Loglan Language

: Vizka la Spat. (See Spot.)
: Vizka lepo la Spat, prano. (See Spot run.)
: Prano, hoi Spat! I prano! (Run, Spot! Run!)

Loglan (for "Logical Language") is a language you can use both to program computers and speak to humans. If you enjoy learning new computer languages or new human languages, you'll get a real bang out of Loglan. Loglan was the language used by humans and computers on Luna in RobertHeinlein's TheMoonIsaHarshMistress.

Yes, it's a real language - and a beautiful one! See http://www.loglan.org/what-is-loglan.html for a one page introduction and http://www.loglan.org/Loglan3Download.html for a primer.

Web site: http://www.loglan.org

Alas, JamesCookeBrown (the originator of Loglan) has died.

The Loglan/Lojban split

The majority of LoglanLanguage speakers moved to the LojbanLanguage dialect about a decade ago. There's little structural difference between the two, though the primitives (words) are all different so they are mutually unintelligible. The split occurred when the original architect of the language wanted to make significant amounts of it proprietary, but most of the speakers wanted it to be OpenContent. Anything associated with "The Loglan Institute" ("TLI") is proprietary Loglan. There is continuing talk of a rapprochement, but the languages are now so different only one can survive, and LojbanLanguage seems like the one with the momentum.

Alternatives

Check out Esperanto (http://www.esperanto-usa.org is a decent starting point, or call us at 1-800-ESPERANTO in the US). Considerably more speakers (approx two million, to US Foreign Service level 3 definition of "speak"). A significantly different set of design goals: learners can begin using it (reading and speaking) very rapidly. -- David Wolff

Or just look at EsperantoLanguage - we're trying to discuss Loglan here! Besides, the LojbanLanguage propaganda holds that one semester of studying LojbanLanguage is equivalent to three years of a natural language - and LojbanLanguage is related to Loglan very closely. (Actually, what we say is "One year of Lojban is as hard as three years of any natural language.") -- AnonymousDonor

Interesting to find out that Loglan is a real language. I'd thought that Heinlein had made it up. Anyone ever hear of EprimeLanguage as formerly described at http://members.icanect.net/~zardoz/eprime.htm (now a BrokenLink)? English that highlights subjectivity by banning forms of "to be." -- MichaelFeathers

Yuck. The point of Loglan is to aid communication. The point of EprimeLanguage is to hinder it and spread bad philosophy. -- DanielKnapp

CategoryNaturalLanguage