World Language
-
Further Reflections on a World Language
In Words of Paradise, Bahá’u’lláh returns to the theme of a world language, and indeed he strengthens his counsel. We have formerly ordained that people should converse in two languages, yet efforts must be made to reduce them to one, likewise the scripts of the world, that men’s lives may not be dissipated and wasted in learning diverse languages. Thus the whole earth would come to be regarded as one city and one land.[1] In considering this teaching we might recall Bahá’u’lláh’s explicit comment on the purpose of language. That which is desired of a language is that it convey the intent of the speaker…[2] Like all Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings, each is only…
-
Lidia Zamenhof and a World Language
Lidia Zamenhof’s famous father was the creator of the Esperanto – perhaps the most successful effort to create an international language. Lidia herself devoted herself to promoting the language and also to teaching the Baha’i Faith of which she had become a member. Undoubtedly Bahá’u’lláh’s call for adoption of a world language would have resonated strongly with her, given her own commitment to it. Her own life was tragically cut short in World War II, the coming of which Bahá’u’lláh specifically predicted. Irrespective of the specifics, it’s clear that World War II was one of the consequences of clinging to patterns of thought and modes of behaviour inadequate to the…
-
Bahá’u’lláh’s Call for a Common Language for the World
We live on the same planet, we breathe the same air, we belong to the same community of humankind. Yet we don’t speak the same language. Often we can’t understand each other at all. Many times we struggle to communicate well. It’s clear enough what an impediment the absence of a common human language is to peace and understanding in the world. Bahá’u’lláh calls for the adoption of such a language. It is incumbent upon all nations to appoint some men of understanding and erudition to convene a gathering and through joint consultation choose one language from among the varied existing languages, or create a new one, to be taught to…
