Lingua Franca Nova - Revision history

Nicomega: /* References */

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References

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	==Footnotes==		==Footnotes==
	{{reflist\|2}}		{{reflist\|2}}

	~~==References==~~
	* {{cite news \|last=Fisahn \|first=Stefan \|year=2005 \|title=Plansprache: Lingua Franca Nova \|work=Contraste \|issue=244 \|page=12}} <!--http://www.contraste.org/-->
	* {{cite news \|last=Harrison \|first=Richard K. \|year=2008 \|title=Lingua Franca Nova \|work=Invented Languages \|issue=1 \|pages=30–33}}<!-- https://web.archive.org/web/20121021173748/http://www.lulu.com/shop/various-authors/invented-languages-1/paperback/product-2838506.html;jsessionid=66F60B81E83D9238F7B6D5FD1263BB50 https://web.archive.org/web/20081121184427/http://www.glossopoeia.org/invented_languages.html -->

	== External links ==		== External links ==

Nicomega at 06:03, 11 February 2021

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	~~{{wikipedia}}~~
	{{Infobox language		{{Infobox language
	\|name=Lingua Franca Nova		\|name=Lingua Franca Nova
	\|nativename=''lingua franca nova, лингуа франка нова''		\|nativename=''lingua franca nova, лингуа франка нова''
	\|speakers= 603 on [[Facebook~~]]\|ref=~~<ref name=facebook>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.facebook.com/groups/2557990156/about/\|title=Lingua Franca Nova\|website=Facebook\|language=en\|access-date=2020-09-28}}</ref>		\|speakers= 603 on Facebook<ref name=facebook>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.facebook.com/groups/2557990156/about/\|title=Lingua Franca Nova\|website=Facebook\|language=en\|access-date=2020-09-28}}</ref>
	\|date=2020		\|date=2020
	\|~~fam2~~=[[~~International auxiliary~~ language]]		\|familycolor= conlang
	\|creator=[[C. George Boeree]]		\|fam1=[[Auxiliary language]]
			\|creator=[[w:C. George Boeree\|C. George Boeree]]
	\|created=1965<ref name=beginning>{{cite web \|url=https://elefen.org/vici/linguistica/la_evolui_de_elefen \|title=La evolui de elefen \|language=lfn \|first=C. George \|last=Boeree \|access-date=2020-11-09 \|website=Vici de Elefen}}</ref>		\|created=1965<ref name=beginning>{{cite web \|url=https://elefen.org/vici/linguistica/la_evolui_de_elefen \|title=La evolui de elefen \|language=lfn \|first=C. George \|last=Boeree \|access-date=2020-11-09 \|website=Vici de Elefen}}</ref>
	\|setting=[[~~International auxiliary~~ language]]		\|setting=[[Auxiliary language]]
	\|posteriori=based on [[Romance languages\|Romance]] and [[Creole languages]]		\|posteriori=based on [[w:Romance languages\|Romance]] and [[w:Creole languages\|Creole languages]]
	\|script=[[Latin script\|Latin]]<br/>[[Cyrillic script\|Cyrillic]]		\|script=[[w:Latin script\|Latin]]<br/>[[w:Cyrillic script\|Cyrillic]]
	\|agency=Asosia per Lingua Franca Nova (ALFN)<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://elefen.org/vici/usor/chabi/asosia \|title=Asosia per Lingua Franca Nova \|language=LFN \|website=Vici de Elefen}}</ref>		\|agency=Asosia per Lingua Franca Nova (ALFN)<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://elefen.org/vici/usor/chabi/asosia \|title=Asosia per Lingua Franca Nova \|language=LFN \|website=Vici de Elefen}}</ref>
	\|iso3=lfn		\|iso3=lfn
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	}}		}}

