Writing and Printing

An Essay Towards a Real Character, and a Philosophical Language

An Essay Towards a Real Character, and a Philosophical Language (London, 1668) is the best-remembered of the numerous works of the English natural philosopher John Wilkins, in which he expounds a new universal language, meant primarily to facilitate international communication among scholars, but envisioned for use by diplomats, travelers, and merchants as well. Unlike many universal language schemes of the period, it was meant merely as an auxiliary to—not a replacement of—existing natural languages.

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See also

• ▸Al-Hira
• ▸Grindavík
• ▸Iranian languages

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