Universal Language

[SigmaSD]

There are AF members in all parts of the world and yet I see that all of us manage to communicate with each other in the English language. So it got me thinking, should there be a universal language?

If so, which one should it be? Or should be create a whole new language?

Which language would be more practical?

Should we use symbols we have right now (such as the letters I am using to write this message) or should we create entirely new ones? $%#$@%#@$%#$
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I think that since a lot of people already speak English or are being taught English in school, perhaps maybe English should be the universal language. Though it is the hardest language to learn especially when you get older.

The language that is most prominent is probably Chinese (I forget if its Mandarin or Cantonese) so it would make more sense but thats only cause China has a bigger population.

It would be cool to create a whole new iconography and language but it takes years to develop a successful language (just look at the English language history) so it would be better off to use some that we have currently.

Also it has to be a language that allows a fairly easy way to make words, sort of like German.

[Anuket]

The language that is most prominent is probably Chinese (I forget if its Mandarin or Cantonese) so it would make more sense but thats only cause China has a bigger population.

True, Mandarin Chinese is considered pretty prominent by many foreigners but you see if you're Chinese you wouldn't really consider that given that there are many dialects in the country. One can be very fluent with their own dialect but somehow suck at Mandarin Chinese for all they care.

It would be cool to see Chinese to be more spoken by people just as much as English but to be honest Chinese is a lot harder for many people. Phonetic complicates everything - believe me on this matter for I've been speaking the language for more than ten years and I would still make mistakes from time to time, even the locals would too.

In a different matter, I do believe that English is a more suitable candidate for a universal language. Almost every single country that I know of requires schools to teach students English for better communication with.

I think it would take years for Mandarin Chinese to catch up with English and the same goes for a possible new iconography and/or language.

[Aku no Hikari]

No, I don't think there should be a universal language besides from English. English is the universal language, and that's enough.

I find English to be a scientifically precise and expressive language, more so than any other language I know. English has developed perhaps more than any other language in the world. I hear the Germans and French also try to compete with English and invent their own words because they refuse to take English words and use them in their language (and even that the Germans never leave anything untranslated; even Hollywood movies are dubbed), and there might be many other languages that also do compete with English, but enforcing those languages as universal is kinda pointless when everyone already knows English and it's already developed enough. The same thing (at the very least) can be said about inventing a new language just for the sake of it.

[ELR]

=O ANYTHING BUT GERMAN PLEASE!! Ich Duetsch nien gut. =*( SPANISH!!! xD Hablos Espanol. ^_^;; Chinese? Not so sure of. Most definitely not French, please. I don't want to hear how much someone has to wee wee.. Um.. bad joke.. *flees*

[Uta-chan~]

Hey, reading music is a language too, right? And no matter what language you speak you can learn to read notes. So I say music be the universal language! >: D

[Meenah]

Sigma, its Mandarin. ;3

As much as Chinese would sound real good for me, bring something back from the grave, Latin. ;P

[SigmaSD]

Hey, reading music is a language too, right? And no matter what language you speak you can learn to read notes. So I say music be the universal language! >: D

Do Re mi Fa So? Fa Re Mi So So Do La Mi do...

[Uta-chan~]

Do Re mi Fa So? Fa Re Mi So So Do La Mi do...

You totally fail. XD

Not that but imagine if I gave you this. You'd be able to listen to it in your head, right? Cause you can read it. ;P Okay, well that might be a little advanced, but you know what I'm saying. XD

[AzureDark]

English is kinda hard when it comes to reading the words, since there are many ways to pronounce something with similar letters. Those who are learning English and have a phonetic-strict mother tongue may find the whole thing confusing.

The basis of trying to make a universal language has been done: Esperanto. Though I can't be bothered to learn it...

[animeyay]

Isn't English already the universal language, or at least close to being it?...despite the fact English is so irregular and all. For example:

English words are not pronounced how they are spelled:
lead = [liːd], break = [breɪk], heaven = [hɛvən], earth = [ərθ], create = [kri'eɪt]
"knight" = [naɪt], where the k, g, and h get ignored completely.

English grammar is a mess:
sing - sang - sung VS bring - brought - brought
one box - two boxes VS one ox - two oxen

etc. but whatever, once you spend 1 year or 2 learning the language, you kinda start overseeing the fact it's so irregular.

[blueangel06661]

Isn't English already the universal language, or at least close to being it?...despite the fact English is so irregular and all. For example:

English words are not pronounced how they are spelled:
lead = [liːd], break = [breɪk], heaven = [hɛvən], earth = [ərθ], create = [kri'eɪt]
"knight" = [naɪt], where the k, g, and h get ignored completely.