	'''Lingua Franca Nova''' (/ˈliŋɡwa ˈfraŋka ˈnɔva/) abbreviated as '''LFN''', and called '''elefen''' by many of its users<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://elefen.org/faq.html\|title=Frequently asked questions\|first=C. George\|last=Boeree\|date=March 2014\|access-date=2020-09-28\|quote=[...] we decided to use the alternative name “Elefen” for the language. Many followers found “Lingua Franca Nova” cumbersome, and “LFN” boring. So, “Elefen” was born [...]}}</ref>) is an [[~~International~~ auxiliary ~~language\|auxiliary]] [[constructed~~ language]] originally created by [[C. George Boeree]] of [[Shippensburg University]], [[Pennsylvania]],<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/11/pennsylvania_dialects.html\|title=Pennsylvania's dialects are as varied as its downtowns -- and dahntahns\|work=PennLive.com}}</ref> and further developed by many of its users. Its vocabulary is based on the [[Romance languages~~]] [[French language\|~~French]], ~~[[Italian language\|~~Italian]], [[Portuguese ~~language\|Portuguese]]~~, ~~[[Spanish language\|~~Spanish]], and [[Catalan ~~language\|Catalan]]~~.		'''Lingua Franca Nova''' (/ˈliŋɡwa ˈfraŋka ˈnɔva/) abbreviated as '''LFN''', and called '''elefen''' by many of its users<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://elefen.org/faq.html\|title=Frequently asked questions\|first=C. George\|last=Boeree\|date=March 2014\|access-date=2020-09-28\|quote=[...] we decided to use the alternative name “Elefen” for the language. Many followers found “Lingua Franca Nova” cumbersome, and “LFN” boring. So, “Elefen” was born [...]}}</ref>) is an [[auxiliary language]] originally created by [[w:C. George Boeree\|C. George Boeree]] of Shippensburg University, Pennsylvania,<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/11/pennsylvania_dialects.html\|title=Pennsylvania's dialects are as varied as its downtowns -- and dahntahns\|work=PennLive.com}}</ref> and further developed by many of its users. Its vocabulary is based on the Romance languages French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Catalan.

	Lingua Franca Nova has ~~[[Phonemic orthography\|~~phonemic spelling]] based on 22 letters, and can be written by using either the [[Latin ~~script\|Latin]]~~ or ~~[[Cyrillic script\|~~Cyrillic]] scripts.		Lingua Franca Nova has phonemic spelling based on 22 letters, and can be written by using either the Latin or Cyrillic scripts.

	The grammar of Lingua Franca Nova is inspired by the [[Romance ~~languages\|Romance]] [[~~creole languages]]. As most creole languages, Lingua Franca Nova has an extremely simplified grammatical system easy to learn.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://elefen.org/introdui/engles.html\|title=Elefen - Introduction in English\|website=elefen.org\|access-date=2018-05-29}}</ref><ref name="Fluffy Bunnies">{{cite web\|url=http://www.richardsandesforsyth.net/docs/bunnies.pdf\|title=In Praise of Fluffy Bunnies\|first=Richard Sandes\|last=Forsyth\|year=2012\|access-date=2020-09-28}}</ref>		The grammar of Lingua Franca Nova is inspired by the Romance creole languages. As most creole languages, Lingua Franca Nova has an extremely simplified grammatical system easy to learn.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://elefen.org/introdui/engles.html\|title=Elefen - Introduction in English\|website=elefen.org\|access-date=2018-05-29}}</ref><ref name="Fluffy Bunnies">{{cite web\|url=http://www.richardsandesforsyth.net/docs/bunnies.pdf\|title=In Praise of Fluffy Bunnies\|first=Richard Sandes\|last=Forsyth\|year=2012\|access-date=2020-09-28}}</ref>

	== History ==		== History ==

Nicomega: /* External links */

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External links

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	== External links ==		== External links ==
	~~{{InterWiki\|code=lfn}}~~
	~~{{wikibooks}}~~
	* [http://elefen.org/ Official website] {{in lang\|lfn}}<!-- https://web.archive.org/web/20140220145459/http://webspace.ship.edu:80/cgboer/lfn/ -->		* [http://elefen.org/ Official website] {{in lang\|lfn}}<!-- https://web.archive.org/web/20140220145459/http://webspace.ship.edu:80/cgboer/lfn/ -->
	* [http://www.elefen.org/disionario/ Dictionary]<!--http://purl.org/net/lfn/disionario/-->		* [http://www.elefen.org/disionario/ Dictionary]<!--http://purl.org/net/lfn/disionario/-->
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	* [http://lingua.franca.nova.free.fr/index_uk.php Lingua Franca Nova on Langoland]<!--http://langoland.free.fr/-->		* [http://lingua.franca.nova.free.fr/index_uk.php Lingua Franca Nova on Langoland]<!--http://langoland.free.fr/-->
	* [[wikt:Appendix:Lingua Franca Nova Swadesh list\|Swadesh list for Lingua Franca Nova]]		* [[wikt:Appendix:Lingua Franca Nova Swadesh list\|Swadesh list for Lingua Franca Nova]]
	~~{{Constructed languages}}~~
	~~{{Interlanguage varieties}}~~

	~~[[Category:Auxiliary languages]]~~		{{aux}}
	~~[[Category:Languages written in Latin script]]~~		{{IE}}
	~~[[Category:Languages written in Cyrillic script]]~~
	~~[[Category:Constructed languages introduced in the 1990s]]~~
	~~[[Category:1998 introductions]]~~

Nicomega: Created page with "{{wikipedia}} {{Infobox language |name=Lingua Franca Nova |nativename=''lingua franca nova, лингуа франка нова'' |speakers= 603 on Facebook|ref=
2021-02-05T18:46:11Z

Created page with "{{wikipedia}} {{Infobox language |name=Lingua Franca Nova |nativename=''lingua franca nova, лингуа франка нова'' |speakers= 603 on Facebook|ref=<ref name=f..."

