Niuspi?

An engaging irony - and I like your language in progress too, which accords with - and might
even epitomise - the well-founded concept of an "international pidgin" as initial stage of the "IAL".

Pending the completion of my new website, I take the liberty of reposting (with a few
modifications at the end) a brief essay which appeared here in November.


LangX

Three Stages to a Universal Language

[1]  Global Vocabulary or “Global Contact Language”

[2]  International Auxiliary Language or “International Pidgin”

[3]  Very Slow and Gradual Transformation to a Single World
Language or “Universal Creolisation”

Let us imagine we are in a foreign land where we do not know the
language. What would be the priority - knowing a few words, or
knowing the elements of the grammar?  Given such a choice we
would obviously choose the words, since a theoretical knowledge of
grammar without a supply of words is practically useless.

Indeed, researchers have verified that non-linguists in such a situation
have tended to rely upon a few common words (a “contact language”)
without attempting to organise them grammatically. It might be
supposed, then, that inaugurators of  IALs would have been motivated
to formulate an internationally-acceptable core vocabulary before
creating a grammar.

However, we well know that the hundreds of IALs listed on the Internet
have been generally more concerned to present a comprehensive
grammar than a workable vocabulary.

Why is this? At least three reasons might be suggested:

(1)  Because of the huge number of synonyms (for the same concept
or object) within the world’s hundreds of languages and many
thousands of dialects, the task of formulating an international core
vocabulary might well be (or seem) more difficult than creating a
grammar, of which there is a limited number of fundamental types.

(2)  Potential IALs have to appeal, not only to the public, but also to the
originators of public policy. It follows that use of a single IAL at all
international conventions, and as the second language of every
schoolchild, will never be realised without official endorsement. Thus
the IALs are in competition with the great national tongues such as
English, and to present a less complete grammar is to risk dismissal
as “Newspeak”. In other words, since vocabulary relates more to
popular usage than theoretical purview by the powers that be, it tends
to be left in abeyance.

(3)  A misapprehension that a global IAL is unprecedented in recorded
history has led to the notion that the victory will only come from a
process of trial and error. Thus there have been numerous IAL
attempts, as though the author of each has been seeking the perfect
combination of linguistic elements conducive to universal recognition
and official approval. (Happily, none of this labour has been wasted,
since the best of it will be applied in the future as the IAL develops.)

However, the IAL has indeed had successful precedents or
prototypes, albeit on a localised scale. These have been the various
pidgins and creoles that have arisen during past centuries. Robert
Craig and I provided some background information in Chapter 12 of
Lango (http://www.alexander.iofm.net). Since contact languages,
pidgins and creoles have really been stages in the same localised IAL
developments, I have lately referred to the sequence as the contact
language ~ pidgin ~ creole continuum (CPCC). The essentials of the
CPCC might be summarised as follows:

Contact languages have arisen where typical non-linguists such as
fishermen and whalers, or soldiers and civilians, from very different
cultures have found it convenient to attempt to communicate verbally.
Historically, what has emerged in such circumstances has been less
a complete language than a lexicon of common words, with grammar
provided by sign language and the immediate context. Contact
languages have usually disappeared along with the conditions that
gave rise to them.

However, some contact languages have subsequently developed into
pidgins, which are really international auxiliary languages (if only
between two nations) with basic grammar and extra words from
various sources. Even though these "surviving" contact languages
might have been introduced with pidgins in mind, it still remains true
that every pidgin has been preceded by a contact language.

History also teaches us that no pidgin has long remained a purely
auxiliary language. Either it has died out with the commercial factors
that gave rise to it, or the children of traders, seafarers etc. have
unconsciously adopted the pidgin as their mother tongue - with all that
means for creative development. I touched upon some further
implications in Part 6 of the Introduction at
http://www.alexander.iofm.net.

Another parallel may be found within the cognitive development of the
individual, with the CPCC correlating to the cognitive stages first
described by Piaget.

Correspondingly it is reasonable to conclude that an IAL should be
established by beginning at the “contact language” stage with a global
core vocabulary. The advent of the Internet has made this a practical
possibility. The increasing number of online lexicons presage a
universal online dictionary of common words with cross-translation
between most languages. This would help in discovering the best
provisional word for the IAL core vocabulary, and in verifying
(or replacing) it through instant accessibility and popular feedback.

A daunting task indeed, but one which might easily
be started on a very small scale, with only five or ten words common to
all languages. Some years ago I offered a few thoughts re this subject on
the LangX Vocabulary page at the above website.

Another reason for beginning with a core vocabulary is that every
language has words, but grammar is highly political and ideological
since it signifies the different way each culture looks at the world. This
is why the grammar of the IAL could not possibly be agreed upon
except by formal international treaty.

However, a core vocabulary might be established with less
risk in advance of official endorsement.
Even if many words were subsequently substituted for
political reasons, a start would have been made,
and at least some words would probably survive.

This new initiative within the World Language Process
(http://www.webpal.org) is intended to
focus on the questions of an international core vocabulary,
and of an initial phonology and script.

We are grateful to Doug Everingham for starting it off with the following
word list and comment  (9 Nov. 03):

"Here is my initial off-the-cuff list of words for your suggested
translingual list:

taksi bus motor gas kilo liter meter dolar bir kola vodka vino hotel
kafe restoran mart kamping polisi
meidei medik savi mini maksi piknini bebi papa mama

Clearly the most commonly needed terms are lacking and before delving for them
I planned / plan some day to go thru Hogben's Essential World  English and use
that as a way to list the required semes / meaning  elements."