The Washington herald., 1922-06-15
UNIVERSAL TONGUE
MAY RESULT FROM
Use OF RADIOPHONE
Remarkable Strides Made
Since Time of Presi-
dent Roosevelt.

Radiophone broadcasting is gain
ing popularity in Europe. Just ten
years ago former President Roose-
velt exchanged the first transat-
lantic radio message with King Ed
ward VII. Neither Of these notsbles
exchanged verbal greetings; their
message was coded. transmitted
from powerful spark stations, and
then decoded. The use of continu-
Gus ware or radiophone transmits
sion was not in the experimental
stage in those days, much less in
general use, So general Is its use
today that President Harding re-
Gently broadcasted several messages
by radiophone, then was forced to
cancel his practice. so insistent were
the demands for more radio from
the white House.
Great Britain has already estab-
lished wave-length bands and CEN
trail broadcasting stations. Germany
uses the radiophone for regular
transmission between its banking
houses. France transmits regularly
from Eiffel Tower, and Russia con-
ducts radiophone conversations reg
ularly with China and Asiatic coun-
tries.
Suggests New Language.
These developments in recent
months introduce the question of
an international radiophone lam
guage. Damped wave transmission
employs a code for all messages, the
code letters and numerals are uni
versal. An American operator could
copy a message in French without
knowing the French language. An
Interpreter could then decode the
message into English. Any forma-
ton of letters and numerals is pos
sible.
With the radiophone there is diff
lculty at present in understanding
the words transmitted In plain Eng
lish. How much more difficult II
would be to understand French or
Greek by radiophone even to per-
sons versed in those languages. 1t
would be necessary when interna-
tional radiophone conversations
come into more general use, when
people talk from continent to con-
tinent. that the operator or the lis
tener-in be an interpreter of the
language spoken. Radiophone
transmission has been limited in its
development by mechanical or cleo
trical difficulties in the manufacture
OF radio apparatus. 1t would not
| seem reasonable that with appara-
tus perfected the exchange of radio
phone communications will be de-
layed for want of a common Ian
guage.
Esperanto Unpopular.
Esperanto, the universal language
which has not proved popular to
date, has been mentioned. II per-
| sons travel with one another II Is
| not necessary that they have ready
! reference to more than one Ian
guage, for a letter may be trans
lated or an Interpreter may accom-
pany a person. 1t is not necessary
with the wire telephone even. be-
| cause in general only two persons
converse at one time to each other
and there are listeners-in. But by
radfophone. with everyone entitled
to listen-in, many interesting con-
versations are exchanged between
peoples of different races. Inter-
esting and instructive communica-
tions will go to waste.
1t is possible, therefore. that an
international language may develop.
At the Genoa conference II was sug-
gested the radio might be one means
for effecting common understanding
among peoples of different races.
The natural consequence of common
understanding is a common Ian
| guage.