New page
{{wikipedia}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Lingua Franca Nova
|nativename=''lingua franca nova, лингуа франка нова''
|speakers= 603 on [[Facebook]]|ref=<ref name=facebook>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/groups/2557990156/about/|title=Lingua Franca Nova|website=Facebook|language=en|access-date=2020-09-28}}</ref>
|date=2020
|fam2=[[International auxiliary language]]
|creator=[[C. George Boeree]]
|created=1965<ref name=beginning>{{cite web |url=https://elefen.org/vici/linguistica/la_evolui_de_elefen |title=La evolui de elefen |language=lfn |first=C. George |last=Boeree |access-date=2020-11-09 |website=Vici de Elefen}}</ref>
|setting=[[International auxiliary language]]
|posteriori=based on [[Romance languages|Romance]] and [[Creole languages]]
|script=[[Latin script|Latin]] [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]]
|agency=Asosia per Lingua Franca Nova (ALFN)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elefen.org/vici/usor/chabi/asosia |title=Asosia per Lingua Franca Nova |language=LFN |website=Vici de Elefen}}</ref>
|iso3=lfn
|linglist=lfn
|image=Flag of Lingua Franca Nova.svg
|imagesize=200px
|notice=IPA
|glotto=ling1267
|glottorefname=Lingua Franca Nova
}}

'''Lingua Franca Nova''' (/ˈliŋɡwa ˈfraŋka ˈnɔva/) abbreviated as '''LFN''', and called '''elefen''' by many of its users<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elefen.org/faq.html|title=Frequently asked questions|first=C. George|last=Boeree|date=March 2014|access-date=2020-09-28|quote=[...] we decided to use the alternative name “Elefen” for the language. Many followers found “Lingua Franca Nova” cumbersome, and “LFN” boring. So, “Elefen” was born [...]}}</ref>) is an [[International auxiliary language|auxiliary]] [[constructed language]] originally created by [[C. George Boeree]] of [[Shippensburg University]], [[Pennsylvania]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/11/pennsylvania_dialects.html|title=Pennsylvania's dialects are as varied as its downtowns -- and dahntahns|work=PennLive.com}}</ref> and further developed by many of its users. Its vocabulary is based on the [[Romance languages]] [[French language|French]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], and [[Catalan language|Catalan]].

Lingua Franca Nova has [[Phonemic orthography|phonemic spelling]] based on 22 letters, and can be written by using either the [[Latin script|Latin]] or [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] scripts.

The grammar of Lingua Franca Nova is inspired by the [[Romance languages|Romance]] [[creole languages]]. As most creole languages, Lingua Franca Nova has an extremely simplified grammatical system easy to learn.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://elefen.org/introdui/engles.html|title=Elefen - Introduction in English|website=elefen.org|access-date=2018-05-29}}</ref><ref name="Fluffy Bunnies">{{cite web|url=http://www.richardsandesforsyth.net/docs/bunnies.pdf|title=In Praise of Fluffy Bunnies|first=Richard Sandes|last=Forsyth|year=2012|access-date=2020-09-28}}</ref>

== History ==
Boeree started to design Lingua Franca Nova in 1965,<ref name=beginning /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://elefen.org/vici/linguistica/arciveria/istoria_de_elefen |title=Istoria de elefen |language=LFN |website=Vici de Elefen |first=C. George |last=Boeree |access-date=2020-11-10}}</ref> with the goal of creating an [[international auxiliary language]] simple, coherent and easy to learn for international communication.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.panix.com/~bartlett/ial.html |title=Conlangs and International Auxiliary Languages |date=2005-11-30 |first=Paul O. |last=Bartlett |access-date=2020-11-13}}</ref> He was inspired by the [[Mediterranean Lingua Franca]] or "Sabir", a Romance [[pidgin]] used by European sailors and merchants as a [[lingua franca]] in the [[Mediterranean Basin]] from the 11–18th century, and by various [[Creole language|creoles]] such as [[Papiamento]] and [[Haitian Creole]]. He used [[French language|French]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], and [[Catalan language|Catalan]] as [[lexifier]]s.

