Journal of Universal Language

About Journal of Universal Language

The Journal of Universal Language is an international research journal and it is published by the Language Research Institute at Sejong University biannually. The Journal of Universal Language is concerned with artificial languages, communication & culture in language usage, typology, and universality in language. The journal also publishes interdisciplinary contributions written with applied linguists in mind, observation concerning official language. Following the May 1996 inaugural issue of the journal, the second issue was published in May 2001. Since then the journal has been published biannually. The journal index includes KCI, EBSCO, MLA, Linguistics Abstracts Online, BRILL, DBpia, and Google Scholar. The spring and autumn editions are published respectively on March 31 and September 30. Manuscripts submissions are accepted year round.
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, 2020

The Typology of Pharyngealization in Arabic Dialects Focusing on a Rural Jordanian Variety

Basem Ibrahim Malawi Al-Raba’a, Stuart Davis

J. Univers. Lang. 2020;21(2):1-42.
https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2020.21.2.1

Pharyngealization, also known as emphasis, is phonologically a very productive process in most Arabic varieties. This study first overviews the typology of pharyngealization in Arabic dialects and then focuses on the analysis of pharyngealization (i.e., emphasis spread) in a subvariety of rural Jordanian Arabic, which differs considerably from other dialects. The preferred structure in this subvariety of Jordanian Arabic is the emphatic syllable (the domain of emphasis) which is the driving force behind the spread of emphasis from underlying em...
Article

Sep 30, 2020

Revisiting Greenberg’s “Generalizations about Numeral Systems” (1978)

Bernard Comrie

J. Univers. Lang. 2020;21(2):43-84.
https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2020.21.2.43

This article examines seven of the 54 generalizations on numeral systems presented by Greenberg in 1978 either as absolute universals or as universal tendencies. Five of the generalizations deal with details of the arithmetic structure of numeral systems, with particular reference to the order of elements in the numeral expression and to the use of subtraction and related phenomena in numeral expressions. It is shown that the details of these generalizations need to be revised in light of new data, and arg...
Article

Sep 30, 2020

The Universality and Cultural Specificity of Emotions through a Comparative Semantic Analysis of Emotion Terms in English and MA

Khalid Elasri, Abdelhakim Boubekri

J. Univers. Lang. 2020;21(2):85-109.
https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2020.21.2.85

Johnson-Laird & Oatley’s analysis of emotion terms in English reveals that these terms are organised in a semantic field encompassing categories that denote generic emotions, basic emotions, emotional relations, caused emotions, causatives, emotional goals, and complex emotions. All the emotions are based on five modes: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and disgust. This approach, termed ‘a theory of communication’, served a communicative function both within the brain and within social groups. However, whether this theory is applicabl...
Article

Sep 30, 2020

Cognition of Metaphorical Text in President Muhammadu Buhari’s Inaugural Speech

Eniayo Sobola

J. Univers. Lang. 2020;21(2):111-145.
https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2020.21.2.111

Political discourse has gained prominence in Nigeria and a crop of literature has emerged from different fields of study to discuss how the discourse has presented issues prevalent in the country at different political epochs. Political discourse uses figurative language such as metaphor, simile, metonymy, paradox, irony and antithesis. The use of figurative language raises issues on interpretation and cognition of political discourse. This study investigates cognition of metaphors used by President Muhammadu Buhari in his inaugural speech on h...
Article

Sep 30, 2020

Is Unish Moving toward Becoming a More Analytic Language?: With Special Reference to Morphological Changes

Jin-young Tak

J. Univers. Lang. 2020;21(2):147-172.
https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2020.21.2.147

This paper scrutinizes the morphology of Unish, one of the international auxiliary languages, with respect to its correlations of word order typology and discusses a linguistic type of Unish. It has been reported that Unish has the fixed word order SVO (i.e., subject-verb-object), little inflection, which means there are no cases of nominal or accusative markers, and no gender distinction markers. In light of this, this paper proposes that Unish is an analytic language where the syntactic or the semantic information is mostly conveyed by relyin...

