The world of online content is a double-edged sword. While it can bring niche subjects to a wider audience, it can also overwhelm small communities unprepared for sudden attention. Recently, the constructed language Viossa, and its associated Discord server, experienced this firsthand. This article delves into the fascinating story of Viossa, a collaborative con-pidgin language, and the impact of a viral video on its online community.
If you’re like me, fascinated by languages and linguistics, you’ve probably encountered content creator Etymology Nerd. Known for short, engaging videos on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, Etymology Nerd highlights interesting aspects of linguistics and etymology. While brief, these videos are generally informative and entertaining. However, a recent short video, “conlangs are so back,” put Viossa in the spotlight. This video showcased Viossa as a unique collaborative con-pidgin, a constructed language developed by individuals from diverse linguistic backgrounds to facilitate communication. As one of the original co-creators of Viossa, this was personally significant. Initial excitement quickly turned to concern upon visiting the Viossa Discord Server, only to find it in a state of chaos. Although the server boasted around 1700 members, the active community was considerably smaller, likely under 100.
The aftermath of Etymology Nerd’s TikTok video was immediate. Within 24 hours, over 1000 new users flocked to the Viossa Discord server. This sudden influx was triggered by a video posted without prior notification or permission. Etymology Nerd had joined the server on the 27th, briefly engaged with the community, and then, within two hours, released the viral TikTok video. Despite witnessing the server’s moderation struggles, he proceeded to repost the video on YouTube the following day, merely adding a pinned comment urging viewers to be respectful. Currently, the Viossa Discord server is under lockdown, with invites temporarily paused to manage the situation. In the meantime, the video has garnered nearly two million views across TikTok and YouTube. While not intentionally malicious, this incident highlights the potential impact of a large online platform spotlighting a small, unprepared community, seemingly prioritizing clicks over community well-being.
The Genesis of Viossa: A Con-Pidgin Experiment
Stepping away from the recent disruption, let’s journey back to the origins of Viossa. My involvement began in 2014, long before Discord existed, within a Skype group dedicated to constructed languages. Many of us in this group, primarily high school students – reflective of typical Reddit demographics – were multilingual. This sparked an intriguing idea: could we establish communication using our various native languages, finding common linguistic ground and learning each other’s vocabulary? On Christmas Eve of that year, six of us embarked on this experiment via a video call, attempting to communicate without resorting to English. Each participant contributed one or two languages: Norwegian, Finnish, Japanese, Irish, Albanian & Greek, and Swiss German. Remarkably, within the first night, we had developed a basic vocabulary and could ask simple questions. Within a week, our lexicon expanded to a few hundred words, enabling simple, yet uninterrupted conversations. Over the following year, more individuals joined our project, and we shared our progress on Reddit, documenting the early stages of Viossa.
The Viossa project continued organically, with slow and steady growth as members joined and others naturally drifted away. As Discord emerged, the community migrated to this more accessible platform from Skype. While some similar projects emerged, none, to my knowledge, achieved sustained activity like Viossa. In 2017, I presented a talk at the Language Creation Conference about this unique method of language creation and Viossa specifically. This presentation was livestreamed and is available on YouTube, offering a deeper dive into the project (approximately 30 minutes).
Another significant surge in membership occurred in 2020, triggered by Jan Misali’s video on Viossa as part of his “Conlang Critic” series. This exceptionally well-produced video, created in close collaboration with active Viossa community members, provides an excellent overview of Viossa’s evolution in the six years since its inception. It remains the most comprehensive showcase of the language.
This video broadened Viossa’s reach considerably, inevitably influencing the language itself. A rapid influx of new learners often leads to a reinforcement of certain linguistic patterns, resulting in noticeable language shifts. Personally, I’ve observed that understanding Viossa used by those who joined after this video is often more challenging than communicating with long-term members. Following this period of growth, the community stabilized again, until the recent surge caused by the Etymology Nerd post.
And that’s the story of Viossa, arguably one of the more successful constructed languages, built upon two fundamental principles:
- If you understand it, it’s correct Viossa.
- Learn Viossa through Viossa, no translation.