Lingua Franca Nova was first presented on the internet in 1998.<ref name=beginning /> A [[Yahoo! Groups|Yahoo! Group]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/LinguaFrancaNova/|title=Lingua Franca Nova (LFN)|website=Yahoo! Groups|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070114120038/http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/LinguaFrancaNova/|archive-date=2007-01-14|url-status=dead}}</ref> was formed in 2002 by Bjorn Madsen, and reached about 300 members who contributed significantly to the further evolution of the language.

In 2005 Stefan Fisahn created a [[wiki]] for the language.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050121080453/http://lfn.esef.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi|archive-date=2005-01-21|url=http://lfn.esef.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi|title=LinguaFrancaNova|language=LFN}}</ref> The wiki moved to [[Wikia]] in 2009,<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219201623/http://lfn.wikia.com/wiki/Paje_xef|archive-date=2009-02-19|url=http://lfn.wikia.com/wiki/Paje_xef|title=Paje xef|language=LFN|website=Wikia}}</ref> then was hosted directly on the official website in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elefen.org/vici/|language=lfn|title=xef|website=Vici de Elefen}}</ref>

In 2007, Igor Vasiljevic created a [[Facebook]] group, which now has over 600 members.<ref name=facebook />

LFN was given an [[ISO 639-3]] designation ("lfn") by [[SIL International|SIL]] in January 2008.<ref>[https://iso639-3.sil.org/code/lfn ISO designation]</ref>

In 2008 Simon Davies started to make important updates to the LFN–English searchable "master" dictionary.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080425190651/http://ccgi.esperanto.plus.com/cgi-bin/lfn/disionario.php |url=http://ccgi.esperanto.plus.com/cgi-bin/lfn/disionario.php |archive-date=2008-04-25 |language=LFN |date=2008-04-25 |title=Disionario de Lingua Franca Nova a engles}}</ref> The dictionary is being kept up-to-date in the official website,<ref>[https://elefen.org/disionario/ Disionario de Elefen]</ref> with over 20,000 entries, and was even published in printed form in 2018.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Davies|first1=Simon|last2=Boeree|first2=C. George|date=2018-07-04|title=Disionario de Lingua Franca Nova: elefen-engles engles-elefen|isbn=978-1782012177|publisher=Evertype}}</ref>

In 2012 a novel entirely translated in Lingua Franca Nova was first published in printed form: "La aventuras de Alisia en la pais de mervelias", which is Simon Davies's translation of [[Lewis Carroll]]'s "[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lewiscarroll.org/2012/05/06/alice-in-hawaiian-and-six-more-languages-besides/|title=Alice in Hawaiian and six more languages besides|date=2012-05-06|first=Rachel|last=Eley|website=Lewis Carroll Society of North America (LCSNA)|access-date=2020-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609043842/https://www.lewiscarroll.org/2012/05/06/alice-in-hawaiian-and-six-more-languages-besides/|archive-date=2012-06-09|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pagef30.com/2012/03/book-has-been-translated-into-lingua.html |title=A book has been translated into Lingua Franca Nova; can be purchased at amazon.com |website=Page F30 |date=2012-03-21 |access-date=2020-11-13 |author=Mithridates}}</ref>

In 2014 a new official website was launched on the "elefen.org" domain: it offers various teaching supports (such as word lists for travellers, complete grammar guides) available in several languages, and hosts a wiki and the searchable official dictionary. Some literary works entirely translated in Lingua Franca Nova are also publicly available on the official website for reading.

On April 18, 2018, [[:lfn:|Wikipedia in Lingua Franca Nova]], called "Vicipedia", was officially launched as a regular Wikipedia project.<ref>[[phab:T183561|Task on Phabricator]]</ref>

On January 5, 2021, the language's creator, [[C. George Boeree]], died of pancreatic cancer aged 68.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elefen.org/aora_oji/2021/cornelis_george_boeree_1952-2021.html |title=Cornelis George Boeree (1952-2021) |date=2021-01-08 |access-date=2021-01-09 |language=lfn}}</ref>

===Sources of lexicon===
The lexicon of Lingua Franca Nova is primarily founded on West Romance languages: [[French language|French]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], and [[Catalan language|Catalan]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elefen.org/vici/linguistica/fontes_de_vocabulo |title=Fontes de vocabulo |website=Vici de Elefen |access-date=2020-11-10 |language=lfn}}</ref>

Lingua Franca Nova does not derive the word form in a strictly logical way, but lexicon creators also consider sound beauty and other subjective factors. Generally, if a word is similar in most of source languages, this is adopted.

Of course, each languages has spelling and pronunciation variants. Generally, Lingua Franca Nova prefers pronunciation to spelling.

