Engli

Language Overview

Engli is a new language based on English with some changes aiming to make it more logical, and easier to learn.

Here are some of its key features:

• 0 collisions — No words sound identical, and English words with multiple meanings that differ too much are split into multiple words
• Phonetically rigid — Each letter only has one sound, and the letters surrounding it have no impact on that
• 0 ambiguity — There is only one way to spell any word, and only one way to pronounce it
• 0 inconsistency — Prefixes and suffixes will stay separate from a word, like "multi-player" instead of "multiplayer"
• International — No more divide between "center" and "centre", "sentr" is used instead
• Faster to type in — Most words are shorter, which allows you to type faster

A full specification can be found in the spec/ directory.

Technical Description

Engli is a declaratively defined community "fork" of English with 0 collisions, 0 ambiguity, fully deterministic spelling/pronunciation via rigid phonetics, and more.

The language is defined entirely in .toml files in words/, as well as .md files in spec/. Dictionaries can thus be easily compiled from this repository to any format, such as HTML, LaTeX or others.

Here is an example of a word:

[[definition]]
text = "without charge, free"
class = "adverb"
example = "Cu srvis wuz ixwd greytis."

[[definition]]
text = "without charge, free"
class = "adjective"
example = "Cu greytis srvis wuz ixwd."

Usage

As a language

You can get started with reading and writing Engli by reading the spec.

As a dictionary API

You can easily get the definitions for any Engli word by reading and parsing a file at words/<name>.toml. Alternatively, you can compile all the words into a single file, such as a single database or JSON file.

License

Given the language is defined declaratively in a source code-like format, the project uses the MIT License.

FAQ

Q: Is this really a new language or just a different way to write English?

A: Engli is a new language based on English and not just a different way to write it. Engli differs in words, such as splitting the English word "free" into the Engli words "libr" and "greytis." Pronunciation will also differ in certain words.

Q: Why not use a Creative Commons license?

A: While Creative Commons licenses are more common on projects of this kind, Engli is defined declaratively in a source code-like format. We felt the MIT License would be more appropriate in this case.