| Show Babel Bubel Since Languages Ever since the descendants descend descend- ants of Noah tried to build a tower that would reach to heaven one mans man's language langua e ehas has been another man s noise IT WAS A severe punishment punishment punishment punish punish- ment for the arrogance of man who today Is confronted confronted confronted con con- fronted with more than 2700 spoken languages not to mention dialects accordIng according accord- accord Ing to World Book E Along with problems of communication the glut of languages has provided an another another another an- an other instrument for ex expressing expressing ex- ex pr pressing national p pride rid e and even hostility The an ancient ancient ancient an- an Greeks for example called all non Greek ek speakers b a r b a r o f or babblers an unhappy ending for the word Babel Bab el which originally meant gate of God AFTER the French Rev Rev- which created a wave of nationalism in France letters addressed in Breton the old language of the northwestern northwest rn tip of France were returned to the sender is the official language of Ceylon but when the government tried to enforce Its use in 1961 some two million people who speak Tamil re re- re Some c countries 0 u n t r i e s h have a v e tried to solve the language problem by having more than one official language Canadians use both French and English Switzerland which has been at peace longer than most countries has three official tongues German French and Italian and and recognized as a fourth national lan lan- lan lan- guage TO PUT AN end to the babble some persons have suggested that one existing language be made universal but then theres there's the problem problem problem lem of w which h one The French philosopher Descartes Descartes Descartes Des Des- cartes had an admirable idea when he proposed that an artificial language be created to serve as an in international international international in- in tongue He may only have complicated complicated complicated com com- things however for several hundred artificial artificial artificial arti arti- languages Including including including ing i n g u a and Nepo have been nominated for the honor arees |
