Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-02-08
A WORLDS LANGUAGE

A WORLDS LANGUAGE
STRANGE TO SAY is THE De
SPiSEO CHINESE.
Scientists Say it Would Make an Ideal Universal
Lansuass in Symbols - Unchanged
in Meaning and Easily Mastered. though
When Spoken the Reverse.
Chicago Tribune.
Chinese as a possible universal busi-
ness language for the commercial
world is startling at first glance, but
there are thinking persons who reason
that at least it ought to be so. They
are saying that the lack of the Chi
nese language in business correspond
ence the world over is making untold
worry and trouble for nations that are
encouraging international trade.
This is an idea that has been evolved
by the presence of allied troops in
China. These troops are discovering
that, while the gibberish of the yellow
man is rather more intricate than the
speech of Gamers monkeys-because
there is SO much more of 1.-THE writ
ten language is singularly ineligible
to any one who has the key. 1t is
akin to the principle that a smile in
German means to Kamschatkan or a
Terra del Fuegan all that it possibly
could mean in Germany or at the an
tipodes.
1t is discovered by the newspaper
correspondents in China that, while
China has eighteen provinces, with as
many different dialects, a Pekin
scholar may write letter to q farmer
in the Yun-nan Province and be un-
derstood perfectly. This, too, in the
face of the old idea that the Chinese
alphabet may have more than $4,000
characters.
Now it is discovered as matter of
fact that Chinese, being q symbolic
tongue, has no alphabet; as long as no
attempt to pronounce it is made, the
written language is by no means diff
ficult to learn. The phonetic or spo-
ken language, however, is so variable,
and so cut up into dialectic phrases
that few people, even among the most
learned mandarins, ever acquire a
mastery over them. A Pekin scholar
has about as much, or as little, chance
of understanding . farmer in the Yum
nan Province as London dandy has
OF understanding a Welsh miner; but,
when it comes to writing, the startling
fact develops that while the miner
and the dandy would not be able to
make themselves mutually understood
in script the Chinese farmer and the
scholar comprehend each other fully.
This is the situation that has led
students of etymology to consider the
adoption of the Chinese as business
and professional language.
Everywhere these men went in
China they were astounded by the
fact that the people of the various
provinces, although incapable of un-
derstanding one another verbally, were
able to communicate with ease and
accuracy in writing. As this condi-
ton is exactly opposite to that govern.
ing in Europe, where no uniformly in
telligible code exists, these men began
to examine into the merits of the
Chinese tongue. They seem con-
vinced that it is the most practical
language in the world, and better
suited for universal adoption than any
other. They are not anxious to have
it replace existing languages, but they
recommend it as an international ve-
hicle OF business correspondence.
They suggest that in another genera.
ton typewriters will be in use which
will transcribe commercial and pro-
fessional thoughts to paper, using the
hen-track signs of the modern laundry
check.
1t is suggested in favor of this
method OF communication that the
Chinese language is almost the one
language of to-day which is neither
changing nor subject to change; that
it is written to-day almost exactly as
it was 1900 years before the coming
OF Christ. Comparing the Chinese
with the English language, it has
changed since the time of Chaucer
until the ordinary reader finds it a
task to pick his way to the meaning
of phrases and combinations that
we're perfectly ineligible two centu'
ries ago. Research shows that while
modern languages, that are all pho
netic, undergo perceptible changes
every century, Chinese, which is the
only truly symbolic language surviv'
ing, is also the only language incapa'
BILE of being changed by time.
Comparing the phonetic languages
with the symbolic language of the
Chinese, it is held that as written
speech follows sound speech in a com
bination of certain elementary signs
written speech must change in forms
Changing thus, business, and especial
ly the professions, must find it hard te
keep pace with numerous languages
having in view the future, which ir
all probability is to draw nations into
closer intercourse in every way.
As illustrating the value OF a sigr
language some one has cited the cit,
l:...xo.v ocvubora in Germanv