Comments on: Europeans: Should Latin become the common language of Europe? http://language-latin.com/europeans-should-latin-become-the-common-language-of-europe.html Find out about the language of Latin online. Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:54:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Observer http://language-latin.com/europeans-should-latin-become-the-common-language-of-europe.html/comment-page-1#comment-1645 Observer Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:54:23 +0000 http://language-latin.com/europeans-should-latin-become-the-common-language-of-europe.html#comment-1645 What drives a language becoming the 'lingua franca' of an extensive eco-political zone (the EU) or Empire (Roman, French, German, English... whatever) is dependent on three main factors: Money, Military hegemonic policies and the language of the ruling Elite - who usually control the weapons and the money. In the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries, these three factors were very evident from two Anglophonic civilisations: the British and the Americans. The American dominance is arguably declining. The Chinese and Indian economies are impacting on the world, agreed, but will either of their languges replace English? I don't think so. India has hardly expressed any interest in global hegemony. While many might fear the Chinese, I don't think they'd consider it either, not with the spectre of nuclear weaponry being kept up the sleeve by the EU, Russia and the USA! Also, Mandarin is dauntingly challenging in its ideogramatic writing and tonally-affected vocabulary... it's a damn hard language to learn and there'd be an enormous amount of cultural resistance! [English, by contrast, while a misery to master is wonderfully tolerant of pronunciation and grammatical abuses. This is why it so rapidly became such an easily acquired 2nd language. Get 200 words useful for trading/money... and you're away!] So... Europe will sort out its language problem by itself and for itself. If I had to predict the future, I'd go Esperanto as the best choice. It is a much more attractive option than Classical or even Vulgate Latin. Its vocabulary and grammatical constructions make it easy to learn; it arguably doesn't favour any one nation politically; it uses the Latin alphabet, and has no ugly politicised or cultural baggage. This makes it all easy to teach. Theoretically, within one generation of comprehensive pan-EU schooling there could be as many as 50 - 100 million speakers of the language. That's one in 8 for the EU. Put it another way; if the decision to make Esperanto the 'lingua franca' of the EU was agreed to in 2010, by 2030 it could well be the functioning daily official language of the EU. With the speed of the internet and global communications, concurrent with the retraction of the US economy and the rise of the EU's, within another 20 years it could by the world's lingua franca, replacing English. What drives a language becoming the ‘lingua franca’ of an extensive eco-political zone (the EU) or Empire (Roman, French, German, English… whatever) is dependent on three main factors: Money, Military hegemonic policies and the language of the ruling Elite – who usually control the weapons and the money.
In the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries, these three factors were very evident from two Anglophonic civilisations: the British and the Americans.
The American dominance is arguably declining. The Chinese and Indian economies are impacting on the world, agreed, but will either of their languges replace English? I don’t think so. India has hardly expressed any interest in global hegemony. While many might fear the Chinese, I don’t think they’d consider it either, not with the spectre of nuclear weaponry being kept up the sleeve by the EU, Russia and the USA! Also, Mandarin is dauntingly challenging in its ideogramatic writing and tonally-affected vocabulary… it’s a damn hard language to learn and there’d be an enormous amount of cultural resistance! [English, by contrast, while a misery to master is wonderfully tolerant of pronunciation and grammatical abuses. This is why it so rapidly became such an easily acquired 2nd language. Get 200 words useful for trading/money... and you're away!]

So… Europe will sort out its language problem by itself and for itself. If I had to predict the future, I’d go Esperanto as the best choice. It is a much more attractive option than Classical or even Vulgate Latin. Its vocabulary and grammatical constructions make it easy to learn; it arguably doesn’t favour any one nation politically; it uses the Latin alphabet, and has no ugly politicised or cultural baggage. This makes it all easy to teach. Theoretically, within one generation of comprehensive pan-EU schooling there could be as many as 50 – 100 million speakers of the language. That’s one in 8 for the EU. Put it another way; if the decision to make Esperanto the ‘lingua franca’ of the EU was agreed to in 2010, by 2030 it could well be the functioning daily official language of the EU. With the speed of the internet and global communications, concurrent with the retraction of the US economy and the rise of the EU’s, within another 20 years it could by the world’s lingua franca, replacing English.

]]> By: Bill Chapman http://language-latin.com/europeans-should-latin-become-the-common-language-of-europe.html/comment-page-1#comment-1555 Bill Chapman Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:56:30 +0000 http://language-latin.com/europeans-should-latin-become-the-common-language-of-europe.html#comment-1555 I'm for Esperanto. It's a very practical easy-to-use language. I;ve spoken it in fifteen countries over many years. It's certainly brought me closer to other Europeans. I’m for Esperanto. It’s a very practical easy-to-use language. I;ve spoken it in fifteen countries over many years. It’s certainly brought me closer to other Europeans.

