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From: tmoody@sjuvax.UUCP (T. Moody)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: World languages
Message-ID: <2433@sjuvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 22-Oct-85 10:44:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: sjuvax.2433
Posted: Tue Oct 22 10:44:45 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 25-Oct-85 01:57:27 EDT
References: <2376@sjuvax.UUCP> <808@terak.UUCP>
Reply-To: tmoody@sjuvax.UUCP (T. Moody)
Distribution: net
Organization: St. Joseph's University, Phila. PA.
Lines: 43
Summary: 

In article <808@terak.UUCP> doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee) writes:
>> In general, what do you folks think of the planetary language idea?
   [Moody]

>You gotta be kidding.  Language and peace have nothing to do with each
>other.  Even though everyone in the U.S. speaks English, we don't have
>internal peace.  English-speaking people are robbed/beaten/raped/killed
>by other English-speaking people every day.
>-- 
>Doug Pardee -- CalComp -- {calcom1,savax,seismo,decvax,ihnp4}!terak!doug

True, but I'm not kidding.  I did not mean to imply that a planetary
language would, or could, be a *solution* to these problems.  I do
think that cultures are alienated from each other by language
barriers, and other barriers.

If you take the robbers/attackers/rapists/murderers of this country to
be *typical* of humanity in general, then it might follow that
language and peace have nothing to do with each other.  On the other
hand, if you believe that most humans are naturally gregarious,
convivial, and inquisitive about other humans, then your conclusion is
a non sequitur.  Most of us do not have the time or opportunity to
learn many foreign languages.  So we are not in a position to read Le
Monde, Figaro, Stern, Pravda, etc.  Some of us, at least, would like
to be in a better position to communicate, albeit imperfectly, with
people in *many* countries.  A planetary language is a feasible first
step toward diminishing xenophobia and establishing wider and more
truly international channels of communication.

Mandarin, Arabic, Russian, English, Spanish, Hindi are among the most
spoken languages in the world.  The cultures associated with these
languages are obviously important determiners of international events.
How many of us can speak all of these languages?  Very few indeed.
How desirable would it be for people in all of these cultures to be
able to read what others have to say, in their own words, or
communicate in writing to a genuinely global audience?  It seems to me
to be worth thinking about.


Todd Moody                 |  {allegra|astrovax|bpa|burdvax}!sjuvax!tmoody
Philosophy Department      |
St. Joseph's U.            |         "I couldn't fail to
Philadelphia, PA   19131   |          disagree with you less."