 Track this topic | Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] | | User | Thread poster: Syeda Tanbira Zaman Universal Language for the Human Race. |
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lingomania
Australia
Local time: 06:02
Italian to English
| | Very difficult | Apr 18, 2007 |
I think it's very difficult..if not IMPOSSIBLE..to construct such a language. Unfortunately I dare add.
| | | | Silviu Marin
Romania
Local time: 22:02
Romanian to English
+ ...
| | Bad idea for uniformity | Jul 30, 2008 |
Of course, no intent in making you feel out-of-touch with human nature, dear Prozians, but... do you realize what you're proposing?!  Uniformity! Pure and simple! Should we give any leeway to 'ideals' such as those of Lucas? Should we all speak, at one point,.. Gallach?!
Now, we don't need any Babylonian-type (i.e., that's if Babylon ever existed - of course, it didn't; it's a myth derived from distorted legends / folktale -) of language, like that spoken by Enoch (a myth kind of persona, again). Far from it! What we do need, however, is some sort of... common-sense, methinks. Common - sense from native speakers worldwide.
Why? Because they tend to adopt one language, usually imposed by economic reasons by certain very influential national powers to other countries, as dominant. So, in this context, please, remember French, please remember Italian, please remember German and, PLEASE, remember English(!) Then again, we're living the times when English is dominant, especially in its American dialectal form.
As for effective means of understanding each other, our linguistic nuances especially, who knows, maybe of some sort of... universal (i.e., global-oriented) translation - interpretation nanites too, but that... in the far - far future. 
N.B. 1: I don't want to look like a nitwit in linguistics, in all, but... Esperanto does try to become THE language, unfortunately. It's a bad idea with a good and/or noble intent...
N.B. 2: Who knows still, maybe we'll have THE Romanian-based language with Romanian-based semantics and syntax aside from Romanian-based vocab and morphology, of course. THEN and only then we'll become truly interesting for the rest of the world, right?!  Wrong...
Remember "Farscape"?
[Editat la 2008-07-30 17:46]
[Editat la 2008-07-30 18:44]
  | | | | Krys Williams 
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:02
  Member (2003)
Polish to English
+ ...
| | Not THE language, but a common second language | Jul 30, 2008 |
I was active in the Esperanto movement for more than a decade and have a reasonable idea about its objectives. Esperanto does not seek to become the only language, but to be a universal second language, so that communication between speakers of different languages is not dependent on mastery of those languages. A non-native speaker is nearly always at a disadvantage. With Esperanto, everyone is a non-native speaker, so the field is more equal.
Secondly, on account of its total regularity of grammar, Esperanto is quicker and simpler to master than "natural" languages. Thus, it is possible to pick up enough to hold a basic conversation in one month or less. Furthermore, learning Esperanto eases the process of learning other languages. This has been shown in studies, where children who were taught Esperanto were subsequently more successful in studies of other languages than children who were just taught the other languages. I also know this from personal experience. I was hopeless at languages when I was at school. After I learned Esperanto, in my thirties, I gained an understanding of how languages are structured. Without this, I would never have dreamt of, let alone succeeded in, becoming a sought-after freelance translator in my professional specialty of biomedicine.
Thirdly, the Esperanto movement is a strong defender of minority languages. Using Esperanto as a common vehicle of communication would avoid what might be called the linguistic imperialism of English today, and who knows what language tomorrow.
Fourthly, Esperanto can serve as a very useful bridging language for translation. Despite its grammatical regularity, it is extremely flexible, because every word root can be used as noun, verb, adjective, adverb; prefixes and suffixes can be added to every root to give even more nuances; and roots can be glued together ad libitum. A skilled speaker of Esperanto can reproduce the vagaries his/her own native language in a way that can be instantly understood and appreciated.
Fifthly, I still remember with huge pleasure the buzz I felt when engaged in animated conversation on every subject under the sun with a diverse group of people, between whom there was no single common language apart from Esperanto
[Edited at 2008-07-30 19:38]
| | | | Silviu Marin
Romania
Local time: 22:02
Romanian to English
+ ...
| | Good intents and odd results... | Jul 30, 2008 |
Krys Williams wrote:
Esperanto does not seek to become the only language, but to be a universal second language, so that communication between speakers of different languages is not dependent on mastery of those languages. A non-native speaker is nearly always at a disadvantage. With Esperanto, everyone is a non-native speaker, so the field is more equal.
Secondly, on account of its total regularity of grammar, Esperanto is quicker and simpler to master than "natural" languages. Thus, it is possible to pick up enough to hold a basic conversation in one month or less. Furthermore, learning Esperanto eases the process of learning other languages. [...]
After I learned Esperanto, in my thirties, I gained an understanding of how languages are structured. Without this, I would never have dreamt of, let alone succeeded in, becoming a sought-after freelance translator in my professional specialty of biomedicine.
Thirdly, the Esperanto movement is a strong defender of minority languages. Using Esperanto as a common vehicle of communication would avoid what might be called the linguistic imperialism of English today, and who knows what language tomorrow.
Fourthly, Esperanto can serve as a very useful bridging language for translation. Despite its grammatical regularity, it is extremely flexible (...). [...] A skilled speaker of Esperanto can reproduce the vagaries his/her own native language in a way that can be instantly understood and appreciated. |
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I do not question these realities. However, English is known also almost by every single peasant in this world. They too can (i.e., rudimentary) say: "Hellow!" or "Helo!" or "Halo!" (wait, that's German-like  ) and "No problem!" with ease. And that's their... second language, in a sense. They use it for biz (vending and countryside-oriented tourism) only, of course.
As for Esperanto's flexibility, indeed, it's real; I can notice it. What it resembles with, from a vocabulary / lexical point of view? Well,.. with: Portuguese, Hungarian, Spanish, Italian, French, Greek, Polish...
In any case, causes of all sorts have to always be regarded with... care. They tend to become... somewhat unpredictable, at one point. I mean, every single project starts with a good intent, as this one had (i.e., the one as a dream of offering each and every person on this planet the chance of speaking a global-like second language), and it turns out... quite oddly.
P.S. It should REMAIN at this stage: that of proposition for using a 'native' second language.
[Editat la 2008-07-31 09:06]
| | | | kanajlo
United States
Local time: 15:02
Esperanto to English
+ ...
| | Bridge language for the human race | Oct 10, 2008 |
People often overlook the grammatical and lexically agglutinative flexibility of Esperanto, which makes it ideal for non-European students. For example, I can frame a sentence in Esperanto that allows the verb to come first, or the subject, or the object, and I will still be understood.
I see a tree.
Mi vidas arbon.
Arbon mi vidas.
Vidas mi arbon.
(Would any native speaker of English say, "See I a tree"?)
| | | | Umang Dholabhai
India
Local time: 01:32
Member (Feb 2009)
English to Gujarati
+ ...
| | Similar to Sanskrit | Mar 4 |
Sanskrit is, arguably the most ancient language on this earth. As Kanajlo says for Esperanto, these laws hold true in Sanskrit where such permutations are possible.
[Edited at 2009-03-04 19:29 GMT]
| | | | Fabienne1969
France
Local time: 21:02
French to English
+ ...
| | Not an attractive idea.. | Mar 19 |
As a translator and first of all as a languages lover, a common language to everyone on this planet is something that I wouldn't like at all.
Many people consider translation and languages as a simple way of communication. I don't. Every time I use a different language, I also imagine the country/countries, the people, the culture that go along with this language, and it's a wonderful feeling.
No, I don't want any kind of common language, I want all the languages of the world!
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