--- Emerson_José_Silveira_da_Costa
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> -------- Mensagem original --------
> Assunto: Re: universal language?
> De: Vice-secretario
> de UMI <[log in to unmask]>
> Para: "Roland Stadler"
> <[log in to unmask]>
>
> Sr. Roland Stadler ha scripte:
> >Dear
> Sirs,
> >
> >I just stumbled over you internet site (discovering
>
> the
> >interlingua-dictionary at babylon). But I just
> don't see, why
> >a
> universal language - so to say a foreign language to
> >everybody - should be
> necessary.
> >
> >You see, I'm swiss. My mother tongue is swiss
> german.
> In
> >school we learn german and french as foreign
> languages.
> >I had some
> years of english practice in high school and am
> >quite satisfied with
> it.
> >
> >But do you know, how I really learned the english
> language?
> >By
> viewing MTV and reading lots of english literature.
> >
> >As long as there
> aren't similar things for interlingua,
> >there's no chance, your language
> will ever be accepted even
> >as a foreign language (and this is where you'll
> dream will
> >come to a halt), because today nobody cares about
> the
> latin
> >language anymore. You know why? It's not spoken
> anymore. You
> >can
> read, but you never, ever practice to talk in latin.
>
> Dear Mr.
> Roland,
>
> First of all, Interlingua was not conceived
> according to the
> "Esperantistic"  view of "the second language that
> everyone should/must
> learn".
>
> It is in fact the "materialization" of a latent
> linguistic
> reality: the existence of a common international
> vocabulary shared by the
> European languages, some part of which was spread to
> all the world  by means of
> forces like science, technology, trade, arts, etc.
>
> It is undeniable that
> such vocabulary is mostly based on Greco-Latin
> material. But Interlingua is not
> a simplified Latin. The word "television"  did not
> exist in Latin. It is part of
> the modern international vocabulary, so it is
> automatically part of
> Interlingua.
>
> The advance of English is no problem to Interlingua.
> As long
> as English  terms are incorporated by other
> languages ("byte", "CD-ROM",
> "software". .), they become automatically part of
> Interlingua.
>
> The
> present Interlingua was developed by the
> International Auxiliary  Language
> Association (IALA) according to a given methodology
> (described  and explained
> in detail in (<http://www.interlingua.com/ied/>).
> Obviously  many other
> methodologies could (and indeed still can) be
> devised and applied, producing a
> number of distinct (but nonetheless somewhat
> similar) "materializations" of
> the same international vocabulary.
>
> Anyway, the Interlingua published by
> IALA is *usable* whenever you want to reach an
> heterogeneous
> audience/readership composed of people  from
> different nationalities
> speaking Europan languages. Many have  a fair
> comprehension of a text in
> Interlingua at first sight, without  having ever
> known of it, or had any contect
> with it, before.
>
> Interlingua is mainly a one-way communication tool:
> You're not supposed  to chat in it -- but obviously
> you can do it for the fun of it. But
> if you publish, say, a website in Interlingua (along
> with a "main"  English
> version, why not? You want maximum audience!),
> people will understand what you
> say. If the public want to contact you back, that's
> another story, but, also,
> many people can understand some English without
> being able to communicate in
> it.
>
> Interlingua can additionally be used as a teaching
> tool: an
> introduction to the Romance languages or even -- for
> non-Europeans -- to the European
> languages.
>
> And, as any "natural" language, it has what it takes
> to be used as
> a second language within organizations, though we
> understand that this is
> quite improbable at present.
>
> I hope I have provided you with a more accurate
> vision of Interlingua, and I understand that this
> vision is not well expressed
> in our website. There is indeed some emphasis on the
> "second language" usage,
> but we plan to reformulate it in the near future.
>
> Cordial salutationes,
> ---
>
> Emerson José Silveira da Costa
> Vice-secretario
> Union Mundial pro
> Interlingua
> http://www.interlingua.com

Thanks for the clarification! I was wondering if I
should study esperanto, Ido or Interlingua, you made
the choice pretty clear.

Interlingua then has no pretention of becoming
everybody`s second language, and just wants to remain
a reference language. So I find the only solution to
solve the human communication problem must then be
esperanto or Ido.

Thank you for your help


=====
+++
Stëphane Larochelle
Église Unie St-Marc (Ottawa)
http://st-marc.freehosting.net

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