When source languages share a native word from Latin, but they change it in various ways, Lingua Franca Nova prefers the oldest variant, namely a variant similar to Latin. For example:

{| class=wikitable
! Latin !! Italian !! Spanish !! Portuguese !! French !! LFN
|-
| pleno || pieno || lleno || cheio || plein || {{tooltip|plen|full}}
|-
| clave || chiave || llave || chave || clef || {{tooltip|clave|key}}
|-
| flamma || fiamma || llama || chama || flamme || {{tooltip|flama|flame}}
|}

But when the Latin form does not agree to the [[phonotactics|phonotactic]] rules of Lingua Franca Nova, its spelling is adapted (similarly to modern languages, especially Italian):

{| class=wikitable
! Latin !! Italian !! Spanish !! Portuguese !! French !! LFN
|-
| lacte || latte || leche || leite || lait || {{tooltip|lete|milk}}
|-
| lecto || letto || lecho || leito || lit || {{tooltip|leto|bed}}
|-
| nocte || notte || noche || noite || nuit || {{tooltip|note|night}}
|}

The lexicon of Lingua Franca Nova can accept foreign words being internationally important (for example names of modern nations, main languages, seas and other international geographic entities, important entities from various world cultures). Generally, words are [[Phonetic transcription|phonetically transcripted]], not [[Orthographic transcription|orthographically]] (for example, letter ''c'' becomes ''s'' if the source language spells it in a [[sibilant]] way, ''tx'' in words taken from Italian). A lot of exceptions are possible, especially when the pronunciation is uncertain; in such a case, orthography is preferably followed (for example, word "English" is transcribed as ''engles'' and not ''inglix'' to retain a more recognizable form).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elefen.org/vici/linguistica/parolas_stranjer |title=Parolas stranjer |website=Vici de Elefen |access-date=2020-11-10 |language=lfn}}</ref>

== Orthography and pronunciation ==
LFN is normally written using the [[Latin script]]. A parallel [[Cyrillic script]] is also available:

{| class="wikitable"
|+ LFN alphabet
! [[Latin script]]
| a || b || c || d || e || f || g || h || i || j || l || m || n || o || p || r || s || t || u || v || x || z
|-
! [[Cyrillic script]]
| а || б || к || д || е || ф || г || х || и || ж || л || м || н || о || п || р || с || т || у || в || ш || з
|-
![[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]
| {{IPA|[a~ɑ]}} || {{IPA|[b]}} || {{IPA|[k]}} || {{IPA|[d]}} || {{IPA|[e~ɛ]}} || {{IPA|[f]}} || {{IPA|[ɡ]}} || {{IPA|[h]}} || {{IPA|[i/j]}} || {{IPA|[ʒ]}} || {{IPA|[l]}} || {{IPA|[m]}} || {{IPA|[n/ŋ]}} || {{IPA|[o~ɔ]}} || {{IPA|[p]}} || {{IPA|[r]}} || {{IPA|[s]}} || {{IPA|[t]}} || {{IPA|[u/w]}} || {{IPA|[v]}} || {{IPA|[ʃ]}} || {{IPA|[z]}}
|-
!Names
| a || be || ce || de || e || ef || ge || hax || i || je || el || em || en || o || pe || er || es || te || u || ve || ex || ze
|}

LFN [[vowel]]s (''a'', ''e'', ''i'', ''o'' and ''u'') are pronounced as they are in Spanish or Italian (approximately as in ''bar'', ''bait'' or ''bet'', ''beet'', ''boat'' or ''ball'', and ''boot''). The vowel sounds allow a degree of variation, especially ''a'', ''e'', and ''o'', as indicated in the chart above.

[[Diphthong]]s are ''ai'' {{IPA|[ai~ɑi]}}, ''au'' {{IPA|[au~ɑu]}}, ''eu'' {{IPA|[eu~ɛu]}}, and ''oi'' {{IPA|[oi~ɔi]}} (approximately as in ''my'', ''cow'', ''"eh-w"'', and ''boy'').

The letters ''i'' and ''u'' are used as [[semivowel]]s ({{IPA|[j]}} and {{IPA|[w]}}) at the start of a word before a vowel (e.g. ''{{tooltip|ioga|yoga}}''), between vowels (e.g. ''{{tooltip|joia|joy}}''), in ''li'' and ''ni'' (not in the first syllable of a word) between vowels (e.g. ''{{tooltip|folia|leaf}}''), and in ''cu'' and ''gu'' before a vowel (e.g. ''{{tooltip|acua|water}}''). The letter ''n'' is pronounced as in ''think'' ({{IPA|[ŋ]}}) before ''g'' (e.g. ''{{tooltip|longa|long}}'') and ''c'' (e.g. ''{{tooltip|ance|also}}''), and in ''-ng'' at the end of a syllable (e.g. ''{{tooltip|bumerang|boomerang}}''). The letters ''e'' and ''o'' may vary in pronunciation, as indicated above by tildes (~).

