Perhaps we should first ask “Why not English?”. Why should English not be the IAL (or for that fact any natural/organic/native language). Well let us take a look at all of the problems that people who are learning English as a second language would have to encounter while reading/writing/speaking it:
Homophones: In English we have a few ways that have organically grown for us to make the ‘oo’ or ‘ew’ sound as in the following situations: to, too, beautiful, few, and sue.
Homonyms:We have so very many words that sound a like, but that mean very different things: to, too, two or sent, scent, cent for a few examples. (Homonym list from About.com’)
Inconsistent pluralization:Â How about we talk about the lack of consistent method for creating plurals in English. What follows are several of the ways that we create plural nouns in English: sheep – sheep; mouse – mice; woman – women; car – cars; foot – feet; baby – babies. ?????
Famed psychologist, linguist and UN translator – Claude Piron covers all of this and more quite thoroughly in the speech that he gave in Switzerland, at the International Youth Forum “Interweek”, Akademgorodok / Novosibirsk, Siberia, Russia, 15 May 1994 titled The hidden perverse effects of the current system of international communication.
I hope this gives you a hint at the problems with having English as the IAL. In the next “Why Esperanto?” we will cover more.b If you know anyone who has tried to learn English as a second language you will know what I mean. I help my wife with her English, as well as having spoke with many people from overseas that speak English as a second language, and it is not always easy breaking through the slang, colloquialism, as well as English’s quirks.
Wow,
do I sound like a freak! =) =O
I am not sure if I should do more of this.
