Newsgroups: alt.politics.ec,sci.lang
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!rochester!udel!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!ix.netcom.com!netcom.com!elna
From: elna@netcom.com (Esperanto League N America)
Subject: Re: Languages in the EC
Message-ID: <elnaD3z6sn.4tn@netcom.com>
Organization: Esperanto League for North America, Inc.
References: <3h3ci5$qc8@agate.berkeley.edu> <3h826t$dv4@gabriel.keele.ac.uk> <3h88e0$8sp@panix2.panix.com> <1995Feb7.130926.1@ctdvx5.priv.ornl.gov>
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 1995 05:48:23 GMT
Lines: 18
Sender: elna@netcom13.netcom.com

s25@ctdvx5.priv.ornl.gov writes in a recent posting (reference <1995Feb7.130926.1@ctdvx5.priv.ornl.gov>):
>
>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?
>
Your mention of Hebrew in Israel raises an interesting issue. I hope you
will accept that Hebrew was revived in order to give returning Jews a 
common language, for Ladino, Yiddish and Arabic would have divided that
nation into fragments or tribes. Just as Hebrew united the Jews into a 
single nation, is it not possible that Esperanto might unite Humanity
as some sort of single entity?   ...this *was* Zamenhof's hope!

Miko.


