Editing Lincos language

{{short description|Constructed language}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox language
|name    = Lincos
|creator = [[Hans Freudenthal]]
|created    = 1960
|setting = [[search for extraterrestrial intelligence]]
|fam2    = [[engineered language]]
|posteriori = [[A priori (languages)|a priori]]
|iso3=none
|glotto=none
|ietf = [https://www.kreativekorp.com/clcr/ art-x-lincos]
}}

'''Lincos''' (an abbreviation of the [[Latin]] phrase ''lingua cosmica'') is a [[constructed language]] first described in 1960 by Dr. [[Hans Freudenthal]] in his book ''Lincos: Design of a Language for Cosmic Intercourse, Part 1''. It is a language designed to be understandable by any possible intelligent [[extraterrestrial life]] form, for use in interstellar [[radio]] transmissions.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Oberhaus |first=Daniel |title=Extraterrestrial Languages |date=2019-09-27 |publisher=[[MIT Press]] |isbn=978-0-262-35527-8 |language=en |doi=10.7551/mitpress/11229.001.0001 |oclc=1142708941}}</ref> Freudenthal considered that such a language should be easily understood by beings not acquainted with any [[Earth]]ling [[syntax]] or language. Lincos was designed to be capable of encapsulating "the whole bulk of our knowledge".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nidditch |first1=P. |title=Lincos. Design of a Language for Cosmic Intercourse. Part 1. By H. Freudenthal. Pp. 224. 45s. 1960. (North Holland Publishing Co.) (Review) |journal=The Mathematical Gazette |date=1962 |volume=46 |issue=356 |page=164 |doi=10.2307/3611676 |jstor=3611676 |s2cid=60625617 |url=https://doi.org/10.2307/3611676 |access-date=20 June 2022|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==Concepts and range==
The Lincos "[[dictionary]]" is intended to be transmitted first before any additional messages. It teaches natural numbers by a series of repeated pulses, separated by pauses. It then teaches >, <, =, +, -, by examples such as '''. . . . . > . . .''' (an extended pause is shown around > in this example so as to suggest to an alien that > is a new separate symbol; otherwise, an alien might think that the whole pattern is a new symbol of unknown meaning). In introducing =, unary notation is shown for numbers: '''.''' = 1, '''. .''' = 2, and so on. This progresses to multiplication, division, variables, and constants, then [[propositional logic]], [[set theory]], and [[first-order logic]]. The dictionary tries to introduce questions by leaving mathematical expressions unsolved (e.g., ? x x + 101 = 11).{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

The next section of the Lincos dictionary introduces a word for [[second]], "Sec", by playing pulses of various lengths, followed by Sec, and the number of seconds, "until the receiver may be expected to remark that the numbers... are proportional to the durations",<ref name="lincos">{{cite book | title=Lincos, Design of a Language for Cosmic Intercourse | publisher=[[North-Holland Publishing Company|North-Holland]] | author=Freudenthal, Hans | date=1960 | location=Amsterdam}}</ref> thus teaching both that Sec is a unit of time, and exactly how long it is. It then introduces means for measuring durations, referring to moments in time, and talking about past and future events.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

Freudenthal's third section is perhaps the most complex, and attempts to convey the concepts and language necessary to describe behavior and conversation between individuals. It uses examples to introduce actors speaking to each other, asking questions, disapproving, quoting other people, knowing and wanting things, promising, and playing. The first steps (having already introduced sets of numbers and questions) are to introduce some new symbols (distinctive patterns of pulses), say that they are NOT numbers, and transmit sequences showing two of these new symbols separated by the word "Inq" (inquiry), followed by a question about an equation, then the symbols reversed, followed by the answer (example below). It is thus expected that, after many repetitions, the recipient will determine that these new symbols are entities asking and answering the questions, rather than some other context for the questions.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

Finally, the fourth section describes the concepts and language relating to [[mass]], [[space]], and [[motion (physics)|motion]]. This last section goes so far as to describe physical features of human beings and of the [[Solar System]].<ref name=":0" />

A second book by Freudenthal, planned but never written, would have added four more sections to the dictionary: "Matter", "Earth", "Life", and "Behavior 2". Other researchers have since extended the language somewhat on their own. One example is [[CosmicOS]]. Another is a second-generation ''Lingua Cosmica''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alexanderollongren.nl|title=This is the index page of Dr. Alexander Ollongren's home page|work=alexanderollongren.nl}}</ref> developed by the Dutch-Swedish astronomer and mathematician [[Alexander Ollongren]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ieti.org/who/ollongre.htm|title=Invitation to ETI: Alexander Ollongren|author=Prof. Allen Tough|work=ieti.org}}</ref> of [[Leiden University]], using [[constructive logic]].<ref name=":0" />

Freudenthal's book on Lincos discusses it with many technical words from linguistic and logical theory, usually without defining them, which may have reduced its general interest, though the main chapters can be understood without these technical terms: appellatives, binding, formalization, function, lexicology, logistical, ostensive, quasi-general, semantics, syntax, variables, etc.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

