Journal of Universal Language

About Journal of Universal Language

The Sejong University Language Research Institute was established in 1996 under the name "World Language Research Institute," following a visionary proposal by its founder, Dr. Myung-Gun Choo. The institute has since been dedicated to addressing linguistic imbalances and the resulting social inequalities through its research and initiatives. The Journal of Universal Language is an international research journal and it is published by the Language Research Institute at Sejong University biannually. The goal of the Journal of Universal Language is to foster, present, and disseminate interdisciplinary research concentrating on universal languages. Language barriers have long played a major role in social and political conflicts around the world, and we believe that the development of a universal language is the key to easing tensions. We welcome theoretical and empirical papers that explore various dimensions of natural languages and the need for a universal language. In this regard, the JUL is multidisciplinary in nature and invites scholars from different fields, including but not limited to general, applied, and interdisciplinary linguistics, language policy, terminology, artificial languages, philosophy, sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, law, politics, religion, translation, economics, and business.
About Language Research Institute, Sejong University

The Language Research Institute at Sejong University was founded for theoretical and practical research on various modes of language usage as well as to provide a forum for discussions on the nature of language. The institute is particularly interested in the development of a universal language and its related fields. The institute also offers an opportunity for the exchange of ideas between researchers of various view points by holding seminars on language-related areas including general linguistics, artificial languages, and universality in language.
Article

Sep 30, 2025

Universality and Typology in Phonotactic Constraints: Evidence from Amharic and English

Tadesse Weldegebreal Baymot

Journal of Universal Language 2025;26(2):1-37.
https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2025.26.2.1

This article aims to analyze the phonotactic constraints between Amharic and English in line with contrastive and error analysis theories. The study employed a descriptive survey design. Data were collected from sixty-one University of Gondar third-year English major students. They underwent production and discrimination testing. Consonant clusters and Final -C vs. Final -Ci word pairs were provided for the discriminating test, and the students pronounced each English word embedded in a sentence throughout the production test. Every minimally t...
Article

Sep 30, 2025

Numeral Formation in Ígálâ: Morphological Structure, Arithmetic Logic, and Typological Insights

Salem Ochala Ejeba

Journal of Universal Language 2025;26(2):39-64.
https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2025.26.2.39

This paper offers the first detailed typological account of the numeral system of Ígálâ, a West Benue-Congo language of Nigeria, addressing a longstanding gap in descriptive and comparative research. Drawing on native-speaker data, elicitation, and textual sources, the study shows how Ígálâ encodes arithmetic through systematically organized morphological and syntactic processes. Numerals up to ten have distinct lexical forms, while eleven to nineteen follow a quasi-decimal additive pattern. From twenty upward, the system is fundamentally...
Article

Sep 30, 2025

Perceptions of Aboriginal Names among the Meru People of Tanzania: Colonial Disruption and Cultural Continuity in a Typological Perspective

Wariaeli Pallangyo, Chrispina Alphonce

Journal of Universal Language 2025;26(2):65-107.
https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2025.26.2.65

Faith, education, Westernisation, and development have significantly transformed African naming systems. The arrival of Europeans in Tanzania marked a period of cultural, social, and linguistic disruption, particularly among indigenous communities such as the Meru. This article examines perceptions of personal names in the Meru community following European colonisation. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and guided by the theory of cultural transmission, the study explores shifts in naming practices and their meanings. Findings indicate that...
Article

Sep 30, 2025

Civic Education and the Use of Planned Languages on Global Campuses: A Practical Alternative for Enhancing University Students’ Global Citizenship

Eunha Won

Journal of Universal Language 2025;26(2):109-137.
https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2025.26.2.109

This study critically examines the linguistic inequalities and limitations of citizenship learning present in global citizenship education (GCED) at Korean universities and explores the applicability of extracurricular programs based on planned languages (e.g., Esperanto, Unish) as a practical alternative. In the multinational and the multilingual environment of university campuses, language policies centered on English and Korean often hinder international students’ learning and civic development. This paper argues that experimenting with pl...
Article

Sep 30, 2025

Negotiating Language Conflict in the Digital Era: Rethinking the Virtual

Sung-Ryun Yoon

Journal of Universal Language 2025;26(2):139-167.
https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2025.26.2.139

This study analyzes the transformations of the concept of the ‘virtual’ from metaphysical thought to the environment of digital technology, and on this basis, proposes a renewed articulation of its contemporary ontological implications. The virtual has often been understood as a lack or absence of the real; however, through the thought of Plato, Aristotle, and Deleuze, its meaning has expanded from a mere illusion to the potentiality for the generation of the real. For Plato, the virtual remained within a non-real domain as a mimesis distan...

CURRENT ISSUE: Sep 2025, Vol. 26 , No. 2

Article Universality and Typology in Phonotactic Constraints: Evidence from Amharic and English Tadesse Weldegebreal Baymot Journal of Universal Language 2025;26(2):1-37. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2025.26.2.1 HTML PDF PubReader	Article Numeral Formation in Ígálâ: Morphological Structure, Arithmetic Logic, and Typological Insights Salem Ochala Ejeba Journal of Universal Language 2025;26(2):39-64. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2025.26.2.39 HTML PDF PubReader
Article Perceptions of Aboriginal Names among the Meru People of Tanzania: Colonial Disruption and Cultural Continuity in a Typological Perspective Wariaeli Pallangyo, Chrispina Alphonce Journal of Universal Language 2025;26(2):65-107. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2025.26.2.65 HTML PDF PubReader	Article Civic Education and the Use of Planned Languages on Global Campuses: A Practical Alternative for Enhancing University Students’ Global Citizenship Eunha Won Journal of Universal Language 2025;26(2):109-137. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2025.26.2.109 HTML PDF PubReader
Article Negotiating Language Conflict in the Digital Era: Rethinking the Virtual Sung-Ryun Yoon Journal of Universal Language 2025;26(2):139-167. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2025.26.2.139 HTML PDF PubReader

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Article The Fall and Rise of Universals on Relativization Mark De Vries Journal of Universal Language 2005;6(1):125-157. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2005.6.1.125 HTML PDF PubReader Cited by 13	Article The European Union’s Need for an International Auxiliary Language Federico Gobbo Journal of Universal Language 2005;6(1):1-28. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2005.6.1.1 HTML PDF PubReader Cited by 12
Article Subject–verb Inversion in Greek: Implications for Head Movement and Typology George Kotzoglou Journal of Universal Language 2006;7(1):91-137. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2006.7.1.91 HTML PDF PubReader Cited by 12	Article A Comparison of Unish Grammar with Esperanto Dong-Young Lee Journal of Universal Language 2002;3(2):57-74. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2002.3.2.57 HTML PDF PubReader Cited by 11
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Article A Typological Study of Tonal Systems of Japanese and Prinmi: Towards a Definition of Pitch-accent Languages Picus Sizhi Ding Journal of Universal Language 2006;7(2):1-35. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2006.7.2.1 HTML PDF PubReader Cited by 9	Article The Need for “Unish”, a Universal Language and the Principles of its Development Myung-gun Choo Journal of Universal Language 2001;2(1):3-14. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2001.2.1.3 HTML PDF PubReader Cited by 8