Lingusitics Should the world have a single language?

[wolram]

would a common language bring better understanding
between various factions around the world?
why did esperanto die out?
why do we stick with crazy ways for spelling,
like, knob,vacuum,phantom why not
nob,vakume,fantom?

 

[selfAdjoint]

The Spanish had a great world empire. Then they rationalized their spelling at look what happened!

 

[kleinphi]

Originally posted by wolram

why do we stick with crazy ways for spelling,
like, knob,vacuum,phantom why not
nob,vakume,fantom?

why not nob, vakyem, fantem?
ynotnobvakyemfantem

 

[zoobyshoe]

Originally posted by wolram
would a common language bring better understanding
between various factions around the world?

Not one bit. It is not misunderstanding but well understood conflict of interests that causes problems.

 

[sandinmyears]

Ya. My mother and I misunderstand each other all the time.

 

[LURCH]

Although it would not be enough in itself, I think a common language would certainly help. Not only from the communication aspect, but also the psychology of language.

English is about as close to a universal language as we have at present, because it is entirely composed of bits and pieces of other languages. This also explains why some of the spellings seem so odd; that's the way the word was spelled before it was "appropriated" by English.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Originally posted by LURCH
Although it would not be enough in itself, I think a common language would certainly help.

I don't really see how it would help one bit based on how it didn't help one bit in the past. If you take English, the fact everyone involved spoke English did nothing to prevent the American Revolution. Likewise it did nothing to prevent the American Civil War.

Iraq invaded Kuwait a few years back despite their both being Arabic speaking countries, and the first country Germany invaded under the Nazis was German speaking Austria.