SIGN CODE.

Waikato Times, Volume 110, Issue 18521, 29 December 1931, Page 4

SIGN CODE.

VIRTUE OF CHINESE. INTERNATIONAL NOTICES. ENGLISHMAN’S SUPPORT. Perhaps some day one may ride through the streets of Franco and see a Chinese sign for motorists which means “slop," and another Chinese symbol which means "turn right.” And if they are to be found in France they may be found in every other country, so that the harassed traveller who does not speak foreign languages may And his way about with the aid of a few simple ideographs. At least that may happen if Sir E. Denison Ross, who has been lecturing in the United States, finds receptive ears—and eyes—-for his universal . symbol language (says the New York Times). He has adopted Chinese characters for his purpose because he feels they are more simple than Esperanto and other attempts at universal languages, and that they will fill a great need on the part of those who do not desire to master the intricacies of foreign vocabularies and rules of grammar. His- acquaintance with Chinese Is intirftate, but he docs not intend that those who use his new method of symbolic communication shall master tho Chinese language—that would be 100 difficult; a knowledge of only a few symbols would be necessary.

Long ago it appeared to him, after experimenting with children and learning the ease with which thoy mastered a few Chinese Ideographs, that hero was the solution to international communication. Because he has very positive thoughts on world peace, he also believed that a simple international code would aid in preventing wars. But his immediate desire is to have countries adopt his symbols as aids to travellers, with tho hope that next would come the use of similar symbols for writing letters intended for foreign eyes. At the most a few hundred symbols would be sufficient, he believes. Small Stocks. It has been found, for instance, that a knowledge of a few hundred English words is necessary to express almost every idea, and the ordinary person’s vocabulary is not much above that. Consequently i ; t would, not be necessary to memorise many Chinese characters. About 50 of them, he says, bear a close resemblance to the pictures from which they are derived, and nearly all the others can be explained logically. Chinese symbols are built up of these fundamental picture signs, so that the sign for a man in a house would be something that looked like a man with a roof over his head.

"It may seem fantastic and a little mad at first,” Sir Denison said, “but really it Js very simple. Chinese symbols have definite meanings obtained by various combinations. They are easily learned, and can always bo recognised at a glance. They would save. us..a, lot oI, : -trouble • at times. Recently in Holland' 1 was riding with an English chauffeur. He came to a street wc wished to enter, but there was a sign at the entrance saying th.it it was ‘verbotem’ So wc went a long way around to reach our destination. The next day we saw a car turning into the street and learned that the sign Indicated that only motor cycles were forbidden. But we could not read Dutch. One of these symbols woiu.l have told the chauffeur what was meant, whether the sign was in Holland, France or India.

By Telegraph

"That is the most obvious use of the symbols, but suppose we went further and had small books prepared giving various phrases or words in different languages, and opposite these -words the Chinese symbol and a number. It would then be easy for anyone, after a little practice, to copy what symbols he needed and send them tc- ttiose with whom he wished to communicate. When the letter was received it could be quickly translated with the aid of a similar book into the language of the receiver. And if it were necessary to send a telegram it could bo communicated by means of the numbers which would accompany the symbols. That is the way Chinese Is transmitted by telegraph in China to-day, for the symbols

cannot be sent by any cade except numbers.

‘‘As examples, take a few simple phrases which I have had written hy a Chinese so .that they would be perfect in form. It would not be difficult to recognise some of them, in a short time, even without the aid of the boblc, and with the book almost any such message could be recognised and translated in a few minutes. It would be invaluable for commercial firms, and clerks could learn it in a short time.

“We must begin by making a baste Chinese with an Esperanto grammar, and all Esperanto grammar could be written on one small sheet of paper. I have not yet prepared the grammar for this system, for I wished to see first how it would be received. As a matter of fact, I had no idea of advancing this symbol language when I came to this country, but had my own interest revived by the apparent interest of others to whom I happened to mention it as an old idea of mine. I have no plans for putting in into effect; that can only come through popular approval, and I am more concerned now with observing how it is received than with concrete plans for having it adopted. For and Against. ‘‘The order of words offers some difficulty; for instance, the placing of the verb; but as German is about the only language which places the verb at the end of the sentence it is probablo that the English language would be better. The reason I am using Chinese signs is that they are ready to hand; none of the peculiar idioms would be required. And obviously such a language is .not intended for belles lettres, poetry or essays; it is essentially telegraphic in style. "There is also the possibility whl.cn has been suggested to me that with visual telegraphy in process .of . development a message could be received on a screen and copied, rather than communicated by numbers. That would save much time. It could be used for captions on moving pictures intended for export, and I believe that would perhaps be the best way to have it finally adopted. Audiences in foreign countries would soon become used to recognising the few simple symbols which are necessary.” Sir Denison does not believe that men would ever learn to think in a common language, which would be the great bar to Esperanto. That language would be of value for scholars and scientists, and he encourages its use for learned publications.