The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-24

Baden. publishsd an outline OF system Of
International language, devised BY himself.
which he named s'yoiapuk. and TO the
CONSTRUCTION Of which be had given twenty
years Of preliminary study and diiigent
labor. Father Schleyer never entertained
the idea, 20 far as is known. that yolapuk
would supersede any language in actual
use in the world, but he hoped that it
might become = medium for the express
sion Of all kinds Of ideas with ciearness
and precision, and that IL might be so easy
Of acquisition that it would commend
itself to all civilized nations.
1t must be admitted that the linguistic
and grammatical structure of VolapuK is
simple to degree. There are but few
rules of construction, and they are clear,
definite and easily understood. The Ian
guage is systematic and evolutionary in
every regard, so that no one Of ordinary i'm
telIigence can fail to understand it with
ease. It presents no difficulties of absurd
spelling or involved construction. no such
divorce of nouns from verbs as the Ger
man delights in, no such inversion of
nouns and adjectives IS is an integral part
OF composition in French. and no such
combinations Of silent or meaningless let
tiers IS disigure English. In short, 1t is.
theoretically, the most nearly perfect of
any language that has yet appeared. and
yet its warmest friends must admit that it
does not win ground as Schleyer hoped it
would
Why is this? Why is it that the civilized
world declines. or. rather, neglects to make
use OF the tool which would seem fitted TO
every hand? Why do we still continue to
write or telegraph to foreign countries in
our own Language, thus necessitating the
services of translator ct the other end of
our telegraph line or mail routef Why
not couch our message in Volapuk at once
and have it done with, in the full assurance
that our correspondent will understand
our exact meaning through the medium of
the common language, Volapuk.
To this question there is no answer, un-
less one may be found in two things,
namely. the fondness of every people for
its mother tongue, and the lack OF euphony
which is striking characteristic OF Vola-
puk. Upon the first point there is no
reason to dilate. We love onr native lang
uage because it is our own, and there is no
reason to believe that the most cultured
Athenian was any more fond of his sonor-
Gus and cultivated Greek than is the hum
blest Digger Indian of the grunts and
chuckies and splutters which serve him as
. language.
As 70 the second point however. much
might be said. Speaking broadly, all
modern civilixed nations agree on certain
questions OF euphony, as . very slight
knowledge of modern languages will show.
Volapuk seems to have q supreme con-
tempt for all euphonic considerations.
For example q sentence taken at random
from Volapuk exercise book reads as fol-
lows: "Juk at pemekom de skit bizugi-
kun, meaning .'this shoe is made of most
excellent leather" There is hardly
sound in the sentence quoted which will
commend itself to any modern ear, unless
to that of q Russian: and as the written
language, in the usual order of linguistic
development, is supplementary to the
spoken language, it may be doubted
whether it is feasible to impose upon the
world q written language which is not
pleasant and agreeable in its spoken form.
From present indications the practical
universal language will be English in due
time. There is q virility and robustness
about English, added to q wonderful va
riety and fexibility, which seem certain to
preserve it from disruption and decay, and
1t is certain that it is gaining more rapidly
in universally than any other language ex-
tant The time may come when the speech
of England and America will be the speech
of the world. and when other languages of
today will be retained only for their htera-
ture and for purposes of mental discip-
line, as We employ the dead languages.