Although stress is ''not'' phonemic in LFN, most words are stressed on the vowel or diphthong before the last consonant (e.g. ''{{tooltip|c'''a'''sa|house}}'', ''{{tooltip|abe'''o'''n|bumblebee}}'', ''{{tooltip|b'''a'''ia|bay}}''). Words with no vowel before the last consonant are accented on the first vowel (e.g. ''{{tooltip|t'''i'''o|uncle}}''). Words ending in a diphthong are accented on the diphthong (e.g. ''{{tooltip|cac'''a'''u|cocoa}}''). Those ending in the double vowels ''ae'', ''ao'', ''ea'', ''eo'', ''oa'', ''oe'', or ''ui'' are accented on the first of these vowels (e.g. ''{{tooltip|id'''e'''a|idea}}''). The addition of ''-s'' or ''-es'' for plural nouns does not alter the stress.

The phoneme /h/ is highly marginal and may be silent.

The letters ''k'', ''q'', ''w'', and ''y'' (''ka'', ''qua'', ''wa'', and ''ya'') are available for words and names from other languages. Variations in pronunciation are acceptable.

== Grammar ==

{{Main|Lingua Franca Nova grammar}}

LFN is an [[Subject–verb–object|SVO]] (subject-verb-object) language. [[Grammatical modifier|Modifiers]] generally follow what they modify, as do [[prepositional phrases]] and [[Clause|subordinate clauses]].

Other than the plural in '''''-s''''' or '''''-es,''''' [[noun]]s are invariant. A noun's role in a sentence is determined by word order and [[preposition]]s. There are 22 prepositions, such as '''''a''''' (at, to), '''''de''''' (of, from), '''''en''''' (in, into), and '''''con''''' (with).

Nouns are usually preceded by [[article (grammar)|articles]] ('''''la''''' or '''''un''''') or other [[determiner (linguistics)|determiners]] such as '''''esta''''' (this, these), '''''acel''''' (that, those), '''''alga''''' (some), '''''cada''''' (every, each), '''''multe''''' (many, much), and '''''poca''''' (few, little). Possessive determiners, [[cardinal numeral]]s, and the adjectives '''''bon''''' and '''''mal''''' (good and bad) also precede the noun; [[ordinal numeral]]s follow the noun. A variety of pronouns are identical to or derived from determiners.

The personal [[pronouns]] are invariant:
:{| class="wikitable"
! person
! singular
! plural
|-
! 1
| me
| nos
|-
! 2
| tu
| vos
|-
! 3
| el / lo / on
| los
|}

'''''El''''' is used for people and higher animals; '''''Lo''''' is used for all else. '''''On''''' is used in the same way as in French or "one" in English (in the way that one would be using it if one said this sentence).

For the first and second person pronouns, the reflexives are the same as the regular pronouns, and the possessive determiners are '''''mea, nosa, tua,''''' and '''''vosa.''''' Possessive pronouns are formed by using the article '''''la''''' before possessive determiners, e.g. '''''la mea'''''.

'''''Se''''' is the third-person reflexive, singular and plural. The third person possessive determiner, both singular and plural, is '''''sua''''', and the possessive pronoun is '''''la sua'''''.

[[Verbs]] are invariant. The verb alone represents the present tense and the infinitive. Other [[Grammatical tense|tense]]s and [[Grammatical mood|moods]] are indicated by preceding particles:
{| class="wikitable"
|-−
!tense/mood !! particle !! example !! translation
|-
| present || - || me vade || I go
|-
|past ||ia ||me ia vade ||I went
|-
|future ||va ||me va vade ||I will go
|-
|conditional ||ta ||me ta vade || I would go
|}

[[Adverbs]] such as '''''ja''''' (already) and auxiliary verbs such as '''''comensa''''' (begin to) are used to add precision. The active [[participle]] ends in '''''-nte''''' and the passive participle in '''''-da.''''' They can be used with '''''es''''' (to be) to form a progressive aspect and a passive voice, respectively.

[[Adjectives]] are invariant, and adverbs are not distinguished from adjectives. Adjectives follow nouns and adverbs follow verbs but precede adjectives. The [[comparative]] is formed with '''''plu''''' or '''''min,''''' the [[superlative]] with '''''la plu''''' or '''''la min.'''''

