International Language, Past, Present & Future / With Specimens of Esperanto and Grammar

by Walter John Clark

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
[PART II] Historical
[I].	Some Existing International Languages already in Partial Use	74
[II].	Outline of History of the Idea of a Universal Language—List of Schemes proposed	76
[III].	The Earliest British Attempt	87
[IV].	History of Volapük—a Warning	92
[V].	History of Idiom Neutral	98
[VI].	The Newest Languages: a Neo-Latin Group—Gropings towards a "Pan-European" Amalgamated Scheme	103
[VII].	History of Esperanto	105
[VIII].	Present State of Esperanto: (a) General; (b) in England	121
[IX].	Lessons to be drawn from the Foregoing History	131
[PART III] The Claims of Esperanto to be taken seriously: Considerations based on the Structure of the Language itself
[I].	Esperanto is scientifically constructed, and fulfils the Natural Tendency in Evolution of Language	135
[II].	Esperanto from an Educational Point of View—It will aid the learning of other Languages and stimulate Intelligence	145
[III].	Comparative Tables illustrating Labour saved in learning Esperanto as contrasted with other Languages: (a) Word-building; (b) Participles and Auxiliaries	155
[IV].	How Esperanto can be used as a Code Language to communicate with Persons who have never learnt it	161
[PART IV] Specimens of Esperanto, with Grammar and Vocabulary
	Note	165
[I].	Pronunciation	166
[II].	Specimens of Esperanto:
	[1]. Parolado	167
	[2]. La Marbordistoj	168
	[3]. Nesaĝa Gento: Alegorio	168
[III].	Grammar	189
[IV].	List of Affixes	191
[V].	Table of Correlative Words	193
[VI].	Vocabulary	194
[APPENDIX A]
Sample Problems (see [Part III., chap. ii.]) in Regular Language		200
[APPENDIX B]
Esperanto Hymn by Dr. Zamenhof		202
[APPENDIX C]
The Letter c in Esperanto		204