ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Comparison between Esperanto and Novial

Okay kiddo, imagine you have two new made-up languages, Esperanto and Novial. Both of these languages were created to be easy to learn and to be used by people from different countries who don't speak the same language.

Esperanto was made first in the late 1800s by a man called L.L. Zamenhof. He wanted people to have a common language that would help them communicate better and avoid misunderstandings. The grammar of Esperanto is pretty simple and regular, and it's based on European languages like French, German, and Russian. So if you already know one of these languages, it might be easier for you to learn Esperanto.

As for Novial, it was made a few decades later in the 1920s by a man called Otto Jespersen. He also wanted to create an international language that would be easy for people to learn. However, he designed Novial to be even simpler than Esperanto, with even fewer rules and exceptions. Novial's vocabulary is also more focused on English, Spanish, and Italian, and it uses something called "root words" that can be easily recognized and understood by speakers of those languages.

So in summary, both Esperanto and Novial are made-up languages designed to be easy to learn and help people from different countries communicate. Esperanto is based on several European languages and has slightly more complex grammar, while Novial is simpler and focuses on English, Spanish, and Italian vocabulary. It's up to you to decide which one you like more!