If every country was required to learn a single universal language from birth so everyone in the world could understand one another...

[Buzz Rules]

If every country on Earth was required to learn a single universal language from birth so everyone in the world could understand one another without the need for translation, what would you pick to be Earth's universal language? I would pick an ancient language that is still in use today like Greek.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

If every country in was required to learn a single universal language from birth so everyone in the world could understand one another without the need for translation, what would you pick to be Earth's universal language

Well, thanks to the British most of the world speaks English....
If you travel to most of Europe you will find most people speak enough English to transact business....

Actually, on a recent trip to Poland, I found more people who speak English there than on my regular trip to the grocery store..

 

[PollyannaMom]

I agree that English seems to have a nice head start.

Of course, it's also convenient that it's what I already speak.

 

[White Cat]

There is a reason why there are so many languages. So that won’t happen.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

There is a reason why there are so many languages. So that won’t happen.

Ok, I'll bite
What is the reason?

 

[tvguy]

They tried that in the late 1960's and early 1970's with Esperanto. Although Esperanto dates to the late 1880's. When I was in High School, the choices of Foreign Language at our rival high school included Esperanto. My friend took it.
I traveled for a month during College in West Germany, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Austria as part of a German study abroad program in 1979. We met an Austrian businessman who did business throughout the (then) Eastern Bloc and he said he never understood why Americans learned a foreign language since he said we already spoke the international language. All his business dealings were done in English.

 

[HopperFan]

Easy and I've said it for YEARS! Teach every kid from Kindergarten - SIGN LANGUAGE!

 

[Robbie Cottam]

Easy and I've said it for YEARS! Teach every kid from Kindergarten - SIGN LANGUAGE!

American Sign Language ?

 

[tvguy]

Easy and I've said it for YEARS! Teach every kid from Kindergarten - SIGN LANGUAGE!

Both my kids learned ASL in elementary school.

 

[adkkev]

Ok, I'll bite
What is the reason?

It’s a story on the Old Testament … Tower of Babel and all that.

 

[snowwite]

They tried that in the late 1960's and early 1970's with Esperanto. Although Esperanto dates to the late 1880's. When I was in High School, the choices of Foreign Language at our rival high school included Esperanto. My friend took it.
I traveled for a month during College in West Germany, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Austria as part of a German study abroad program in 1979. We met an Austrian businessman who did business throughout the (then) Eastern Bloc and he said he never understood why Americans learned a foreign language since he said we already spoke the international language. All his business dealings were done in English.

I didn’t know Esperanto was still around. My great Aunt was fluent and belonged to a world wide group of speakers.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Easy and I've said it for YEARS! Teach every kid from Kindergarten - SIGN LANGUAGE!

Well that's not going to work because there are sign languages for various languages. An internet search shows over 300. That search also advised Chinese Sign Language to be the most widely used and something tells me you have not been teaching your kids that over ASL. In fact ASL is a very small amount overall of users, estimated to be up to 500K when Chinese is (as of 2 years ago) about 20 million users, Brazilian about 3 million.

Why would we assume sign language is universal? As far as I could find there are only a few signs that can be more understood globally. Even different regions with the same umbrella vary just like spoken language.

I can understand the thought behind you thinking about it but ASL is probably most of what you thought about and even though I had no idea how common Chinese one was I did think there had to be various ones out there to work for all the different cultures. And now that I've gone into the rabbit hole I found the darker side of ASL teaching in which it was used to try and eradicate local cultures in the Americas..not good..

 

[DisneyOma]

My guess would be English, as it is already the universal language for sciences and business.

 

[tvguy]

I didn’t know Esperanto was still around. My great Aunt was fluent and belonged to a world wide group of speakers.

This was the 1970's. Appears it really died when the UN refused to recognize it as a language.

 

[Imzadi]

Easy and I've said it for YEARS! Teach every kid from Kindergarten - SIGN LANGUAGE!

Well that's not going to work because there are sign languages for various languages. An internet search shows over 300.

@Mackenzie Click-Mickelson, you beat me to posting the same thing. I was learning American Sign Language decades ago. But, it doesn't follow spoken English with the same syntax. Words, verbs and phrases were switched around. Some words missing completely. (Anyone who has learned French with all their conjugated verbs and some verbs put before the noun knows what I'm talking about. )

Add to that, there is a sign language that does follow spoken English called Signed English, as well as those who just alphabetically spell out all the words instead of using gestures or symbols. Yet, either of those sign languages may not be understood by each other or those that do American Sign Language.

When I questioned WHY they didn't all sign the same way, or as we speak, or just have ONE universal sign language, it became very complex. Different sign languages developed as separate, complete and personal languages to the area, region and culture they originated. EVERY sign language is as protective and proud of their language the way we are with our spoken language.

Remember when the missionaries went to Easter Island and forced their language, beliefs, customs and religion on the people who lived there and in essence wiped out the previous culture, language, beliefs, and traditions? We do not know WHY the statues on Easter Island were created. Only theories. Forcing a single SIGNED language on everyone would essentially do that in a limited way.

And WHO decides which signs everyone uses? While an American gives the finger to someone, Italians have a different sign. Yet, I guarantee you, when an Italian does it, there is probably no doubt what he did. "Did that guy just flip the bird at me in Italian?!?" So why would an Italian need to learn the American way of doing it?

 

[Imzadi]

For the Olympics, they use French as the "universal" language. So, unless there is a good reason why not use that, I would say French.

OR, someone could develop the Universal Translator brain chip used in Star Trek in the 23rd century. Then we all get to keep our own languages and are able to talk to each other.

 

[RedAngie]

Latin

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

I enjoy learning different languages, so I hope this would never happen. I'm sad about some of the indigenous languages becoming extinct, and I think it's admirable of people to try and preserve them.

And furthermore, many of us that already speak the same language don't understand each other anyway.

 

[CdnCarrie]

I enjoy learning different languages, so I hope this would never happen. I'm sad about some of the indigenous languages becoming extinct, and I think it's admirable of people to try and preserve them.

And furthermore, many of us that already speak the same language don't understand each other anyway.

So agree!
A few schools in our city have indigenous immersion programs. We should be preserving these languages!

 

[Buzz Rules]

I wasn't saying to ban any languages, only make an official one everyone should be trained to know starting at a young age. Many Spanish speaking countries offer English classes to the population but most don't see a reason to become fluent unless the directly need it for a job. This is an example where a universal language could eliminate that problem in the future. In other words, make it mandatory to become bilingual with the countries main language and whatever the universal one selected would be. This is all fictional anyway. Google translate isn't the answer to everything.