In search for universal language
Jan Bajec | October 5, 2009
[...]
“Linguistic reductionism is the idea that everything can be described in a language with a limited number of core concepts, and combinations of those concepts.” The most known form of reductionist constructed language is Esperanto, and then also Basic English and Toki Pona (Constructed language is a language whose grammar and vocabulary have been consciously devised by an individual or group, instead of naturally evolving). Basic English or BASIC (British American Scientific International Commercial) is a language created by Charles Kay Ogden as a means of communication between people from different nations who do not share a common native language, and as an aid for teaching ESL courses. It is a simplified version of English and it has influenced the creation of Voice of America’s Special English for news broadcasting, and Simplified English used in technical manuals. George Orwell was a proponent of Basic English at first, but later he became critical of universal language. This language later inspired him to create “Newspeak” in 1984. Newspeak is a fictional language and in the novel it is described as being “the only language in the world whose vocabulary gets smaller every year”. It has a greatly reduced and simplified vocabulary and grammar. The basic idea behind Newspeak is to remove all shades of meaning from language in order to reinforce the total dominance of the State by eliminating alternative thinking. The underlying theory of Newspeak is that if something can’t be said, then it can’t be thought. Similar is with Toki Pona, a minimal language designed to shape the thought processes of its users in Zen-like fashion. This is the linguistic relativity principle (also known as the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis), the idea that the spoken language influences the way of thinking. This means that a “better” – clearer language will allow the speaker to think more clearly or intelligently. Most of human thought is actually a dialogue with oneself.
[...]
https://mastersofmedia.hum.uva.nl/blog/2009/10/05/in-search-for-universal-language/
