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 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 invite 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, 2022

CV Driven Resyllabification of Personal Names in Ẹdo

Osaigbovo Obed Evbuomwan, Veronica Edamwe Edobor-Uzamere

Journal of Universal Language 2022;23(2):1-21.
https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2022.23.2.1

Nouns in the Ẹdo language have been analysed as obligatorily beginning with a vowel. This paper examines personal names as one instance in which that previously conclusive assumption is violated. The synchronic data analysed in this study show that personal names are freely transformed in such a way that they are used with word initial consonants. The study considers this phenomenon as a resyllabification process that seeks to modify personal names to a CVCV syllable pattern. The study analysed personal names that were collected from Ẹdo s...
Article

Sep 30, 2022

Principles toward Optimization of Characters in a Semantic-Writing System

Paul Lance New

Journal of Universal Language 2022;23(2):23-75.
https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2022.23.2.23

Semantic characters such as for ‘skiing’ represent meaning rather than sound. For centuries, great minds such as Descartes, Leibniz, Francis Lodowyck, and Rev. John Wilkins have called for the creation of a writing-system comprised completely of semantic characters. Such a writing-system must possess enough characters to represent the universe; But too many characters will pose a challenge for users to learn and remember. This article argues for principles limiting the number of basic, non-deriv...
Article

Sep 30, 2022

Typology of Constituent Interrogatives in Central Yorùbá Dialects: A Minimalist Description

Emmanuel Ọmọniyì Ọláńrewájú

Journal of Universal Language 2022;23(2):77-108.
https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2022.23.2.77

This paper is an in-depth analysis of constituent interrogatives in Central Yorùbá (CY) dialects, detailing the forms and strategies employed for them with a view to examining the features that CY dialects as a group exhibit in common. Primary and secondary data were collected and subjected to syntactic analysis. This paper adopts the split CP hypothesis of Noam Chomsky’s minimalist program (MP) of generative grammar. CY dialects use question nouns (QNs), question verb (QV) and interrogative qualifiers to form their non-echoed questions. I...
Article

Sep 30, 2022

Yes/No Questions in Ẹ̀dó: Structure and Derivation

Perpetual Usenbo

Journal of Universal Language 2022;23(2):109-132.
https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2022.23.2.109

The aim of this paper is to explain the syntax of yes/no questions in Ẹ̀dó language. In line with its aim, the paper answers two research questions. First, what is the structure of yes/no questions? Second, how is this structure derived? The study relies on primary data from a questionnaire survey and observation of the language in use, as well as secondary data from a textual corpus. The corpus shows Ẹ̀dó forms polar questions in two ways: the use of prosody and five question markers. This paper confirms the position of previous st...
Article

Sep 30, 2022

Valency Decreasing in South Ethio-Semitic Languages

Tsige Yohannes Zeleke, Desalaegn Hagos Asfawwesen

Journal of Universal Language 2022;23(2):133-172.
https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2022.23.2.133

The current paper focuses on a descriptive approach to valency decreasing in five SESL (Amharic, Kɨstane, Məsqan, Harari and Endəgaɲ). As a result, a simple descriptive viewpoint does not compel the data analysis to comply with an explicitly theorized framework. By using the elicitation method, native speakers were consulted to access the data. It has been debated whether the value is a semantic or syntactic concept. As a syntactic concept, it is used to denote the number of arguments in construction and, semantically, to refer to the par...

CURRENT ISSUE: Sep 2022, Vol. 23 , No. 2

Article CV Driven Resyllabification of Personal Names in Ẹdo Osaigbovo Obed Evbuomwan, Veronica Edamwe Edobor-Uzamere Journal of Universal Language 2022;23(2):1-21. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2022.23.2.1 HTML PDF PubReader	Article Principles toward Optimization of Characters in a Semantic-Writing System Paul Lance New Journal of Universal Language 2022;23(2):23-75. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2022.23.2.23 HTML PDF PubReader
Article Typology of Constituent Interrogatives in Central Yorùbá Dialects: A Minimalist Description Emmanuel Ọmọniyì Ọláńrewájú Journal of Universal Language 2022;23(2):77-108. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2022.23.2.77 HTML PDF PubReader	Article Yes/No Questions in Ẹ̀dó: Structure and Derivation Perpetual Usenbo Journal of Universal Language 2022;23(2):109-132. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2022.23.2.109 HTML PDF PubReader
Article Valency Decreasing in South Ethio-Semitic Languages Tsige Yohannes Zeleke, Desalaegn Hagos Asfawwesen Journal of Universal Language 2022;23(2):133-172. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2022.23.2.133 HTML PDF PubReader

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