[[Question]]s are formed by preceding the sentence with '''''esce''''' or by using one of several "question words", such as '''''cual''''' (what, which), '''''ci''''' (who), '''''do''''' (where), '''''cuando''''' (when), and '''''perce''''' (why).<ref>{{cite news |first1=Christo |last1=Moskovsky |first2=Alan |last2=Libert |year=2006 |title=Questions in Natural and Artificial Languages |work=Journal of Universal Language |issue=7 |pages=65–120 |url=http://www.unish.org/upload/word/7-2-03-QuestionsInNat%26ALs2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201143116/http://www.unish.org/upload/word/7-2-03-QuestionsInNat%26ALs2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2014-02-01}}</ref> These same words are also used to introduce [[subordinate clauses]], as are words such as '''''si''''' (if), '''''ce''''' (that), '''''car''''' (because), and '''''afin''''' (so that).

[[Prepositions]] include '''''a''''' (at, to), '''''de''''' (of, from), '''''ante''''' (before, in front of), '''''pos''''' (after, behind), etc.

[[Conjunctions]] include '''''e''''' (and), '''''o''''' (or), and '''''ma''''' (but).

== Affixes ==

LFN has a small number of regular [[affixes]] that help to create new words.

Three [[suffixes]] that create nouns are '''''-or,''''' '''''-ador,''''' and '''''-eria,''''' which refer to a person, a device, and a place respectively. They can be added to any noun, adjective, or verb. For example:
* ''carne'' (meat) + ''-or'' > ''carnor'' (butcher)
* ''lava'' + ''-ador'' > ''lavador'' (washing machine)
* ''flor'' + -''eria'' > ''floreria'' (florist shop)

Another suffix is '''''-i''''' which, added to an adjective and some nouns, means "to become" or "to cause to become". It is also used with names for tools, machines, or supplies with the meaning "to use". For example:
* ''calda'' (hot) + ''-i'' > ''caldi'' (to heat)
* ''telefon'' (telephone) + ''-i'' > ''telefoni'' (to telephone)

Two more suffixes are '''''-eta,''''' which means a small version of something, and '''''-on,''''' which means a large version of something. (They are ''not,'' however, simply synonyms for small and large!) For example:
* ''bove'' (cow, cattle) + ''-eta'' > ''boveta'' (calf)
* ''tela'' (cloth) + ''-on'' > ''telon'' (sheet, tablecloth)

There are also three suffixes that turn nouns into adjectives: '''''-al''''' means "pertaining to...," '''''-in''''' means "similar to...," '''''-osa''''' means "full of..." For example:
* ''nasion'' (nation) + ''-al'' > ''nasional'' (national)
* ''serpente'' (serpent) + ''-in'' > ''serpentin'' (serpentine)
* ''mofo'' (mold) + ''-osa'' > ''mofosa'' (moldy)

Other suffixes include '''''-able''''' (-able), '''''-isme''''' (-ism), and '''''-iste''''' (-ist).

There are also several [[Prefix (linguistics)|prefixes]]. '''''Non-''''' means not, '''''re-''''' means again or in the opposite direction, and '''''des-''''' means to undo. For example:
* ''non-'' + ''felis'' (happy) > ''nonfelis'' (unhappy)
* ''re-'' + ''pone'' (place) > ''repone'' (replace)
* ''des-'' + ''infeta'' (infect) > ''desinfeta'' (disinfect)

Other prefixes include '''''pos-''''' (post-), '''''pre-''''' (pre-), '''''supra-''''' (super-), '''''su-''''' (sub-), '''''media-''''' (mid-), '''''vis-''''' (vice-), '''''inter-''''' (inter-), and '''''auto-''''' (auto-, self-)

[[compound (linguistics)|Compounds]] of verbs plus objects create nouns:
* ''porta'' (carry) + ''candela'' (candle) > ''portacandela'' (candlestick)
* ''pasa'' (pass) + ''tempo'' (time) > ''pasatempo'' (pastime)
* ''para'' (stop) + ''pluve'' (rain) > ''parapluve'' (umbrella)

Two nouns are rarely joined (as they often are in English), but are linked with '''''de''''' or other prepositions instead:
* ''avia '''de''' mar'' - seabird
* ''casa '''per''' avias'' - birdhouse
* ''xef '''de''' polisia'' - police chief

