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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.
_Practical._ The World has a thousand tongues,
Science but one:
They'll climb up a thousand rungs
When Babel's done.
_Ideal._ Mankind has a thousand tongues,
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