AUI (constructed language)

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Please discuss further on the talk page. (August 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article may contain excessive or inappropriate references to self-published sources. Please help improve it by removing references to unreliable sources where they are used inappropriately. (August 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) An editor has determined that sufficient sources exist to establish the subject's notability. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "AUI" constructed language – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject, potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral. Please help improve it by replacing them with more appropriate citations to reliable, independent sources. (August 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

aUI (constructed pronunciation: [auːiː]) is a philosophical, a priori language created in the 1950s by W. John Weilgart, Ph.D. (March 9, 1913 – January 26, 1981; born Johann Wolfgang Weixlgärtner,^[2] and also known as John W. Weilgart^[3]), a philosopher and psychoanalyst originally from Vienna, Austria. He described it as "the Language of Space", connoting universal communication, and published the fourth edition of the textbook in 1979;^[3] a philosophic description of each semantic element of the language was published in 1975.^[4]

In his psychotherapy work, Weilgart sometimes used client-created aUI formulations to reveal possible subconscious associations to problematic concepts.^[5] aUI can also be considered an experiment in applied cognitive lexical semantics, and Weilgart originally envisioned it serving as an international language.

aUI has 31 morpheme-phonemes each with an associated meaning, i.e. each morpheme = a phoneme = a sememe.

Character	Meaning	Letter	IPA	Mnemonics
	Space	a	/a/	Open mouth to a wide space. [a] is the most open vowel, granting the most space.[6]
	Movement	e	/e/	A spiral nebula's primal cosmic movement. [e] is a front vowel, indicating forward movement.[6]
	Light	i	/ɪ/ or /i/	Source of light and rays spreading out. [i] is the quickest, high frequency vowel, reflecting that light is the fastest thing in the universe.[6]
	Life	o	/o/	A leaf; photosynthesis is the basis of earthly life. [o] is pronounced with the lips rounded, similar in shape to cells, the basis of life.[6]
	Human	u	/u/	Human legs or arms, depicting duality. [u] is articulated at two parts of the mouth, reflecting how humans have symmetric bodies and ambiguous natures.[6]
	Time	A	/a:/	Humans measure time in the elliptical orbits of earth and moon; an elongation of space. [a:] is a long vowel, reflecting the passage of time.[6]
	Matter	E	/e:/	A brickstone of matter. [e:] is a long vowel, reflecting how matter lasts longer than movement.[6]
	Sound	I	/i:/	A sound wave. [i:] is a long vowel, reflecting how sound travels slower than light.[6]
	Feeling	O	/o:/	The heart reflects human feelings in blood pressure and pulse. [o:] is a back vowel, as humans hold their most inner feelings back.[6]
	Spirit / Mind	U	/u:/	A trinity; there are several trinities within philosophy, psychology, and religions. [u:] is a back vowel, reflecting how a mind holds thoughts back.[6]
	Condition	Ø (formerly Q)	/œ/ or /ø:/	Conditions create restrictions similar to parentheses. [ø] is articulated with the lips rounded, reflecting how the future is enclosed until events meet conditions.[6]
	Negation	Y	/y/ preceding consonants; /j/ preceding vowels	This minus sign negates or opposes whatever stands below it. [y] is pronounced at the top of the mouth, negating everything beneath it.[6]
	Together	b	/b/	Two dots joined by an arc. [b] is a bilabial consonant articulated with both lips pressed together.[6]
	Existence	c	/ʃ/	When one stands up, one exists. [ʃ]'s voiced counterpart [ʒ] represents equality, reflecting how one must remain equal to oneself to exist.[6]
	Through	d	/d/	A line crossing through another. [d] is an alveolar consonant in which the tongue crosses diagonally through the mouth.[6]
	This	f	/f/	An abbreviated arrow pointing down to the "this". [f] is a labiodental consonant where the lip points forward at a subject.[6]
	Inside	g	/ɡ/	A dot inside a circle. [g] is a velar sound pronounced deep inside the mouth.[6]
	Question	h	/h/	A simplified question mark. [h] is similar to a gasp made when a person is full of questions.[6]
	Equal	j	/ʒ/	Equation sign joined so it can be written in one line. [ʒ] sounds similar to flowing water, which stands equal in height when still.[6]
	Above	k	/k/	A dot above a line like a musical quarter note. [k] is articulated with the tongue raised above the jawline.[6]
	Around	L	/l/	A circle around a circle. [l] is a lateral consonant articulated by rounding the tongue.[6]
	Quality	m	/m/	A rounded form of the quantity glyph. [m] is a nasal consonant, reflecting how smell can determine quality.[6]
	Quantity	n	/n/	A container measuring quantity. [n] is pronounced further back than [m], reflecting how the mouth is a container measuring quantity.[6]
	Before	p	/p/	A dot before a line. [p] is a bilabial consonant pronounced before the lips.[6]
	Positive	r	/ʀ/ or /r/	A plus sign indicating positive. [r] is similar to the trills animals make to indicate positive feelings.[6]
	Thing	s	/s/	Round thing, closed in itself, lends concreteness to concepts. [s] is a sibilant hissed between the teeth, reflecting how concrete things can be physically enclosed unlike abstract things.[6]
	Toward	t	/t/	A shortened arrow pointing towards something. [t] is an alveolar consonant articulated with the tongue towards the front.[6]
	Active	v	/v/	A bolt of lightning is most active in nature. [v] is a voiced labiodental consonant that requires vibration of the lips.[6]
	Power	w	/w/	Potential power lying down. [w] requires co-articulation with the lips and tongue, requiring more power.[6]
	Relation	x	/x/	A double arrow to relate two objects. [x] is a fricative articulated with friction, as relations cause friction.[6]
	Part	z	/z/	Half of a round object cut apart. [z] is a dental consonant, as teeth bite parts off.[6]

Additionally, short nasal vowels (marked with an asterisk) are used for numerals:

• Victor Klemperer and his book LTI – Lingua Tertii Imperii ISBN 9780826457776

• aUI website
• Libert, Alan (2000), A Priori Artificial Languages, Lincom Europa, Munich. ISBN 3-89586-667-9
• The "Language of Space" — critical commentary