This is a list of bodies that consider themselves to be authorities on standard languages, often called language academies. Language academies are motivated by, or closely associated with,
linguistic purism and
prestige, and typically publish
prescriptive dictionaries,
[Thomas, George (1991]
''Linguistic purism''
p.108, quotation: which purport to officiate and prescribe the meaning of words and pronunciations. A language regulator may also have a more
descriptive approach, however, while maintaining and promoting (but not imposing) a standard spelling. Many language academies are private institutions, although some are governmental bodies in different states, or enjoy some form of government-sanctioned status in one or more countries. There may also be multiple language academies attempting to regulate and
codify the same language, sometimes based in different countries and sometimes influenced by political factors.
Many
world languages have one or more language academies or official language bodies. However, the degree of control that the academies exert over these languages does not render the latter
controlled natural languages in the sense that the various kinds of "
simple English" (e.g.
Basic English,
Simplified Technical English) or
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalit ...
's fictional
Newspeak are. They instead remain
natural languages to a considerable extent and are thus not
formal language
In logic, mathematics, computer science, and linguistics, a formal language consists of words whose letters are taken from an alphabet and are well-formed according to a specific set of rules.
The alphabet of a formal language consists of sym ...
s such as
Attempto Controlled English. They have a degree of
standardization
Standardization or standardisation is the process of implementing and developing technical standards based on the consensus of different parties that include firms, users, interest groups, standards organizations and governments. Standardizatio ...
that allows them to function as
standard language
A standard language (also standard variety, standard dialect, and standard) is a language variety that has undergone substantial codification of grammar and usage, although occasionally the term refers to the entirety of a language that include ...
s (e.g.
standard French). The English language has never had a formal regulator anywhere, outside of private productions such as the Oxford Dictionary.
Natural languages
Auxiliary languages
Esperanto
Apart from the
Akademio de Esperanto
The Akademio de Esperanto (AdE; en, Academy of Esperanto, link=yes) is an independent body of Esperanto speakers who steward the evolution of said language by keeping it consistent with the ''Fundamento de Esperanto'' in accordance with the Decla ...
, most auxiliary languages, also known as constructed languages (
Conlangs) have no true linguistic regulators, language academies.
[Johan Derks, Prilingvaj institutoj de 18 naciaj lingvoj]
Language Institutes of eighteen states
, Interlingvistikaj Studoj, UAM, 2014/17, Esperanta Interlingvistiko 1
Esperanto and
Ido have been ''constructed'' (or planned) by a person or small group, before being adopted and further developed by communities of users through
natural language evolution.
Bodies such as the
Akademio de Esperanto
The Akademio de Esperanto (AdE; en, Academy of Esperanto, link=yes) is an independent body of Esperanto speakers who steward the evolution of said language by keeping it consistent with the ''Fundamento de Esperanto'' in accordance with the Decla ...
look at questions of usage in the light of the original goals and principles of the language.
Other constructed languages
Interlingua
The auxiliary language
Interlingua has no regulating body, as its vocabulary, grammar, and orthography are viewed as a product of ongoing social forces. In theory, Interlingua therefore evolves independent from any human regulator. Interlingua's vocabulary is
verified and recorded by dynamically applying certain general principles to an existing set of natural languages and their etymologies. The
International Auxiliary Language Association ceased to exist in 1954, and according to the secretary of
Union Mundial de Interlingua "Interlingua doesn't need its Academy".
Other bodies
These bodies do not attempt to regulate any language in a prescriptive manner and are primarily concerned with aiding and advising the government on policies regarding language usage.
*
Official Language Division Civil Service Bureau Government of Hong Kong– concerned with matters concerning government language policy
*
–concerned with matters concerning government language policy
See also
*
Proposals for an English Academy
During the early part of the 17th century, and persisting in some form into the early 18th century, there were a number of proposals for an English Academy: some form of learned institution, conceived as having royal backing and a leading role in ...
*
Language policy
*
Language revival
*
Language planning
In sociolinguistics, language planning (also known as language engineering) is a deliberate effort to influence the function, structure or acquisition of languages or language varieties within a speech community.Kaplan B., Robert, and Richa ...
*
Linguistic purism
*
Languages in censuses
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Language Regulators
*
Lists of organizations
Regulators