Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.
Difference is of the essence of humanity. Difference is an accident of birth and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict. The answer to difference is to respect it. Therein lies a most fundamental principle of peace: respect for diversity.
~John Hume
Great post! I'm resteeming this :)
Thanks so much. Differences seem to be getting more attention these days than the factors that unite us.
Yes, unfortunately there has always been darkness, trying to engulf the attention span of everyone. Fortunately for us change has been upon them for a while and will prevail!
Good of you to comment. Yes, let's hope positive change does prevail.
Beautiful quotations. Unfortunately habits and languages are what divided us most. We can not deny that fact. Therefore humanity always tried and still does to find at least a common auxiliary language. Esperanto as the most successful attempt is not yet accepted worldwide. However what seems to be a working Lingua franca- English - doesn't serve as a real communication tool. Native speakers always have an advantage...
Yes, I remember encountering Esperanto many, many years ago. I do not know how much it has spread or at what rate, although your comment seems to indicate that there has been at least some progress. (Hope I didn't misunderstand you.)
English does serve well as a lingua franca. It has also become a pluri-centric language. Who knows, in the future its development may mimic that of Latin, which eventually spawned a number of related but distinct languages. Right now, it's the best we've got. Two huge English-speaking empires have given it a vast distribution.
And with regard to native speakers: sure, there can be no doubt that they have an advantage--which may be a greater consideration, say, when producing a novel than when reading one. But your point still stands.
English does serve well as a lingua franca- yes, however Esperanto would serve much better. Ask Chinise people what they think about English, or better ask English teacher teaching English over there... or non English academics who have to write their thesis in a foreign language.
Esperanto is now a real natural language (a bit like a global minority language), spoken around the globe, with some tousands of native speakers .... on Duolingo alone more than 600 000 English speaker learning it. Google a bit or if you like read my article here on Steemit:
https://steemit.com/esparanto/@johano/steem-engine-for-a-global-language
By the way I am a great fan of diversity too.
You’ve posted very interesting thoughts. I have translating experience and am keenly aware of communication difficulties. Also—since you mentioned China—I have a number of Chinese friends and often see how difficult English can be for them . . . and for Russian speakers, too . . . and German speakers . . . and . . . (big smile). So I am receptive to the idea of an international language.
I enjoyed reading your article! Thanks so much. I’ll be posting quotes (which are another kind of international connector) about once a week. If you have a minute, please drop by.
Thanks and followed.