive, he examines the history of two natural languages that developed through an open source mechanism: Volapük and Esperanto....
- A description of the language was published in 1880, and hundreds of Volapük societies soon grew up.
- Because Volapük was forgotten, it unites us in a way that a real international language never could.
Origin
From vol representing English world + -a- (as a connective) + pük representing English speak or speech.