Latin as the universal European language

[Veles]

Naturally, the idea is nothing new.

How do you like the [rather romantic than practical] idea of Latin being the official language of European (and effectively - world) communication?

1) It's naturally related to almost every European language family.
2) It's dead, so nobody can claim it as it's own. So, everybody will struggle equally learning it (bar, perhaps, Romanians, Moldovans, and Italians).
3) It was pretty much the epitome of Europeanness for centuries and still is a universal language of science.
4) It's fooking LATIN, 'nuff said.

Of course the current European politicans wouldn't bother to learn it. Our only hope is the next generation. Make Latin obligatory in schools everywhere throughout the Europe. It will became a huge bond for all us, and help bringing Europe together, much like the euro.

 

[Zelig]

Making Latin the official language of Europe would result in world communications happening in American English.

 

[Cutlass]

English is the only practical way to go. More non native English speakers speak than than anything else already.

 

[SerriaFox]

Making Latin the official language of Europe would result in world communications happening in American English.

would result? of course I am American

 

[wilycoyote]

When you start hearing baseball metaphors and words like "truck" used by Brits, you already know that the international language is American English (though I still don't really believe in the existence of an "American" English).

 

[Cutlass]

Of course we would need English as a second language schools set up throughout the UK.

 

[Winner]

They'd have to make a simplified form of it, because it's too bloody difficult.

Also, it would be the greatest social engineering project ever. You'd have to actually force an entire generation of Europeans to learn this language and actively use it, which means you'd have to create content online in this "eurolatin" for people to read/watch/play with.

So, the romantic in me says "yes", the realist says "fat chance"

(But we could try to create some sort of universal "Slavic" for easier communication between our many nations, so far as it is written in LATIN ALPHABET )

 

[SerriaFox]

(though I still don't really believe in the existence of an "American" English).

How do you define a language as distinct vs being a dialect?

 

[Godwynn]

Latin sucks.

 

[say1988]

1) It would be a supreme waste of time and money. Translating all documents into an extra language only used for creating them.
2) It would prevent the average person from understanding anything that is happening where it is used.
3) Why would we waste precious educational time teaching students something that is essentially worthless for the vast majority of them?

3) It was pretty much the epitome of Europeanness for centuries and still is a universal language of science.

Not really, it is used for developing terms, but the universal language of science is the same as the language of international almost everything, English.

 

[Flying Pig]

It used to be the language of educated people and everyone with an education was taught it from boyhood, which made it excellent for diplomats and academics, because Isaac Newton could write a book in latin and be (mostly) understood by Gottfried Liebnitz in Germany. It's less good as a general language, because ordinary people won't have gone to schools teaching it, and consequently it only works if the people talking across borders are all the elite - which, as I think this forum itself shows, is no longer the case.

How do you define a language as distinct vs being a dialect?

An Englishman on here, where everything is written down, can understand a Scotsman or an American, but not a Frenchman.

 

[Winner]

How do you define a language as distinct vs being a dialect?

You don't, it depends on how the people who speak it perceive it. Chinese dialects are in fact mutually unintelligible languages, but the Chinese still insist on calling them "dialects", whereas Czech and Slovak are 99% mutually intelligible and should actually be classified as two dialects of one language (but try telling that to the Slovaks).

Of course, today the Brits can't speak proper British English themselves, so the point is moot.

 

[NickyJ]

Make it Deutscher and we've got a deal.

 

[Godwynn]

Since we're trying to make the universal language as hard as possible, why not go all the way?

I suggest everyone speak Basque, written in the Runic Alphabet, and pronounce everything backwards.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

2) It's dead, so nobody can claim it as it's own. So, everybody will struggle equally learning it (bar, perhaps, Romanians, Moldovans, and Italians).

Ah yes, the European motto: unity in misery

3) It was pretty much the epitome of Europeanness for centuries and still is a universal language of science.

Can't stand those natural sciences dudes always greeting each other with "Salve amicus".

4) It's fooking LATIN, 'nuff said.

I think this sums it up pretty good. It is freaking Latin! Have you actually ever studied it? In contrast to all other languages, you usually are not even required to speak it. And not only because nobody speaks it anyway. It's also because it's freaking hard. No fun.

 

[LucyDuke]

That's just absurd.

 

[Tahuti]

The idea sucks. English would be a much better idea, but frankly, the cynic in me feels that it would kill the purpose of the European Union, which is in part to wave dicks to the United States to soothe the egos of European politicians.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

whereas Czech and Slovak are 99% mutually intelligible and should actually be classified as two dialects of one language (but try telling that to the Slovaks).

I have a feeling they would be more open-minded if you called the language Slovakian and what you speak its Czech dialect (rather than the other way around).

 

[Godwynn]

The idea sucks. English would be a much better idea, but frankly, the cynic in me feels that it would kill the purpose of the European Union, which is in part to wave dicks to the United States to soothe the egos of European politicians.

It only took the Americans and British half a century what is took the Romans a millennium to achieve, language dominance.

Even then, the North Americans and British Islanders have been more effective at spreading their language than the Romans.

 

[pi-r8]

Aside from the obvious practical difficulties of making everyone learn Latin... why would you even think this is a good idea?

It's not "balanced" at all- it's much, much closer to the Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, etc) than the German or Slavic languages. I mean, you might as well just be like "Italian is the new universal language because it's way cooler than German or Russian".

Besides, there's so many modern words like "internet" that only exist in English.