Arie de Jong
A Dutch linguist who became the unlikely guardian and chief reformer of Volapük, breathing decades of new life into a fading universal language project.
1865–1957 (age 92)·Birthday: October 18·The Gilded Age
Biography
In the early 20th century, when the constructed language Volapük was widely considered a historical footnote, Arie de Jong refused to let it die. This Dutch enthusiast wasn't just a passive speaker; he was a reformer, organizer, and publisher who dedicated his life to its revival. De Jong took Johann Martin Schleyer's original, somewhat cumbersome creation and systematically revised its grammar and vocabulary, producing a more usable version. His energy was boundless: he founded a Dutch Volapük club, a global federation of clubs, and most remarkably, an independent Volapük newspaper, *Volapükagased pro Nedänapükans*, which he edited for over three decades. Through his dictionary, grammar books, and relentless advocacy, de Jong transformed Volapük from a discarded experiment into a living, if niche, language with a community that persisted long after its first wave of popularity had crashed.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Arie was born in 1865, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Arie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1865
Arie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1865Born
President: Andrew Johnson
1870Started school
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1878Became a teenager
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1881Could drive
President: Chester A. Arthur
1883Could vote
President: Chester A. Arthur
1886Turned 21
Statue of Liberty dedicated in New York Harbor
President: Grover Cleveland
1895Turned 30
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1905Turned 40
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1915Turned 50
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1925Turned 60
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1935Turned 70
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1945Turned 80
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1957Died at 92
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
Key Achievements
- Authored the definitive 'Gramat Volapüka', a complete grammar of the revised language written entirely in Volapük.
- Founded and edited the independent Volapük newspaper 'Volapükagased pro Nedänapükans', which ran for 31 years from 1932.
- Revised and modernized the Volapük language, creating the standardized form known as 'Volapük Nulik' (New Volapük).
- Compiled the 'Wörterbuch der Weltsprache', a comprehensive German-Volapük dictionary.
Did You Know?
His Volapük newspaper continued publication for six years after his death in 1957, finally ceasing in 1963.
He was a medical doctor by profession, pursuing his linguistic work as a passionate avocation.
De Jong's revised version of Volapük is the form still studied and used by a small number of enthusiasts today.
“Volapük must adapt to modern use if it is to live again.”
