UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE

Otago Witness, Issue 3524, 27 September 1921, Page 22

UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE

FRENCHMAN’S NOVEL PLAN. | Tbs problem of undoing the confusion of Babel by or-ating a universal language, which can be learned and used in all countries with equal facility, has often engaged tue. attention of philologists and also of politician.-. A siuve.-sion of attempts at such language lias appeared, with Vola]iuk, Esperanto, Ido, and what not else. Each such tongue has hud its enthusiastic advocates, taut none, with the possible exception of Esperanto, itas attained any considerable success. The Espcrantists have attained great numbers in various lands, and have formed themselves into a wellorganised body, with numerous publications. Yet it would le extravagant to say that tne;,' have any hopeful prospect of converting tho world to their mode of speech. But now a new venture has appeared on a novel plan, being nothing less than an international Lingua Franca based upon the names of the notes of tlie diatonic > -ale in music. One At. Sudre, of Bayonne. France, has published in Paris a brochure on this scheme of Ins in six leading languages, and dedicated to the League of Nations. In. this he demonstrates, at least to his own satisfaction, that hereafter mankind might wed dispense with all grammars and dictionaries, and substitute tor the present cumbersome languages a simple utilisation of the seven musical notes. 'teds, in brief, is his idea:--All nations, substantially, accept an identical notation of the musical scale, as follows: C, do; D, re; K, mi; F, fa; G. sol; A, la; B. si. Each of these notes in his proposed system designates a certain word. 1 Inis “do” is equivalent to “no,” “re” to “and.'' “ini' to “or.” "fa” to “to,” T<T’ to “when,” -‘la” to “the.” and “si to "yes.” By combining these fundamental key notes numerous words or phrases can be produced, with new significance. Fo, example, 'do-re” would mean ”1 mvsclf.” "do-io mi,” "the day”: “do-re-do-mi." “the human Duly” ; "dd re-do-re.” “birth” ; “do-ie-do-re-mi. ’’ “a hippopotamus”; ‘‘re-mi-do.’ "a. radical”; “mi-mi-re,” “a Socialist.” and so on. The feminine gender would be indicated by doubling the last vowel. Tims “fiance” would be “mis-si-fa,” and ” fiancee” would be “ mis so-fa-a.” The plural would be formed by doubling the last consonant thus, using the same examples, "mi-si-ffa ’ and “mis-si-iTa a.” A conversation in this melodic language, then, would be after this fashion:Tie (excitedly): Si fa la sulfa. redomirela ? She (replving sharpy ) : llemi fa faddo. similare do,lore ! He (app a- dl: Dolure. dolare. She (smiling emillv) : Solfare' 1 I.;:-i----doie? Lasemire I lawifare! I!,- (.sighing) : I.Tablin' . . I.ala! She (locking «l;tgm’< : Si-. 4, i, fareremiscl dosoldodo dodo! lie (appaasingly): Sobniia remit .do rerentifa sis-i. She (mote amiablv) : Rererree Pro; roe. Fno'i dr,ll l .MN - ' -u : Re--1 luae! Solsolsol! Mimimi! Doi