Endolinguistics is the proposed name for a new expanding approach to study linguistics, focused on the study of “human languages” through abstract methodological models known as binary and ternary codes. One could argue that endolinguistics could be a subset of psycholinguistics, because endolinguistics researches the interiorization and appropriation of human languages. The prefix “Endo” as “internal”, emphasizes the psychological processes human languages need to develop and thrive as communication tools. But the main argument for adding the prefix “endo” to linguistics is simple and methodological. The main reason for this prefix is that for a long time we have been approaching the study of languages from an “exo” point of view. In other words, most of the scientific work we have been doing about languages has been focused on the manifestation side of it. And that is a natural experimental approach but also a dogmatic materialistic approach. We have been focused in the output of the language, as if the language is the written or spoken code, but it is not just that. To superficially study the cultural manifestation doesn’t position us to methodologically study the origins of culture. Therefore, endolinguistics is the methodological approach to access inner language, the why’s of language. It is not against exolinguistics, which most of the time, we have been calling it “linguistics”, but on the contrary it expands its approach. Yes, endolinguistics is a subset of linguistics, but it encompases a first secondary branch along side exolinguistics.

We can do comparative linguistics just with an exolinguistic approach but we have been limiting ourselves due to a historical materialistic origin.

The main application of the first wave of endolinguistics, has been to become a philosophical tool, to help the research and development of philosophical studies. Through endolinguistics we analyze languages in order to find the peculiarities each one presents yet at the same time with the help of comparative linguistics we look for systemic links between them. Even though we use etymologies and evolutive traits as tools to find these links we don’t see the relations between, for example cognates, as simple historical processes but as part of a “system of thought” that permeates through linguistic systems. So a “cognate” is not a simple “copy/paste” from an original source but as part of a common substrate system. Loanwords, on the other hand are of course “historical” participations which are important but not necessarily part of the substrate system.

It is important to emphasize that we don’t study “families” of languages; because the concept of family implies genetic relationships that complicates the study of languages from a psychological, historical and analytical point of view.

This proposed approach to study languages is not revolutionary nor destructive to what we have been doing since the nineteenth century. In my opinion, we are just trying to see on to the other side of the available spectrum.

Using the most modern applications of comparative linguistics, historic analysis, computational linguistics and mathematical modeling we study linguistics systems, and we understand “human languages” as complex mathematical systems (through complexity theory). But that is not enough yet to understand the profound question “why”.

I don’t think endolinguistics is a magical tool that will allow us to find an original language of humanity or to recreate a prehistorical or extinct language. But it might help us to understand each other way better.

The main methodological components of endolinguistics are:

  1. Linguistics (mainly comparative linguistics and psycholinguistics)
  2. History
  3. Applied Mathematics (statistics, probability, game theory)
  4. Pure Mathematics (combinatorics, group and graph theories)
  5. Musicology
  6. Philosophy
  7. Psychology

The authors of Endolinguistics are Dr. Christiane Meulemans, Dr. Josef A. Elias and their son Lic. Didier Elias Meulemans. They initially discovered this method to approach human language in the late 1950’s and continued their research around the world. Unfortunately, the young linguist Didier Elias Meulemans died during the Gilbert hurricane rescue mission in 1988 in Mexico. After the tragedy his parents continued their investigation and moved to Mexico to share their knowledge.

During the thirty year period they had thousands of students in different parts of Mexico.

Another important enclave for the methodology was Barcelona Spain where Dr. Elias grew up and in the 90’s they taught endolinguistics with specialized methodology named “DECAGLOTA”.

In 2014, Dr Elias passed away but his legacy continues in the hearts and minds of his students. Dr Christiane Meulemans lives in her beloved Mexico.

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