Utopistliku maailmaparandamise laboratooriumis: Tallinna õpetaja Edgar von Wahl ja rahvusvahelise abikeele liikumine
In the laboratory of utopian world reform: The Tallinn teacher Edgar von Wahl and the international auxiliary language movement

Summary/Abstract: The creator of one of the most successful planned languages of the first half of the 20th century, Occidental (today known as Interlingue), was Edgar von Wahl (or de Wahl), a teacher from Tallinn. His success story was far from inevitable, but the factors that made it possible have received little attention in the existing literature. This article seeks to fill this gap by analyzing these factors as well as Wahl’s contribution to the international auxiliary language movement. The article mainly discusses the activities of three organizations central to the spread of the international auxiliary language idea: the Delegation for the Adoption of an International Auxiliary Language, the League of Nations, and the International Auxiliary Language Association. An analysis of the relationship between Wahl’s choices in interlinguistics and these organizations reveals that by the first half of the 20th century, the idea of an international auxiliary language had become remarkably popular all over the world and had attracted the attention of several institutions beyond the circles of dedicated enthusiasts. This widespread recognition was the primary precondition for Wahl’s success. However, his personal strategies and decades-long experience in the constructed language community were also crucial. He had been engaged with constructed languages since essentially the beginning of their heyday, that is, from the early years of Volapük and Esperanto. During this time, he had gained valuable experience with the technical intricacies of language creation through continuous dialogue with like-minded individuals, by contributing to various projects, and by navigating the institutional dynamics and competition within these circles. In the 1920s, Wahl successfully applied these experiences to promote his own language project, Occidental, and to mobilize new adherents to the movement around it. In doing so, he – unlike many other experimenters – managed to draw significant attention to his project and person and ultimately made a valuable contribution to the development of the international auxiliary language idea.

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