Newsgroups: alt.politics.ec,sci.lang
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!news.mathworks.com!udel!gatech!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!lll-winken.llnl.gov!uop!pacbell.com!att-out!nntpa!my
From: my@mhcnet.att.com (Mike Yamin [405])
Subject: Re: Languages in the EC
Message-ID: <D3pLFr.1pC@nntpa.cb.att.com>
Followup-To: alt.politics.ec,sci.lang
Sender: news@nntpa.cb.att.com (Netnews Administration)
Nntp-Posting-Host: siwinder.cnet.att.com
Organization: AT&T
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]
References: <3h3ci5$qc8@agate.berkeley.edu> <3h5dv3$8sv@solar.sky.net> <3h826t$dv4@gabriel.keele.ac.uk> <3h88e0$8sp@panix2.panix.com> <1995Feb7.130926.1@ctdvx5.priv.ornl.gov>
Date: Thu, 9 Feb 1995 01:28:39 GMT
Lines: 15

s25@ctdvx5.priv.ornl.gov wrote:
: Imposing a language as a standard, when that language is spoken by a tiny
: fraction of the population, is a ludicrous proposition. Why not Basque or Manx
: instead of Esperanto? Here's a better idea: if the object is to have a common
: European language, why not revive Indo-European, the way the Israelis revived
: Hebrew?

Why not Latin?  After all, this was a common language in Europe for over
2000 years: an administrative language for many centuries and then the
language of scholarship and science for many more.  As late as the 17th
century, Newton could write the Principia Mathematica in Latin, and Liebniz
could read it, without any concern about English vs. German.  Perhaps it
could inspire the European Parliament to the eloquence of Cicero.

				M. Yamin  my@mhcnet.att.com
