This repository contains the full research materials, source files, semantic component warehouse, and compiled documents for the Universal Meaning‑Based Language (UMBL) project.
The project focuses on why a new language is needed and how such a language should be designed, with an emphasis on cognitive efficiency, learnability, semantic clarity, and universal accessibility.
The goal is not to replace anyone’s native language, but to explore the possibility of a globally shared second language that is easier to learn, easier to remember, and more semantically transparent than existing phonetic languages such as English.
The whitepaper addresses two central questions:
The project examines structural limitations of phonetic languages—especially English—as global second languages, including:
- High learning cost
- Weak semantic transparency
- Inefficient mapping between form and meaning
- Cognitive load in vocabulary acquisition
- Ambiguity and inconsistency in spelling–sound relationships
It contrasts these limitations with the strengths of meaning‑based and visually structured systems, arguing that a semantic‑first design can significantly reduce learning difficulty and improve long‑term retention.
The whitepaper proposes design principles including:
- Semantic modularity
- Visual compositionality
- Cognitive economy
- Cross‑cultural neutrality
- Learnability as a primary design constraint
- Symbolic transparency (form reflects meaning)
The project does not attempt to replace natural languages.
Instead, it explores how a purpose‑built second language could support:
- Knowledge learning
- Memory reinforcement
- Cross‑disciplinary communication
- Human–machine interaction
- Global collaboration
The repository also includes a Spread folder, which serves as the project’s public‑facing distribution center.
It contains polished Chinese and English PDFs, along with editable Markdown source files, specifically prepared for:
- undergraduate students seeking thesis topics,
- instructors looking for course‑ready materials, and
- anyone needing a concise introduction to the UMBL project.
The Spread folder provides ready‑to‑use documents such as project overviews, thesis topic guides, research topic lists, and promotional summaries.
Its primary purpose is to make UMBL accessible as an academic research object, especially for students exploring linguistics, cognitive science, information design, or language engineering.
This directory contains all editable source materials used to generate the final whitepaper PDF.
Contents include:
index.md— main entry point- Section
.mdfiles figures/— diagrams and illustrationsinclude-files.lua— Pandoc include scriptreference_list.md— bibliography in Harvard formatQ&A.docx— working draft for the Q&A appendix- Terminal scripts for one‑click PDF generation
Note on references:
The reference list includes many works that are not directly cited in the whitepaper or Q&A.
They are intentionally included as thematically relevant literature for readers who wish to explore related research areas.
This directory contains the final exported PDFs:
- Universal_Meaning-Based_Language_Whitepaper.pdf
- Q&A.pdf
- reference_list.pdf
- Visual_Dividends_Chinese_vs_English.pdf
These files are read‑only outputs generated from the Markdown sources.
This directory provides a curated collection of semantic “building blocks” for anyone interested in experimenting with meaning‑based language design.
It includes:
- Blissymbolics（contains only a link + disclaimer）
- Circuit diagram symbols
- Egyptian hieroglyphs（Unicode‑based）
- Feather_open_source_icons.pdf
- Hobo code
- ISO 7001 public information symbols
- ISO 7010 safety symbols
- Mathematical symbols（Unicode）
- Oracle Bone Script（contains only an official Chinese government link）
- Recognizable signs (some semantic symbols we saw during the research)
- Simplified Chinese radicals（GF 0011‑2009）
These materials are not analyzed historically in the whitepaper;
they are provided as ready‑to‑use components and design inspiration for constructing semantic primitives and composite symbols.
The semantic_symbol_parts_warehouse is designed to function analogously to a set of semantic LEGO modules, enabling designers and researchers to experiment with combinatorial structures, prototype new symbol forms, and explore meaning‑driven visual composition.
All original content in this repository — including the whitepaper text, diagrams, analyses, and semantic system design — is released under:
This license ensures:
- ✔ Free use, sharing, copying, and adaptation
- ✔ Mandatory attribution to the original authors
- ✔ Derivative works must remain open under the same license
- ✘ No one may claim authorship of the original work
- ✘ No one may create modified versions and restrict others from using them
This guarantees that the project remains free, open, and accessible for academic, educational, and research purposes.
Files in semantic_symbol_parts_warehouse/ retain their original licenses.
Some files contain only links or metadata, not copyrighted content.
A message from the authors:
“At one point we considered naming this project something like ‘Rebuilding the Tower of Babel’, because the idea of reconnecting meaning across languages felt symbolically fitting.
But after thinking it through, we realized that such a name inevitably carries cultural and religious associations that we do not intend to invoke.
This project is meant to be culturally neutral, religiously neutral, and universally accessible.
We hope that anyone who uses or extends this work will also respect this principle — keeping the system open, inclusive, and free from cultural or religious framing.”
— The Authors
If Pandoc and LaTeX are installed, the whitepaper can be generated using the provided terminal script in sections_md/terminal_code_to_generate_pdf .md.
All references used or thematically related to the project are maintained in:
sections_md/reference_list.mdpdf/reference_list.pdf
The list includes both directly cited works and recommended readings relevant to meaning‑based communication, symbol systems, cognitive linguistics, and language design.
This project is currently maintained by the authors.
Suggestions, academic collaboration, and constructive feedback are welcome.
For inquiries or collaboration, please open an Issue or contact the maintainers:
- Ruiyan and Yongyan — umbl.project139@gmail.com