CURRENT ISSUE: Sep 2020, Vol. 21 , No. 2

Article The Typology of Pharyngealization in Arabic Dialects Focusing on a Rural Jordanian Variety Basem Ibrahim Malawi Al-Raba’a, Stuart Davis J. Univers. Lang. 2020;21(2):1-42. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2020.21.2.1 HTML PDF PubReader	Article Revisiting Greenberg’s “Generalizations about Numeral Systems” (1978) Bernard Comrie J. Univers. Lang. 2020;21(2):43-84. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2020.21.2.43 HTML PDF PubReader
Article The Universality and Cultural Specificity of Emotions through a Comparative Semantic Analysis of Emotion Terms in English and MA Khalid Elasri, Abdelhakim Boubekri J. Univers. Lang. 2020;21(2):85-109. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2020.21.2.85 HTML PDF PubReader	Article Cognition of Metaphorical Text in President Muhammadu Buhari’s Inaugural Speech Eniayo Sobola J. Univers. Lang. 2020;21(2):111-145. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2020.21.2.111 HTML PDF PubReader
Article Is Unish Moving toward Becoming a More Analytic Language?: With Special Reference to Morphological Changes Jin-young Tak J. Univers. Lang. 2020;21(2):147-172. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2020.21.2.147 HTML PDF PubReader

MOST READ ARTICLE

Article Language Preference as a Precursor to Displacement and Extinction in Nigeria: The Roles of English Language and Nigerian Pidgin Joseph Babasola Osoba, Tajudeen Afolabi Alebiosu J. Univers. Lang. 2016;17(2):111-143. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2016.17.2.111 HTML PDF PubReader Last 3 months views: 554	Article Sonority and Reduplication in Hadoti Gulab Chand, Somdev Kar J. Univers. Lang. 2017;18(2):1-37. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2017.18.2.1 HTML PDF PubReader Last 3 months views: 507
Article Cognition of Metaphorical Text in President Muhammadu Buhari’s Inaugural Speech Eniayo Sobola J. Univers. Lang. 2020;21(2):111-145. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2020.21.2.111 HTML PDF PubReader Last 3 months views: 353	Article Analysis of Discourse in Nigerian Pidgin Joseph Babasola Osoba J. Univers. Lang. 2015;16(1):131-159. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2015.16.1.131 HTML PDF PubReader Last 3 months views: 325
Article A Lexicostatistics Comparison of Standard Yorùbá, Àkúrẹ́ and Ìkàrẹ́ Àkókó Dialects Bolanle Elizabeth Arokoyo, Olamide Oluwaseun Lagunju J. Univers. Lang. 2019;20(2):1-27. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2019.20.2.1 HTML PDF PubReader Last 3 months views: 319	Article Hypotheses on the Diachronic Development of the Akan Language Group Emmanuel Nicholas Abakah J. Univers. Lang. 2016;17(1):1-51. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2016.17.1.1 HTML PDF PubReader Last 3 months views: 303
Article Aramaic as a Lingua Franca During the Persian Empire (538-333 B.C.E.) Chul-hyun Bae J. Univers. Lang. 2004;5(1):1-20. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2004.5.1.1 HTML PDF PubReader Last 3 months views: 293	Article The Syntactic Position of Negative Markers in Idoma and Tiv: A Deviation from Language Universal Validity Issa Olarongbei Sanusi, Lydia Damilola Oyewole J. Univers. Lang. 2019;20(1):77-98. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2019.20.1.77 HTML PDF PubReader Last 3 months views: 291

MOST CITED ARTICLE

Article The European Union’s Need for an International Auxiliary Language Federico Gobbo J. Univers. Lang. 2005;6(1):1-28. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2005.6.1.1 HTML PDF PubReader Cited by 9	Article Subject–verb Inversion in Greek: Implications for Head Movement and Typology George Kotzoglou J. Univers. Lang. 2006;7(1):91-137. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2006.7.1.91 HTML PDF PubReader Cited by 7
Article A Typological Study of Tonal Systems of Japanese and Prinmi: Towards a Definition of Pitch-accent Languages Picus Sizhi Ding J. Univers. Lang. 2006;7(2):1-35. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2006.7.2.1 HTML PDF PubReader Cited by 7	Article A Comparison of Unish Grammar with Esperanto Dong-Young Lee J. Univers. Lang. 2002;3(2):57-74. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2002.3.2.57 HTML PDF PubReader Cited by 7
Article Languages and Universals David Odden J. Univers. Lang. 2003;4(1):33-74. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2003.4.1.33 HTML PDF PubReader Cited by 6	Article Internal and External Forces in Typology: Evidence from Iranian Languages Mohammad Dabir-Moghaddam J. Univers. Lang. 2006;7(1):29-47. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2006.7.1.29 HTML PDF PubReader Cited by 5
Article From Demonstratives to Copulas: A Cross-Linguistic Perspective and the Case of Polish Paweł Rutkowski J. Univers. Lang. 2006;7(2):147-175. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2006.7.2.147 HTML PDF PubReader Cited by 5	Article Learning Linguistics by Doing: The Secret Virtues of a Language Constructed in the Classroom Federico Gobbo J. Univers. Lang. 2013;14(2):113-135. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2013.14.2.113 HTML PDF PubReader Cited by 5