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by ijzeren_jan 2492 days ago
Modern Hebrew is just one example of the fact that there is no such thing is a binary distinction between natural and constructed languages. The main difference between both extremes is that a natural language is the result of a process of gradual evolution, whereas a a constructed language can be defined as "any language that is based on deliberate invention, modification or selection of the core material by a concrete author or group of authors with a discernible purpose in mind". However, every natural language has invented elements and every constructed language has naturalistic elements. Some languages that are usually considered natural display an exceptionally high level of human intervention, and some of them even have an author. Other examples are Old Church Slavonic, Nynorsk, Bahasa Indonesia, Revived Cornish, Katharevousa Greek, Rumantsch Grischun and Euskara Batua (Standardised Basque). All we can say is that these languages, along with languages like Interslavic, Interlingua, Latino Sine Flexione etc. belong to a gray area between natural and artificial ("semiconstructed languages").