Why did the artificial languages appear?

　  　The term "Artificial Languages" refers to those that have been artificially constructed, each in the hope that it might eventually become a universal tongue. Although a number of such languages have been created, only one, Esperanto, has achieved a significant measure of international recognition.
     The first attempt at an artificial language was Volapuk, which appeared at about 1880. Though difficult to learn and as a result short-lived, it did inspire others to attempt a better system. In 1887, L. L. Zamenhof, of Warsaw, Poland, introduced Esperanto, with its greatly simplified grammar and logically constructed vocabulary. Esperanto, meaning "one who hopes", soon developed a large following of dedicated speakers, and later a significant body of literature. Many of the world’s literary masterpieces have been translated into Esperanto. Numerous attempts to improve or reform it were in the end abandoned, and today it remains basically the same as designed by Zamenhof.
     In the 20th century Occidental and Inter-lingual appeared, but these are designed primarily for scientific and technical use and stress reconcilability rather than active speech. The great advantage of artificial languages lies in their simplicity and the absence of irregular grammatical forms. However, they suffer from the lack of native speakers and national prestige, and in recent years interest in them has generally declined. The tremendous increase in the use and study of English since World War Ⅱ has led many to believe that English, rather than an artificial language, has the best chance of eventually becoming a universal tongue.