International Language: Past, Present & Future
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.
Science but one:
They’ll climb up a thousand rungs
When Babel’s done.
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 | ||
| I. | Some Existing International Languages already in Partial Use | 74 |
| II. | Outline of History of the Idea of a Universal Language—List of Schemes proposed | 76 |
| III. | The Earliest British Attempt | 87 |
| IV. | History of Volapük—a Warning | 92 |
| V. | History of Idiom Neutral | 98 |
| VI. | The Newest Languages: a Neo-Latin Group—Gropings towards a "Pan-European" Amalgamated Scheme | 103 |
| VII. | History of Esperanto | 105 |
| VIII. | Present State of Esperanto; (a) General (b) in England | 121 |
| IX. | Lessons to be drawn from the Foregoing History | 131 |
|
PART III The Claims of Esperanto to be taken seriously: Considerations based on the Structure of the Language itself | ||
| I. | Esperanto is scientifically constructed, and fulfils the Natural Tendency in Evolution of Language | 135 |
| II. | Esperanto from an Educational Point of View—It will aid the learning of other Languages and stimulate Intelligence | 145 |
| III. | Comparative Tables illustrating Labour saved in learning Esperanto as contrasted with other Languages: (a) Word-building; (b) Participles and Auxiliaries | 155 |
| IV. | How Esperanto can be used as a Code Language to communicate with Persons who have never learnt it | 161 |
|
PART IV Specimens of Esperanto, with Grammar and Vocabulary | ||
| Note | 165 | |
| I. | Pronunciation | 166 |
| II. | Specimens of Esperanto: | |
| 1. Parolado | 167 | |
| 2. La Marbordistoj | 168 | |
| 3. Nesaĝa Gento: Alegorio | 168 | |
| III. | Grammar | 189 |
| IV. | List of Affixes | 191 |
| V. | Table of Correlative Words | 193 |
| VI. | Vocabulary | 194 |
|
APPENDIX A | ||
| Sample Problems (see Part III., chap. ii.) in Regular Language | 200 | |
|
APPENDIX B | ||
| Esperanto Hymn by Dr. Zamenhof | 202 | |
|
APPENDIX C | ||
| The Letter c in Esperanto | 204 | |
This work was published before January 1, 1930, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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