One Universal Language

[George Wallace]

I have often wondered why some Cultures get so upset at 'words' that 'must be translated' from the English.   I always thought that it would be beneficial if over time we could create new words and thus create a common language or bring the differing languages of the world into a more 'common' understanding of each other.

I have found in my travels, many words in different languages that sound the same or similar to English words and mean exactly the same.   I thought that many Italian words were in fact the same as English, except that they had and "a", "e", "i", "o" or "u" at the end of them.   Many French words are used in the English Language, with not translation at all, such as 'rendezvous'.   I would say 'bordello' also, but the French probably adopted that from the Romans.

Why are so many Cultures upset with words like "hamburger", "hot dog", "Big Mac", "Windows", "computer", etc.?   Many of these words are American or High Tech creations in the last sixty years.   Isn't it a good thing that we can slowly create words that are common in all languages?   Isn't a better thing that we create words that we can all understand, rather than not be able to communicate at all?   My melon isn't big enough to learn over 128 languages and retain fluency in all.

So where did Bordello come from anyway?   ;D

 

[Edward Campbell]

...
So where did Bordello come from anyway?   ;D

From bordel, an ancient French (before French was even a language) word, ultimately from the Frankish (Germanic) word borde - a small farm.  The Italians picked it up as bordello and its meaning changed, over more than a thousand yaers, from small farm to brothel.  The inmates I guess were chicks or lambs.  What on earth were those Italians doing?

 

[George Wallace]

Ah!  Prego!

 

[Kat Stevens]

yup, great spaghetti sauce  ;D

 

[George Wallace]

Today I learned that "Kangaroo" means "I don't know what you are saying/I don't understand you" in the aboriginal language.

That may become an important word some day......Kangaroo!

 

[Fishbone Jones]

George,

How could you miss Ebonics

 

[Chimo]

From bordel, an ancient French (before French was even a language) word, ultimately from the Frankish (Germanic) word borde - a small farm.   The Italians picked it up as bordello and its meaning changed, over more than a thousand yaers, from small farm to brothel.   The inmates I guess were chicks or lambs.   What on earth were those Italians doing?

Edward is always a source of knowledge. I am amazed. 

 

[48Highlander]

You wan't a universal language?   Here it is!   Esperanto!   A scientificaly designed language with a simple grammatical structure incorporating words from the majority of languages on the earth.   Now if only it were mandatory learning in all schools

 

[paracowboy]

they tried teaching Esperanto back in the '70s. Went exactly no-wheah!
"Where you goin'? That's right! No-wheah!"

The only universal language will be the one most trade is conducted in. Once upon a time it was French. Before that it was Latin. Today, and for the fore-seeable future, it's Eennngalish. Maybe in a few decades/centuries, it may become Mandarin, or Hindi. 

 

[Glorified Ape]

As many people identify language as an inherent part of their identity/culture, I don't think we'll see a widely accepted universal language. I'm not sure it would necessarily be a good thing either - a lot can be lost in the subsuming of one language by another. I'm no linguist but IIRC, things as basic as thought patterns and ethics are tied into, and propogated by, language. I guess what I'm trying to say is that for some peoples/cultures, a conversion to a different language may fundamentally alter things.

 

[paracowboy]

As many people identify language as an inherent part of their identity/culture, I don't think we'll see a widely accepted universal language. I'm not sure it would necessarily be a good thing either - a lot can be lost in the subsuming of one language by another. I'm no linguist but IIRC, things as basic as thought patterns and ethics are tied into, and propogated by, language. I guess what I'm trying to say is that for some peoples/cultures, a conversion to a different language may fundamentally alter things.

Guns, Germs, and Steel touched on this lightly, and his opinion matches yours pretty closely.

 

[Old Ranger]

www.ebaumsworld.com/flash/diplomacy.html

Here's a funny version of a universal song.
(You have to watch the entire thing)

 

[paracowboy]

languages of other peoples are only learned for gain. People learn the language of a neighbour that has something they want. The closest thing to a universal language today is English, because it is the language of trade today. A few centuries ago, it was French. A few before that, it was Latin.

Without that carrot, there is no interest in learning another people's language. That's why Esperanto failed so magnificently. (Which threw a big monkey wrench into Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat books.)

Maybe in a few centuries (or decades) people around the world will be studying Mandarin or Hindi.

 

[Old Ranger]

languages of other peoples are only learned for gain. People learn the language of a neighbour that has something they want. The closest thing to a universal language today is English, because it is the language of trade today. A few centuries ago, it was French. A few before that, it was Latin.

Wasn't that also too the "Victor goes the Language"?

 

[48Highlander]

Without that carrot, there is no interest in learning another people's language. That's why Esperanto failed so magnificently. (Which threw a big monkey wrench into Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat books.)

Esperanto's been around since the early 1900's, and Harrison based his books several hundred years in the future, so there's lots of time for it to catch on

While attempting to replace all languages with one universal language would be impossible and wouldn't make sense, having a universal "second language" would be a huge boon for everyone involved.   If most of the world has to learn English anyway, it'd be much easier for EVERYONE to learn Esperanto instead.   It's just a little tricky getting people to actually do it   Would have been a good project for the UN to try and implement.

 

[atticus]

Ah!  Prego!

Your welcome?

 

[winchable]

Is it not possible with the way the world is turning into sort of a massive global village that many years from now the..uh, for lack of a better word "Race/Language Pool" will become so mixed that there will be something of a worldwide language (save the race issue for another thread) or main worldwide languages that everyone speaks and smaller regional dialects will be lost.
Perhaps the continent of Europe will adopt sort of a mix of all the languages there, Asia will mix into a few big languages all derived from the number of different ones there now and North and South America will mix into a bigger language.
Mind you, I'm not talking about next week but if you consider how much "closer" the rest of the world is to each other, many years from now it might happen.

languages of other peoples are only learned for gain

As long as young Italian women speak only Italian..I'm tempted to agree.

"Siete una donna bella, qui siete i miei soldi"