Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site sjuvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!astrovax!sjuvax!tmoody From: tmoody@sjuvax.UUCP (T. Moody) Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Thanks Message-ID: <2685@sjuvax.UUCP> Date: Wed, 1-Jan-86 01:15:18 EST Article-I.D.: sjuvax.2685 Posted: Wed Jan 1 01:15:18 1986 Date-Received: Fri, 3-Jan-86 01:19:48 EST Distribution: net Organization: St. Joseph's University, Phila. PA. Lines: 31 A month or so ago, I asked for some information about the planetary languages, such as Esperanto. As a newcomer to the net, I was quite unaware that the subject had been kicked around more than once. I received a great deal of information. Many enthusiastic Esperantists helped me out, and a number of individuals offered thoughtful criticisms of the planetary language idea. The critics of planetary language argued that (1) a common language cannot guarantee world peace and (2) an artificial language could not possibly be a substitute for natural language. It seems to me that both (1) and (2) are true. In spite of this, I believe that learning Esperanto is worth the rather modest effort called for. In *two months*, I have acquired enough knowledge of the language to be able to read philosphy papers in Esperanto (I took out a subscription to _Simpozio_, an Esperanto philosophy journal). This alone strikes me as ample return on the effort of learning the language. I have been able to correspond with a philosopher in Japan, who does not know English. Two months ago, this was not possible. And I am still a klutzy beginner with Esperanto. I take this to be a significant linguistic achievement. Thanks to everyone who got me thinking about these things. Wittgenstein diris: Ne ser