International Language

International Language

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Title: International Language Past, Present and Future: With Specimens
of Esperanto and Grammar
Author: Walter J. Clark
Release Date: September 24, 2005 [EBook #16737]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE ***

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This e-text uses the digraphs "cx", "gx", "hx", "jx", "sx" and "ux" to
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INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE
PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE
WITH SPECIMENS OF ESPERANTO AND GRAMMAR
BY W. J. CLARK M.A. OXON., PH.D. LEIPZIG
LICENCIÉ-ÈS-LETTRES, BACHELIER-EN-DROIT PARIS
LONDON J. M. DENT & COMPANY 1907
PRINTED BY HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD., LONDON
AND AYLESBURY.

* * * * *

PREFACE
An artificial language may be more regular, more perfect, and easier to
learn than a natural one.--MAX MÜLLER.
The world is spinning fast down the grooves of change. The old
disorder changeth. Haply it is yielding place to new. The tongue is a
little member. It should no longer be allowed to divide the nations.
Two things stand out in the swift change. Science with all its works is
spreading to all lands. The East, led by Japan, is coming into line with
the West.

Standardization of life may fittingly be accompanied by standardization
of language. The effect may be twofold--Practical and Ideal.
Practical. The World has a thousand tongues, Science but one: They'll
climb up a thousand rungs When Babel's done.
Ideal. Mankind has a thousand tongues, Friendship but one: Banzai!
then from heart and lungs For the Rising Sun.
W. J. C.
NOTE.--The following pages have had the advantage of being read in
MS. by Mr. H. Bolingbroke Mudie, and I am indebted to him for many
corrections and suggestions.
* * * * *
AN INTERNATIONAL AUXILIARY LANGUAGE
NOTE.--To avoid repeating the cumbrous phrase "international
auxiliary language," the word auxiliary is usually omitted. It must be
clearly understood that when "international" or "universal" language is
spoken of, auxiliary is also implied.

PART I
GENERAL
CHAP. PAGE
I. Introductory . . . . . . . . . 1 II. The Question of Principle--Economic
Advantage of an International Language . . . . . . 4 III. The Question of
Practice--An International Language is Possible . . . . . . . . . 8 IV. The
Question of Practice (continued)--An International Language is
Easy . . . . . . . . 16 V. The Question of Practice (continued)--The
Introduction of an International Language would not cause

Dislocation . . . . . . . . . 24 VI. International Action already taken for the
Introduction of an Auxiliary Language . . . . . . 26 VII. Can the
International Language be Latin? . . . . 33 VIII. Can the International
Language be Greek? . . . . 35 IX. Can the International Language be a
Modern Language? . . . . . . . . . 36 X. Can the Evolution of an
International Language be left to the Process of Natural Selection by
Free Competition? . . . . . . . . . 38 XI. Objections to an International
Language on Aesthetic Grounds . . . . . . . . . . 40 XII. Will an
International Language discourage the Study of Modern Languages,
and thus be Detrimental to Culture?--Parallel with the Question of
Compulsory Greek . . . . . . . . . . 46 XIII. Objection to an International
Language on the Ground that it will soon split up into Dialects . . . 49
XIV. Objection that the Present International Language (Esperanto) is
too Dogmatic, and refuses to profit by Criticism . . . . . . . 51 XV.
Summary of Objections to an International Language . . 53 XVI. The
Wider Cosmopolitanism--The Coming of Asia . . . 57 XVII.
Importance of an International Language for the Blind . 61 XVIII. Ideal
v. Practical . . . . . . . . 63 XIX. Literary v. Commercial . . . . . . . 65 XX.
Is an International Language a Crank's Hobby? . . . 70 XXI. What an
International Language is not . . . . 73 XXII. What an International
Language is . . . . . 73

PART II
HISTORICAL
CHAP.