SCIENCE 



[Vol. LV, No. 1426 



effort prevented, and precision of ideas would 

 be assisted. 



For many years there have l>een efforts to- 

 wards the establishment of an international 

 language, but chiefly by private persons or by 

 associations formed directly for that piu'pose. 

 Since 1919, however, governmental, scientific, 

 and international bodies have given serious 

 attention to the practical possibilities. At the 

 meeting of the International Research Council, 

 held in Brussels in the fii-st summer after the 

 war, a committee was appointed to investigate 

 and report on the general problem of an inter- 

 national auxiliary lang^uage, and to cooperate 

 with similar bodies established or that might 

 be established for the same purpose. 



The Section for Education of the Britisli 

 Association at the Bournemouth meeting ap- 

 pointed a committee which reported to the 

 Edinburgh meeting last autmnn. The Amer- 

 ican Association soon afterwards took a sim- 

 ilar step, and its report was presented to tlu' 

 meeting at Toronto last December. The French 

 and Italian Associations have also appointed 

 committees, but as yet these have not issued 

 reports. The delegates representing 12 states 

 presented a resolution in the Assembly of the 

 League of Nations last September taking tlie 

 definite step of recommending Esperanto, and 

 hoping that the teaching of that language 

 would be made more general in the whole 

 world, so that children of all countries miglit 

 know at least two languages. 



In accordance with the procedure of the 

 league, this motion was referred to a committee 

 under the chaimianship of Lord Robert Cecil. 

 The committee was of the opinion that the 

 question, in which "an ever-increasing number 

 of great states" was interested, should be 

 studied attentively before being dealt with by 

 the Assembly. Accordingh-, it is being studied 

 by the secretariat. The British Association 

 committee went further, and definitely recom- 

 mended the choice of an artificial language, 

 but hesitated to decide between those which 

 have been invented. The American Association 

 recognized the "need and timeliness of funda- 

 mental research on the scientific principles 

 which must underlie the fonnation, standardiza- 

 tion, and introduction of an international 



auxiliary language," and recommended further 

 study. 



These various bodies are free from the sus- 

 picion of advocating serious study of what 

 might be regarded as a "fad." It is fair to 

 accept their action as witness to the urgency 

 of the problem. There is also evidence of their 

 agreement that an auxiliary language, if it is 

 to serve its purpose, must receive almost uni- 

 versal adoption. 



The only suggestions whicli have received 

 sufficient support to be ranked as serious can- 

 didates are Latin, English, Esperanto, and Ido. 

 Latin was at one time the common medium of 

 many nations and has retained a wide currency, 

 directly in religion, less directly in some 

 branches of science, and as the basis of the 

 Romance languages. It is elegant and concise, 

 has a definite system of fonning new com- 

 pounds and derivatives, and, as a dead lan- 

 guage, its roots have unchanging significance. 

 But its grammar is difficult; it has many ex- 

 ceptions and irregularities. The revival of 

 Latin would require the coining of a vei-y large 

 number of new words. 



English is widely used and is spreading rap- 

 idly; its grammar is relatively simple and its 

 vocabulary is rich. But the choice of one 

 among many widespread living tongues would 

 excite a just jealousy. Its spelling is chaotic, 

 and its pronunciation difficult and various. 

 Moreover, a living language reflects the chang- 

 ing aoti\dties and emotions of the people who 

 use it in literature and in daily speech, and is 

 therefore unsuited as a vehicle for the cold 

 and precise exchange of international knowl- 

 edge. 



The invented language Esperanto has 

 already made great progress as an interna- 

 tional auxiliary tongue; it has held 12 inter- 

 national congresses in different countries; it is 

 taught in schools in Geneva, Breslau, Milan, 

 Czeeho- Slovakia, and Bulgaria. Its grammar, 

 pronunciation, and method of word-building 

 are simple, scientific, and easy to acquire, and 

 its root-words have been carefully selected. Ido 

 claims to be a later and unproved form of 

 Esperanto ; hitherto it has had a smaller vogue, 

 but in appearance and sound it is more attrac- 

 tive. 



