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Volapuk

Volapuk

1 9.9
A language created in the late 1800s to help people from different countries talk
  • noun
  • /ˈvoʊləˌpʊk/
  • Archaic
: Volapük
  • Few people today speak Volapuk, but it played a major role in the history of constructed languages.

Examples

  • The creator of Volapuk hoped it would be adopted for global communication.

  • Interest in Volapuk declined after Esperanto became more popular.

  • I learned to speak Volapuk in my language class.

  • The Volapuk dictionary is quite comprehensive.

  • Few people today speak Volapuk, but it was one of the first artificial languages aimed at international communication.

  • The creator of Volapuk envisioned it as a universal language to help people from different countries understand each other.

  • Interest in Volapuk declined after Esperanto became more widely used as a language for global communication.

Surface Forms

Volapuk singular
Volapuks plural

Etymology

The word Volapuk was invented by its creator from two made-up parts, vol- meaning 'world' and -pük meaning 'speech', so it was meant to be a 'world speech'. That's why Volapuk is the name of an artificial international language made in the late 1800s.