Universal Language..why not?

[Rainman]

I always wondered why humanity didn't decide to choose one universal language and have everyone learn it as their second language? That way, within a few years, everyone on Earth could speak to each other without translators. I looked at Interlingua and such attempts to blend different languages and, to me, that is the wrong way to go about it. We need to invent a totally new language...a simple, basic language made up of simple sounds and symbols. It should be a straightforward "subject-verb-object" type of language with easy-to-make oral sounds. It would form the basics for everyone and then each country or culture could add on it's own culture specific words. To me, English is got to be the worst mishmash of words and sounds.

If we put some innovative minds together we could invent it in a year or so...produce guidebooks and have the entire world talking and listening without translators. Oh well.

[Jacqueline Sheehan]

But I guess the problem is that the sound pronouncing is different for different languages. Therefore, it is hard to create a language that will be easy for everyone. To Americans, Chinese is hard. To Chinese, Spanish is hard. So at the end, people will choose the one language that is more well known and easy for most of the people as a universal language. And that is English and Spanish as I know. I might be wrong but what do you think?

[Alias]

Here you go:
https://learnnavi.org/
It's pretty and already spoken by many people from different earth cultures.

[Spectrum]

If we can establish a Universal Language where everyone will adopt with consensus that would be ideal.

The diversity of languages we have to day was in correlation to the diversity in terms of geography, environment, communications constraints, etc. Now that so many other factors are ingrained into the language, e.g. psychological, political, religious factors, it is difficult for groups to give up their accustomed language to adopt a universal one, such as Esperanto or a more commonly used language such as English or Spanish.

There are attempts but I don't read of a more concerted effort to promote a Universal Language by UN or any group at present.
Personally I hope humanity will strive towards a Universal Language [incorporating all positive features of existing languages] some day [by 50, 100, 150, 200 years?]

[Rainman]

If we can establish a Universal Language where everyone will adopt with consensus that would be ideal.

The diversity of languages we have to day was in correlation to the diversity in terms of geography, environment, communications constraints, etc. Now that so many other factors are ingrained into the language, e.g. psychological, political, religious factors, it is difficult for groups to give up their accustomed language to adopt a universal one, such as Esperanto or a more commonly used language such as English or Spanish.

There are attempts but I don't read of a more concerted effort to promote a Universal Language by UN or any group at present.
Personally I hope humanity will strive towards a Universal Language [incorporating all positive features of existing languages] some day [by 50, 100, 150, 200 years?]

I wouldn't want anyone to give up their accustomed language. I would just want everyone to decide on one, simple, second language. Not English. It is not simple and doesn't follow simple linguistic rules. Oddly enough, I would be happy if the UN just threw a dart at a dartboard full of languages and whichever language the dart fell on would be everyone's second language.

[Alias]

Nothing complicated about Slovenian!

[Spectrum]

If we can establish a Universal Language where everyone will adopt with consensus that would be ideal.

The diversity of languages we have to day was in correlation to the diversity in terms of geography, environment, communications constraints, etc. Now that so many other factors are ingrained into the language, e.g. psychological, political, religious factors, it is difficult for groups to give up their accustomed language to adopt a universal one, such as Esperanto or a more commonly used language such as English or Spanish.

There are attempts but I don't read of a more concerted effort to promote a Universal Language by UN or any group at present.
Personally I hope humanity will strive towards a Universal Language [incorporating all positive features of existing languages] some day [by 50, 100, 150, 200 years?]

I wouldn't want anyone to give up their accustomed language. I would just want everyone to decide on one, simple, second language. Not English. It is not simple and doesn't follow simple linguistic rules. Oddly enough, I would be happy if the UN just threw a dart at a dartboard full of languages and whichever language the dart fell on would be everyone's second language.

It is obvious people will not opt for change if you are to speak in the present state where tribalistic impulses are likely to dominate one's consciousness. It is not likely the majority who had grown up and accustomed to one language from their family and culture at present would want to give up their language. At present, people are even fighting with their lives to keep their mother tongue as the common language of communication.

I believe resisting to change and maintaining one's current language instead of a universal one is due to psychological and emotional factors, thus very subjective.

As I had stated the ideal is for humanity to strive for one universal language in the future [by 50, 100, 150, 200 years?] especially for the subject of language.
I am for diversity but there are certain things like language, morality and the likes that are necessary and net-positive to be universal and standardized.

The process of striving to achieve a universal language has to be gradual so that hardcore resistance can be overcome.

Even when there is a universal language humanity will need to strive hard to maintain its universality by avoiding its pidgin and varying elements creeping it.

[LuckyR]

Here's a clue: What second language if learned, increases the earning potential greatest for the learner?

[Alias]

Here's a clue: What second language if learned, increases the earning potential greatest for the learner?

Wouldn't that depend on their first language + where they live?

[LuckyR]

Here's a clue: What second language if learned, increases the earning potential greatest for the learner?

Wouldn't that depend on their first language + where they live?

Nope. What's your guess?

[Alias]

If it's not place-dependent, then I'll guess Mandarin.

[LuckyR]

If it's not place-dependent, then I'll guess Mandarin.

Popular choice, I see the logic, though incorrect.

[Rainman]

If it's not place-dependent, then I'll guess Mandarin.

Popular choice, I see the logic, though incorrect.

English is my mother-tongue and so, if you say Mandarin as a second language would not increase my income the most...then I choose Machine Language.

[Hereandnow]

Hey Rainman: Humanity doesn't invent anything. As if one could stop the wheels of social evolution, redo everything, then move on for the better. Nothing happens like this. Disutopias litter history with their failures. Americans can't even switch to the metric system because cultural values are so deeply embedded. It being a good idea is quite beside the point. Universal language? Why not start with something easy, like universal health care, or universal respect for persons, or universal tolerance and understanding?

[LuckyR]

(Nested quote removed.)


Popular choice, I see the logic, though incorrect.

English is my mother-tongue and so, if you say Mandarin as a second language would not increase my income the most...then I choose Machine Language.

The second language that will increase income for the learner the most is English. We kind of already have a universal language. Ask a pilot or a tech person.