1922] on Auxiliary International Languages 549 



French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish and Russian bring 

 to a young Japanese gentleman ? Are we then to go back to Sofcos 

 Ochando and bring comfort to nobody ? I think not. But the 

 objection is not one to be lightly passed over. It may be that the 

 world will require more than one auxiliary language. Two such, or 

 even three, would be better than the necessity of having to learn a 

 hundred living languages. Only time and prolonged study and 

 investigation can settle questions of this order. The whole civilised 

 world must collaborate in this investigation. There is plenty of time. 

 We have been using an alphabet for, say, eight or ten thousand years 

 at most, and as this planet is reckoned to be over a thousand million 

 years old it will, barring accidents, continue to be habitable for some 

 considerable time. 



Meanwhile the problem is a very pressing one. Those who have 

 to do with science, industry and commerce feel this very acutely. 

 Before the war I attended several international scientific congresses. 

 On these occasions it was open to anyone to speak in English, 

 French, German or Italian. When the language of the speaker or 

 lecturer changed, one half of the audience usually adjourned to the 

 refreshment bar. I could follow German, but when it was a case of 

 Italian or Parisian French I also used to get thirsty. I am goiug to 

 an international scientific congress in June of this year. The repre- 

 sentatives of at least thirteen different nations will be present, and 

 I expect at least four languages will be used. As the language of 

 the country where the congress is to be held is not one of these one 

 ought really to know five languages. I am glad to say that the 

 civilised world is at last beginning to take a real interest in this 

 problem. "We may, indeed, say that since the war the whole question 

 has entered on a new phase. Learned and scientific bodies of inter- 

 national influence and repute are beginning to study the matter 

 seriously. The present organised movement in this direction may be 

 considered as dating from the adoption by the International Research 

 Council at their meeting in Brussels in July, 1919, of the following- 

 resolutions : — 



{a) That the International Research Council appoint a Committee 

 to investigate and report to it the present status and possible outlook 

 of the general problem of an international auxiliary language. 



(b) That the Committee be authorised to co-operate in its studies 

 with other organisations engaged in the same work, provided that 

 nothing in these resolutions shall be interpreted as giving the 

 Committee any authority to commit the Council to adhesion to or 

 approval of any particular project. 



This Committee is now at work. Its Chairman is Dr. F. G. 

 Cottrell, and its headquarters are at the offices of the National 

 Research Council of the United States, 1701 Massachusetts Avenue, 

 "Washington, D.C. This Central Committee has already done an 

 immense amount of work in securing the organisation of committees 



