| Language differences have often made existing | | | | years earlier, the French mathematician and |
| economic and political conflicts worse and, in some | | | | philosopher René Descartes had suggested |
| cases, have led to bloodshed. In the twentieth | | | | constructing an artificial language. Both these |
| century alone, language-inspired riots and terrorist | | | | concepts-hegemony of one or more existing |
| attacks have occurred in Québec (English/French), | | | | languages or the universal adoption of an artificial |
| Belgium (French/Urdu), and Sri Lanka (Sinhala/Tamil). | | | | "second language"-have spawned many proposals and |
| Sharing the same language does not guarantee | | | | variations over the years; both ideas are still being |
| harmony among people, but a common language | | | | actively pursued today. |
| does reduce the likelihood of violent strife by making | | | | For the immediate future, the clash of language will |
| diplomatic, commercial, scientific, and cultural | | | | continue as an aspect of the larger competition |
| exchanges easier and less liable to misunderstandings. | | | | between nations. But we can hope for the larger |
| If the 18 nations of Latin America each spoke a | | | | competition between nations. But we can hope for |
| different language, wars among them would, no | | | | and encourage effort to achieve world uniformity in |
| doubt, be far more frequent. | | | | such areas as traffic and travelers' aid signs, |
| In the seventeenth century, improved transportation, | | | | computer "language", and units of measurement. |
| together with the decline in the use of Latin as an | | | | The enhancement and spread of computer logic may |
| international language, made Europeans desire new | | | | greatly influence the ways in which written and |
| ways to ease communication between speakers of | | | | spoken languages develop in the future. Conceivably, |
| different languages. Comenius, a bohemian bishop and | | | | it could lead to the creation of an artificial, cultural |
| educator, recommended that the leading languages | | | | unbiased, totally logical universal tongue, adaptable |
| of Europe be adopted internationally, with French and | | | | both to the pen and computer console. |
| English serving the west and Russian the east. Some | | | | |