Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!wugate!uunet!crdgw1!underdog!shane
From: shane@underdog.crd.ge.com (Randall H. Shane)
Newsgroups: comp.society.futures
Subject: Re: Global Cultural Prototype
Message-ID: <3333@crdgw1.crd.ge.com>
Date: 18 Oct 89 21:14:20 GMT
References: <8910171709.aa15054@granite.cr.bull.com>
Sender: news@crdgw1.crd.ge.com
Reply-To: shane@underdog.crd.ge.com (Randall H. Shane)
Organization: GE Corporate R&D Center
Lines: 39

In article <8910171709.aa15054@granite.cr.bull.com> tobolsky@granite.cr.bull.com (Irene Tobolsky) writes:
] The problem with Esperanto or any other spoken universal language is that
] it does not break down the barriers for disadvantaged people.
] I boldy propose that a universal language is needed, and that this language
] ought to be based on sign language.  Sign language is easy to learn, regardless
] of your native tongue.  A cat is a cat whether the cat is in England, the United
] States, or Russia.  Furthermore, sign language lets us hearing people 
]  with both the deaf and blind community.

	Uh, how can blind people understand sign language?  Sign
language as the universal language would not be breaking down barriers
for the disadvantaged -- it would be erecting equal barriers for the
non-disadvantaged -- hardly an improvement.  The barriers should be
broken down, but is this the right place to do it from?

Spoken language is more efficient and precise than sign language.
(Furthermore, if everybody spoke German, for instance, then a cat
would still be a cat wherever one went.)  Sign language is probably
best as an auxiliary representation of language -- yes, one that more
people should be familiar with -- but as primary 'universal' language
it suffers.  First, are sign languages truly universal?  Are the
concepts behind Chinese, or Bantu etc. similar enough that a common
sign language is possible?  (I don't know.)  Second, do sign languages
have the richness of vocabulary of spoken/written languages?  Also, I
think that it is generally more important to communicate while holding
something, or driving, or in the dark, etc. that to be able to talk
while one is using one's mouth.

	I don't mean to sound flip, and I apologize if I come across
that way.  You have a good point -- if a universal language is agreed
upon or developed, an auxiliary sign language will be a necessity
(along with an efficient Braille representation).  This sign language
should be taught in schools to all students.  I don't think it would
be practical as a primary language, however.


   -- Randall Shane [shane@crd.ge.com uunet!crdgw1!crd!shane] 
		These views are my views, 
and are NOT necessarily the views of GE or any of its employees.