| Brochure/Petition |
If you know of individuals who'd be interested in reading more than a little business card (but who do not have internet access, or for whom they cannot immediately be contacted through the internet), you may wish to print out for them the following brochure.
If they are willing to submit a signature of support (if they will not go on-line) that either you will deliver on-line or you or they will deliver to our address, they can fill out that portion of the brochure/petition and tear it off (keeping the rest of the brochure). See the end of the brochure/petition below.
(If you collect your recipient's contact information (address and email address are included in the petition section, though you may wish to ask for phone number), you can also ask whether they are willing for you to contact them in the future to see how their work is progressing. If each "generation" makes such a confirmation with the next, we should be able to ensure that branches of the "tree" passing on the idea are not broken off by negligence.)
Brochure/Petition Text
What's the situation?
Ever since a language barrier has been present, individuals have been dismayed, saddened, or frustrated to be unable to discover the mysteries held within their fellow global citizens' minds or to reveal their own. This mutual unintelligibility, however disturbing, has perhaps contributed to enabling the evolution of a rich diversity of thought upon which we are now increasingly in the positionand needof being able to readily draw for our collective advantage. Communication and transportation technologies; military and environmental threats; social, health, and economic crises; and many other developments, have pulled us together, ready or not, willing or unwilling, in our business, government, science, artistic, and religious worlds, and penetrating into our local neighborhoods and families. However, we remain unable to adequately deal with the challenges and possibilities before us due to our lack of a common language.
What is the solution?
It is now evident that humankind as a whole is in dire need of a common world auxiliary language and scripta language which, whether to be invented or chosen from among the existing languages of the world, would be selected through a globally representative and democratic process, engaging experts in various disciplines (e.g., politics, media, education, linguistics, economics, social sciences, etc.) and leading to a decision binding on all countries. Such a language, once chosen, will be universally required and taught, alongside the country's native language, beginning in primary school, in all the countries of the world and be promoted as a universal medium for communication.
The world is becoming "smaller" and we are clearly interdependent just as a family. Just as a family could not function well without a common language shared by its members, so too is it with our world as a whole.
(Note: the proposed solution calls for both the choice of and instruction in a spoken language as well as in a written script. If only one of these were chosen, the many benefits which could be reaped would be too severely limited. Clearly, both a spoken and written language must be chosen.)
The Benefits
The advantages would be vast, ranging from:
- Easing social integration (see also section on children)
- Eliminating costs, delays, and misunderstsandings associated
with translation and language learning/teaching for individuals, organizations,
businesses, and governments (see below for more on this)
- Bringing convenience to travellers and emigrants
- Facilitating scientific development and access for poorer
peoples to education
- Allowing the sharing of cultural, spiritual, and artistic
heritages of various peoples to a world audience
- Promoting peace and understanding through the elimination
of suspicions and intermediaries' intervention brought about by our
current lack of a common language.
(Some might argue--particularly in the case of an invented language--that the choice of such a language could also eliminate gender bias encoded in a language, that a language could be learned and expressed more efficiently, and there are even claims that such a language could help people think better/faster (though language is generally proven to be much more controlled by thought than the other way around, if the latter is true at all).
Overcoming Objections
There are many objections to the idea such as "Isn't English already a world language?", 'What about diversity of languages?", "Couldn't technology replace the need?", "Wasn't this idea tried already?", etc.
As to English already being a world language, there is no question that English has spread a great deal. However, it may not be as widespread as people imagine. in any case, we are not limiting the possibility that English will be chosen. For whatever language is chosen, a political consensus around the world is required to consolidate its use such that immigrants coming to any country and individuals leaving any country will know that they will be able to understand and be understood wherever they go.
As to diversity, remember this is only a language to be taught in addition to each country's native tongue, not one replacing it. Giving different language speakers access to a more universal language will also enable them to express or have their cultural treasures translated for the edification of others.
As to technology replacing the need, technology is not only imperfect at translating, but it is costly (especially for the world's poor who could benefit from this idea), and inconvenient. Direct access to others' ideas is the only long-term solution of benefit to all.
As to the idea being tried already, efforts have been made to invent a language (such as the most famous, Esperanto) for the purpose of being used as a global means of communication (free of cultural bias, easy to learn, etc.). However, this language was not agreed upon by a global political consensus (rather it has been spread by the difficult means of expecting people to trust that taking the time to learn it will be paid back by many others doing the same). Whatever language is chosen in such a political manner should have no problem in mobilizing people to learn the language, both because the resources will be in place to teach children (who are best able to learn language) and because one will know with certainty that the language will inevitably take off.
Our website at http://www.onetongue.com addresses all of these questions in detail. See our FAQ page for answers to more questions or possible objections/reservations you may have or have heard. (The idea is generally met favorably by almost everyone, albeit with skepticism that it is possible--the good thing about this campaign is that even if you think it is impossible, it is not difficult to tell a few others the idea and ask them to do the same, wouldn't you agree?)
Call to Action
All we are asking you to do is pass on the idea to two others (who are similarly willing to pass the idea on). For such vast potential benefits and little required effort, there is hardly any room for an excuse not to support this campaign.
If you have access to the internet, please visit our website at http://www.onetongue.com . The website will also show you how the idea is spreading, provides answers to many questions, and will allow you to record your own commitment to demonstrate our collective public commitment to the idea (and encourage others to contribute).
Thanks for your support!
http://www.onetongue.com