==Literature==
A rich literature in Lingua Franca Nova with both original and translated texts exists. Here are the main literary works translated in Lingua Franca Nova, all publicly available for reading on the official website:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elefen.org/leteratur/index.html|language=lfn|title=Leteratur}}</ref>
* ''Colinas como elefantes blanca'' ([[Hills Like White Elephants]]) by [[Ernest Hemingway]]
* ''Demandas de un laboror lejente'' ([[Svendborger Gedichte|Fragen eines lesenden Arbeiters]]) by [[Bertolt Brecht]]
* ''Frate peti'' ([[Little Brother (Doctorow novel)|Little Brother]]) by [[Cory Doctorow]]
* ''La alia de capeles roja'' ([[The Red-Headed League]]) by [[Arthur Conan Doyle]]
* ''La aventuras de Alisia en la pais de mervelias'' ([[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]) by [[Lewis Carroll]]
* ''La cade de la Casa de Usor'' ([[The Fall of the House of Usher]]) by [[Edgar Allan Poe]]
* ''La jigante egoiste'' ([[The Happy Prince and Other Tales#"The Selfish Giant"|The Selfish Giant]]) by [[Oscar Wilde]]
* ''La prinse peti'' ([[The Little Prince]]) by [[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry]]
* ''Leteras de la tera'' ([[Letters from the Earth]]) by [[Mark Twain]]
* ''Re Lear'' ([[King Lear]]) by [[William Shakespeare]]
* ''Tra la miror, e lo cual Alisia trova a ultra'' ([[Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There]]) by [[Lewis Carroll]]
* ''Un canta de natal'' ([[A Christmas Carol]]) by [[Charles Dickens]]

==Flag==
[[File:Flag of Lingua Franca Nova.svg|thumb|Flag of Lingua Franca Nova.]]

The flag of Lingua Franca Nova, designed in 2010 by Stefan Fisahn and Beate Hornung, is the main symbol of Lingua Franca Nova and Elefenists.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fotw.info/flags/qy-lfn.html |title=Flags of Lingua Franca Nova (language) |website=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |access-date=2020-11-15}}</ref>

The flag is made up of five color strips (blue, green, yellow, orange and red) starting from the bottom-left angle and extending to top and right borders.

It is similar to the flag of [[Seychelles]], a country which adopts the [[Seychellois Creole]] as its official language, but uses the colors of a rainbow symbolizing peace. Its shape is meant to call the sunrise to mind.

In the past other flags existed: the first one, originally designed by Boeree and jokingly called "europijon" from the word pun between "pijon" ([[Doves as symbols|dove]]) and "europijin" (euro[[pidgin]]), was inspired by [[Pablo Picasso]]'s drawing.

==Sample texts in LFN==
===Article 1 from the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]]===
{{quote|text=
{{lang|lfn|Tota umanas es naseda como persones libre e egal en dinia e diretos. Los ave razona e consiensa e debe trata lunlotra con la spirito de fratia.}}
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
|multiline=yes
|title=[[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]], art. 1<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elefen.org/leteratur/declara_universal_de_diretos_umana_completa.html |language=LFN |first=C. George |last=Boeree |title=Declara universal de diretos umana |access-date=2020-11-14}}</ref>
}}

===Lord's Prayer===
{{quote|text=
{{lang|lfn|Nosa Padre, ci es en la sielo, ta ce tua nom es santida, ta ce tua rena veni, ta ce tua vole aveni, sur la tera como en la sielo. Dona oji nosa pan dial a nos, e pardona nosa detas como nos pardona nosa detores, e no lasa nos cade en tenta, ma libri nos de malia. Amen.}}
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
|multiline=yes
|title=[[Lord's Prayer]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elefen.org/vici/relijio/nosa_padre |title=Nosa padre |language=LFN |website=Vici de Elefen |access-date=2020-11-11}}</ref>
}}

== See also ==
* [[Lingua franca]]
* [[International auxiliary language]]
* [[List of constructed languages]]

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
* {{cite news |last=Fisahn |first=Stefan |year=2005 |title=Plansprache: Lingua Franca Nova |work=Contraste |issue=244 |page=12}} 
* {{cite news |last=Harrison |first=Richard K. |year=2008 |title=Lingua Franca Nova |work=Invented Languages |issue=1 |pages=30–33}}

== External links ==
{{InterWiki|code=lfn}}
{{wikibooks}}
* [http://elefen.org/ Official website] {{in lang|lfn}}
* [http://www.elefen.org/disionario/ Dictionary]
* [https://elefen.org/gramatica/en/index.html Grammar]
* [https://elefen.org/leteratur/index.html Literature] {{in lang|lfn}}
* [https://elefen.org/vici/ Vici de Elefen] {{in lang|lfn}}
* [http://lingua.franca.nova.free.fr/index_uk.php Lingua Franca Nova on Langoland]
* [[wikt:Appendix:Lingua Franca Nova Swadesh list|Swadesh list for Lingua Franca Nova]]
{{Constructed languages}}
{{Interlanguage varieties}}

[[Category:Auxiliary languages]]
[[Category:Languages written in Latin script]]
[[Category:Languages written in Cyrillic script]]
[[Category:Constructed languages introduced in the 1990s]]
[[Category:1998 introductions]]