English grammar is a mess:
sing - sang - sung VS bring - brought - brought
one box - two boxes VS one ox - two oxen

etc. but whatever, once you spend 1 year or 2 learning the language, you kinda start overseeing the fact it's so irregular.

With a couple of phonics 2nd grade work books you'll eventually get it though. I mean those sort of stuff wasn't really taught to us we Americans were about in 2nd grade. You should try to learn Spanish. With so many different verb conjugations just for a single word.

So English isn't THAT bad.

[animeyay]

You should try to learn Spanish. With so many different verb conjugations just for a single word.

Believe me, I was a Latin student for only 6 years, so I have a pretty good idea what modern Romance languages are like ;D

Even-to-the-day, I still have the Latin conjugations stuck in my head.
habeō, habēs, habet, habēmus, habētis, habeunt...

All that just for "I", "you (s)", "he/she/it", "we", "you (p)", "they", in the simple present tense, indicative mood, active voice. In Latin there are six tenses, three moods, two voices, so that's 6x6x3x2 = 216 forms, and this is still not counting all the gerunds and stuff.

[Hanamaru Kunikida]

What about using your hands when communicating with someone?

[dream magician]

I think it's appropriate that English is considered as the universal language.

[OtakuInu!!!]

I think there should be a universal language. And that is English since a lot of countries can speak English. And with that use the alphabet. Needn't complicate ourselves with new symbols and a new language.

[Lotha Cryso]

talkin about sign language kaitou? but then our voices would crack and fade for those of us who can speak but it is very useful for those who have no voice to speak at all. i doubt there could evr be 1 universal language, it wouldnt assist those who cant speak and if we do do signlanguage then it wouldnt assist those who can speak, ever endin tangle

[Skylar1]

First of all, English is already considered the modern-day Lingua Francawiki of Business, Law, and Science. (the latter used to be German).

Do I think that everyone ought to at least have an understanding of English? It would be pretty helpful, and indeed most parts of the world are moving towards that sort of dueled-tongue society.

However, if you're implying that we should just stamp-out all the other languages in favor of one single one, I would consider that to be a very limited and narrow-minded view. Everyone should try to learn as many languages as they can. No major language could ever become "obsolete" imo, if you learn one, you build upon the one you already know- expanding you understanding of linguistics as whole.

[Aleyna]

What about using your hands when communicating with someone?

You read my mind! Sign language!
English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and Melayu(Malay, just because I like that language lol) for universal languages.

[animeyay]

The thing is though, every country's got its own version of sign language as well...
American sign language users, for example, would not be able to communicate with Japanese sign language users.

[Aku no Hikari]

The American Sign Language seems to be pretty popular nowadays. Every time I enter a chat room I unfailingly get a few people asking me "ASL?", and I respond with "No, English only please."

[Aleyna]

The thing is though, every country's got its own version of sign language as well...
American sign language users, for example, would not be able to communicate with Japanese sign language users.

Oh I know, but it would be pretty cool for everyone to be able to communicate in sign language.

[Skilero]

As EricGamer has said, English is already considered an internationally accepted language. At the same time, we need to realize a language used by most all of the world will never develop or be implemented. With poverty, places like India that are divided into small towns, each with their own distinct dialect, will never fully grasp a single language.

We're as close as we'll ever be to a universal language with English as in most areas of the world it is considered a language anyone who is educated will understand. Where it is not accepted as such are places that have much more prevalent issues at hand than the reorganization of their educational systems.

In other words, a truly universal language will only ever exist in a utopia of the world.

 

This is a notice from the Grammar Nazis:

With a couple of phonics 2nd grade work books you'll eventually get it though.

The quoted piece is incorrectly structured. The suggested wording of the above quote is as follows:

"With a couple of 2nd grade phonetics workbooks you will eventually understand English."

[Cantelope]

English is pretty cool guys, but is it really the language the entire universe should speak? Kind of getting ahead of ourselves here.

[Megamind's Minion]

English is already the Earth's language..
don't know about the universe though, since we are not really sure how far are our neighbors...
But the idea of bringing Latin back from the grave, no the past, intrigues me..
imagine you calling your cat Felis domestica everyday and dogs Canis and the rest Homo....
no thanks....

[Clayton_n]

There is a universal language. It's called "violence". Even animals get the meaning to a swift crack to the head.