Language of description, con'd

[Carmine Colacino]

>You want the language to be in German, Latin or English. You will then
>have the same problem found in the EEC where the meaning of the word
>Federation has such ambiguity in translation.
>
>What is needed is a BASEWORD (BAsic Standard English WORld  Dialect)
>which everyone must use.  Why English - because it is at the monment
>simply the best language. Most widely spoken if 2nd language use is
>included. Analytical and written in a widey used orthography which
>transfers easily to computer. It is not perfect(it still lives) but is the best
>we've got.
>E-MAIL MPETZ at FS2.SCG.MAN.AC.UK
>If a man marches to a different beat perhaps he hears a different drummer.

>You want the language to be in German, Latin or English. You will then
>have the same problem found in the EEC where the meaning of the word
>Federation has such ambiguity in translation.

>What is needed is a BASEWORD (BAsic Standard English WORld  Dialect)...

I agree that we definitely do not need three languages for descriptions!
And then, why German, and not French or Spanish (that is more widely spoken
than German) instead?
But also I don't think English to be a good choice because of the great
difference between the written language and the spoken one, I mean, the
language is written in a way but it is pronounced in another, with not much
consistency (that's why many English language speakers -- even educated
ones -- have so many problems with the spelling of words. This is not the
case with many other languages.)
Moreover, what's "Basic Standard English"? Does it imply the need to
"create" a new -- artificial -- language that doesn't practically exist
anywhere? Why waste time in learning such a (useless outside taxonomy)
language?
At this point why we don't just stick with Latin? It is true nobody speaks
it, but as a written language -- at least -- it  allows us to understand
the old descriptions.

I realize English is "the" language for scientific communication presently;
and that is not for the particular intrinsic merits (if any) of the English
language, but because of economical and political reasons. In the future
the situation will change, as it has already happened in the past. I do not
think it is a good idea to change now the language of the descriptions, and
perhaps again in 20 or 30 years, if we agree that descriptions must remain
understandable also in the future.

Of course, some (many?) might think differently.

Carmine

________________________________________________________

         Carmine Colacino
         Dipartimento di biologia, difesa e b.a.
         Universita` della Basilicata
         85100 Potenza, Italy

         Tel.: +39 971 474172; Fax: +39 971 474256
         Internet: colacino at pzvx85.cisit.unibas.it

________________________________________________________
         Temporary address in U.S.A.(to Nov.4, '95):
         -------------------------------------------
         Dept. of Integrative Biology
         University of California
         Berkeley, CA 94720-2465

         Tel.: (510)643-9556; Fax: (510) 643-5390
         Internet: colacino at violet.berkeley.edu

_________________________________________________________

        "When it is a question of money, everyone is of the
   same religion" -  Voltaire