CHAPTER III 



THE LINGUISTIC PEINCIPLES NECESSARY FOB THE CON- 

 STRUCTION OF AN INTERNATIONAL AUXILIARY LANGUAGE, 

 WITH APPENDIX : CRITICISM OF ESPERANTO 



THERE exist more than sixty systems or attempts at an 

 artificial universal language, and considering the great 

 diversity of these languages, it might appear hopeless to 

 arrive at unanimity concerning any one of them. When, 

 however, one considers the question more closely, it appears 

 that matters are not so bad as one might imagine. Whereas 

 twenty years ago the systems which appeared were as different 

 as day from night, at the present day one perceives great 

 lines of convergence, pointing to the time when mankind 

 shall have added to the other triumphs of civilisation that 

 of an auxiliary language recognised and used by everybody, 

 to the great advantage of all whose horizon is not limited by 

 the boundaries of their mother country. 



Is it possible in a single formula to express everything 

 that is requisite for a practical international language ? I 

 think so, and a brief consideration of the two reasons which 

 prevent us from choosing one of the natural languages as an 

 international language will enable me to arrive very quickly 

 at this formula. The first reason is, that such a procedure 

 would unfairly benefit one nation at the expense of all the 

 others and would infringe the fundamental principle of 

 neutrality, which is necessary in all international affairs. 

 The second reason is, that every language is too difficult for 

 foreigners. All existing languages swarm with difficulties of 

 pronunciation, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and especially 

 idiom. It is very seldom that a foreigner succeeds, even 



