-------- 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
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