==Use==
For decades, no actual transmissions were made using Lincos; it remained largely a theoretical exercise, until [[Canadians|Canadian]] [[astrophysicist]]s [[Yvan Dutil]] and [[Stéphane Dumas (astrophysicist)|Stéphane Dumas]], working at the [[Defence Research and Development Canada|Canadian Defense Research Establishment]], created a noise-resistant coding system for messages aimed at [[Communication with extraterrestrial intelligence|communicating with extraterrestrial civilizations]].{{Citation needed|reason=Reference needed describing the coding and its relation to Lincos|date=February 2017}} In 1999, the astrophysicists encoded a message in Lincos and used the [[Yevpatoria RT-70 radio telescope]] in [[Ukraine]] to beam it towards close stars. This is known as [[Cosmic Call]]. The experiment was repeated (using other close stars as target) in 2003. The message was a series of pages describing some basic mathematics, physics and astronomy.<ref>Webb, Stephen ''Where Is Everybody?'', Praxis Publishing Ltd, 2002, p. 260</ref> The Dutil–Dumas experiment was promoted by an organization called ''Encounter 2001''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.encounter2001.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918042825/http://www.encounter2001.com/ |archive-date=2015-09-18 |url-status=dead |title=Encounter 2001, promoters of the experiment by Dutil and Dumas which encoded a message in Lincos and beamed it towards close stars.}}</ref>

Some [[Communication with extraterrestrial intelligence|researchers]] have explored the similar issues in communicating with intelligent animals such as [[cetacea]]ns.{{Citation needed|reason=Reliable source needed|date=February 2017}} Lincos messages (even if sent by pulses of sound rather than radio) are complex and need to reach the most patient, logically oriented members of the target species. A far simpler approach aimed at average members of a species can cover numbers, >, <, =, +, -, and time.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

==Examples==
An example of Lincos from section 3 of Freudenthal's book, showing one individual asking another individual questions:{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}
{| class="wikitable"
! Lincos text
! Meaning
|-
| ''Ha'' Inq ''Hb'' ?''x'' 2''x''=5
| Ha says to Hb: What is the x such that 2x=5?
|-
| ''Hb'' Inq ''Ha'' 5/2
| Hb says to Ha: 5/2.
|-
| ''Ha'' Inq ''Hb'' Ben
| Ha says to Hb: Good.
|-
| ''Ha'' Inq ''Hb'' ?''x'' 4''x''=10
| Ha says to Hb: What is the x such that 4x=10?
|-
| ''Hb'' Inq ''Ha'' 10/4
| Hb says to Ha: 10/4.
|-
| ''Ha'' Inq ''Hb'' Mal
| Ha says to Hb: Bad.
|-
| ''Hb'' Inq ''Ha'' 1/4
| Hb says to Ha: 1/4.
|-
| ''Ha'' Inq ''Hb'' Mal
| Ha says to Hb: Bad.
|-
| ''Hb'' Inq ''Ha'' 5/2
| Hb says to Ha: 5/2.
|-
| ''Ha'' Inq ''Hb'' Ben
| Ha says to Hb: Good.
|}

Note the difference between "good" and "bad" as compared to "true" and "false"; 10/4 is a true answer to the question, so ''Ver'' ("true") would be a valid response, but since it wasn't reduced to lowest terms, it wasn't what Ha wanted and so he responded ''Mal'' ("bad") instead. The book separately teaches Ver and Fal for true and false.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

Another example, showing meta-conversation:{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}
{| class="wikitable"
! Lincos text
! Meaning
|-
| ''Ha'' Inq ''Hb'' ?''x'' 4''x''=10
| Ha says to Hb: What is the x such that 4x=10?
|-
| ''Hb'' Inq ''Hc'' ?''y'' ''y'' Inq ''Hb'' ?''x'' 4''x''=10
| Hb says to Hc: Who asked me for the x such that 4x=10?
|-
| ''Hc'' Inq ''Hb'' ''Ha''
| Hc says to Hb: Ha.
|}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Constructed languages}}
* [[Active SETI]]
* [[Alien language]]
* [[METI (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence)]]
* [[SETI]]

== References ==
{{reflist|1}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book
 |last=Freudenthal
 |first=Hans
 |author-link=Hans Freudenthal
 |date=1960
 |title=Lincos: Design of a Language for Cosmic Intercourse
 |publisher=North-Holland
 |location=Amsterdam
}}
*  {{cite book
  |last=Ollongren
  |first=Alexander
  |author-link=Alexander Ollongren
  |date=2013
  |title=Astrolinguistics
  |publisher=Springer
  |location=New York
|bibcode=2013adls.book.....O
 }}

== External links ==
{{Library resources box}}

* [http://www.brunobassi.it/scritti/lincos.html Were it Perfect, Would it Work Better? Survey of a Language for Cosmic Intercourse] (Bruno Bassi)

{{Constructed languages}}
{{Extraterrestrial life}}
{{Interstellar messages}}

[[Category:Constructed languages]]
[[Category:Engineered languages]]
[[Category:Interstellar messages]]
[[Category:Knowledge representation languages]]
[[Category:Search for extraterrestrial intelligence]]
[[Category:1960 introductions]]
[[Category:Constructed languages introduced in the 1960s]]