]]> By: Tasha http://language-latin.com/europeans-should-latin-become-the-common-language-of-europe.html/comment-page-1#comment-1548 Tasha Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:14:22 +0000 http://language-latin.com/europeans-should-latin-become-the-common-language-of-europe.html#comment-1548 Well, I study for European Professional, so we kind of discuss this every week. )) In my class most people do think that French should be the main language of the EU, because the biggest part of the EU does speak this language or a language which is about the same as French, like Spanish or Italian. They are all from the same language group. Latin is also a language from the same group (I think) , so I agree with you, it would be very easy for everyone if they learn it at school from the beginning. It would be nice if children at least would learn the basics of the language, and of course their own language. It would be easier to tell eachothers opinions in the EU. For example, English is not my native language, but I hope most people understand me. So it would also be easy to use just one language in the EU. Well, I study for European Professional, so we kind of discuss this every week. )) In my class most people do think that French should be the main language of the EU, because the biggest part of the EU does speak this language or a language which is about the same as French, like Spanish or Italian. They are all from the same language group.
Latin is also a language from the same group (I think) , so I agree with you, it would be very easy for everyone if they learn it at school from the beginning. It would be nice if children at least would learn the basics of the language, and of course their own language.
It would be easier to tell eachothers opinions in the EU.
For example, English is not my native language, but I hope most people understand me. So it would also be easy to use just one language in the EU.

]]> By: northpaw http://language-latin.com/europeans-should-latin-become-the-common-language-of-europe.html/comment-page-1#comment-1549 northpaw Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:14:22 +0000 http://language-latin.com/europeans-should-latin-become-the-common-language-of-europe.html#comment-1549 Remember Esperanto? It just wouldn't work because it isn't practical. There are already widely common languages, namely English and rapidly growing Mandarin. Forcing dozens of nations and groups to change their language to something that barely anyone speaks anymore (it isn't even an official language of Vatican City) would be met with loud outcry, especially to a language like Latin. Our world has evolved with thousands upon thousands of languages, and an area as large as the European Union can't be united under one, more so with something as arcane (it became arcane well over a thousand years ago) as Latin. But hey, if the Pope called, anyone could have a conversation. Remember Esperanto? It just wouldn’t work because it isn’t practical. There are already widely common languages, namely English and rapidly growing Mandarin. Forcing dozens of nations and groups to change their language to something that barely anyone speaks anymore (it isn’t even an official language of Vatican City) would be met with loud outcry, especially to a language like Latin. Our world has evolved with thousands upon thousands of languages, and an area as large as the European Union can’t be united under one, more so with something as arcane (it became arcane well over a thousand years ago) as Latin. But hey, if the Pope called, anyone could have a conversation.

]]> By: willemsk http://language-latin.com/europeans-should-latin-become-the-common-language-of-europe.html/comment-page-1#comment-1550 willemsk Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:14:22 +0000 http://language-latin.com/europeans-should-latin-become-the-common-language-of-europe.html#comment-1550 I'd prefer Esperanto rather than Latin. Latin is too difficult (declensions, three genders...) and people would end up going back to English. Esperanto, on the other head, is one of the easiest languages to learn and has a bit of every major European language in it, so it is equally easy for every European to learn. Latin, however, would be easier for Romance language speakers, and it wouldn't be fair, just as English isn't fair today. But we all know Esperanto can't really work as a lingua franca nowadays so I'd rather stick with English. I’d prefer Esperanto rather than Latin. Latin is too difficult (declensions, three genders…) and people would end up going back to English. Esperanto, on the other head, is one of the easiest languages to learn and has a bit of every major European language in it, so it is equally easy for every European to learn. Latin, however, would be easier for Romance language speakers, and it wouldn’t be fair, just as English isn’t fair today. But we all know Esperanto can’t really work as a lingua franca nowadays so I’d rather stick with English.

]]> By: Crogiolo dei Mondi http://language-latin.com/europeans-should-latin-become-the-common-language-of-europe.html/comment-page-1#comment-1551 Crogiolo dei Mondi Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:14:22 +0000 http://language-latin.com/europeans-should-latin-become-the-common-language-of-europe.html#comment-1551 By now "de facto" the common language within EU is English, I don't understand why we should start speaking again a language that none speaks anymore apart from the Pope and some priests in their liturgies... By now "de facto" the common language within EU is English, I don’t understand why we should start speaking again a language that none speaks anymore apart from the Pope and some priests in their liturgies…

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