According to the Bible:
…The whole world had one language and a common speech…Then they said, ‘come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth. (Gen. 11.1, 4)
It was at the tower of Babel that the linguistic nations were born, for it was there that all shared a single language, until God stepped into their united project “to reach the heavens” and confused their communications (Gen. 11.5-9). For years, the world, separated by barriers such as mountains, oceans, and states, has developed and used thousands of diverse languages. As trade, travel, and international relationships have increased throughout the years, so has the need for a universal language.
According to Peter G. Forster, “The earliest known philosophical statement on the subject of universal language appears to be that of René Descartes. This appears in a letter dated 20 November 1629, written to Father Mersenne” (41). Since that time, there have been about five hundred known attempts to create an international language. Interestingly, nearly all the serious attempts occurred in the closing years of the 19th century. One language introduced during the 19th century, Esperanto, has survived and, notwithstanding great traumas, is today alive and well (Enderby 68). Through exploration of Esperanto’s creator, its history, its struggles, and its present-day developments, it is obvious that Esperanto is an educational inclination toward the progress of international communication. Esperanto has undoubtedly acquired both the largest following and the most extensive development as a language (Forster 41).
Ludwig Lazar Zamenhof was...
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...ed By Oklahoma House."Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City, OK) (n.d.): Regional Business News. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.
Agosin, Marjorie. "Always Living in Spanish: Recovering the Familiar, through Language." The Norton Field Guide to Writing. By Richard H. Bullock. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2009. 21-24. Print. 11 Nov. 2013
Upon discovering humanities attempt to build a tower to the Heavens, God didn’t like that so he said, “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth (Gen 11: 7-8). We can thank the Lord for all the various languages, cultures, and peoples spread across the globe today.
Language is a mean of communication in any given society. It represents the ability to evolve and progress through the ongoing process of living with other human beings. Many can perceive this instrument as tool of liberation and transformation but others as an instrument to enslave, manipulate or oppress a group of people. Whichever the case one need to acknowledge that it is necessary and not a waste of time the many different discussions about this ongoing topic regardless of the time period or social context any country might have. In Puerto Rico, there has been an ongoing dilemma about languages; Dr. Alicia Pousada examines on her essay what many might define “the language madness on the island”. Throughout this paper some of her most interesting ideas will be shared and discussed so that this already extended topic might find another page to take place.
7. Jean, Georges. Writing- The Story of Alphabets and Scripts. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1992.
Humans have been using written language to communicate ideas with one another since as early as 3200 BCE in Mesopotamia. Since then, every great civilization has had a written language, each with its own unique characteristics. However, it was the writin...
Silko, Leslie Marmon. “Language and Literature from a Pueblo Indian Perspective.” 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. Ed. Samuel Cohen. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004. 346-357. Print.
“Se habla Espanol” wrote by Tanya Maria Barrientos. She is growing up in Texas, but she was born in Guatemala. That causes she cannot speak Spanish like Latina. In the article, she talked about what the feeling as a Lantana without the ability to speak Spanish so well. Her parents give her a few of knowledge about speaking Spanish. Because, she grew up in a special era, which Mexican Americans were considered dangerous radical. Nowadays, this theory is politically incorrect. The author wants to find some people that like her, does not fit in Spanish culture and help them, giving them a big mental supporting. I’m from China, growing and living in different places, which have different language and culture habit.
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Mujica, Mauro E. “Why the U.S Needs an Official Language.” Worldandi.com. 2003. Web. 31 July 2011. .
Language is a means of communication and it varies from one community to another. Everyone has a mother tongue which depended on the family’s upbringing. A second language can be learned along the way. There are also instances where a person is born in a community that speaks two languages and therefore, had to learn both languages. The quality of the languages learned will be affected by how well the community speaks both languages. This can later develop into a new form of language. The essay describes the frustration of the author who felt rejected by different groups for speaking a different form of language. Her essay aims to gain sympathy from readers by seeing the issue from her point of view. Anzaldua attempts to achieve this in her essay by raising issues on identity and discrimination. She wanted to highlight that language is not determined by a country’s physical borders.
Nooteboom, Sieb G. 1969. The tongue slips into patterns. Leyden (studies in linguistics and phonetics. The Hague: Mouton, 114- 32
Language is a fundamental component of any interpersonal relationship. What becomes of those that cannot be understood? Disregarding contributions because of language could be discarding the greatest intellectual development of the twenty-first century, and one might never know about it. This demonstrates the importance of knowing multiple languages, whether it is Sign Language, Spanish, French, Dutch, Mayan, or any other medium of communication. Cultures throughout history have crumbled as a result of language barriers, leaving only artifacts and records to tell their story. This has been exhibited in various indigenous civilizations across the globe, such as the Coast Miwok language, which had been
a profoundly different world of its own: a world with its own language, its own
It has been adopted by different sectors making it one of the most used languages in the globe. This has been attributed to its effective nature, easy learning and rich history. However, conservative groups exist who argues that there should be global language since it may cause the emergence of superior cultures. Nevertheless, it is evident that different cultures ranging from the early polish immigrants, the African American community, the advertising and media will greatly benefit from the globalization of the English language. This will prove in the end that English is indeed a global