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International Memorandum No. 4
INTERNATIONAL MEMORANDUM Nró. 4 April 1946(8?) ============================================================= A TIP FOR THE TIRO You want, let us suppose, to learn a foreign language. A particular language, perhaps, for a particular purpose. Or, it may be, any language – just for the fun of the thing. If the formar, you have no choice. In the latter case, you may think, one language is as good as another. But is it? Learning languages has its delights, but it has its difficulties too. So there is much to be said for starting with the easiest you can find. Most European tongues are more or less closely akin. Those of the Romance family – French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and some others – are strikingly alike. So are German, Dutch, and the Scandinavian languages. Hence to have learnt one of them is a great step towards understanding the others. English being compounded of Teutonic and Romance elements, is related to both groups. The advantage to the English-speaking student is obvious; but it can easily be overrated. For there is a considerable stock of words and phraseology and linguistic habits that may justly be called Continental European, and in which we have no part. Clearly, the more of this you know, the better your chances of becoming a successful polyglot. One language, above all others, will help you here. It is as easy as any language can be. Its grammar is so simple that you can take it in your stride. More important still, its vocabulary, its word-formation, and its sentence construction are to all intents and purposes common European. And this, not by some lucky historical accident, but of set purpose. For it has been derived, distilled, one might almost say bred, with that very object. Its name is OCCIDENTAL [Interlingue, today.] ; Western, that is to say – the language of the Western World. Knowing Occidental, you can make yourself understood to most Europeans, whether they have studied it or not; much better, at all events, than which any other single language. It enables you to get into touch with millions of people in all parts of the civilized world. And it smooths the way, as nothing else can, to a mastery of other tongues. If for no other reason than this last, it is well worth a trial. H. Ltw. ——————– The Britannic Occidental Association’s New Occidental-Course for English Students has just been completed. Its author, Harold Littlewood, has based it on similar principles as those of his famous RALIN-method, but considerably condensed the text by taking into account all that the English student knows and understands of Occidental at first sight. The Course consists of three parts of 5 lessons each. The first part will be incorporated into the new edition of A.W.S. Raxworthy’s “Introductory Occidental Grammar”, and will be sent as a special print to all subscribers of “International Memorandum” in lieu of 3 numbers. Nró. 5 of “I.M.” will therefore appear in August. ——————– The Psychological and Scociological Character of Languages. -(IV)- by A. Z. Ramstedt No language exists for the purpose of realizing certain rationalistic principles or idealistic tendencies. The object of language is an entirely practical one — mutual comprehension amongst associates. It serves life. But, it may be objected, if an international language cannot be founded on logic and reason, where are we to find a fixed basis for its construction? The basis for every living language is the lingual usage of a certain group of people. “What is correct in a language is that which a lingual society postulates; and error is deviation therefrom — without any regard to the internal value of the words and forms“, says Prof. Jespersen. The foundation on which an international language of western civilization is constructed must accordingly be international lingual usage, and the measure of its correctness will be the extent to which that is the case. It is a universally known fact that there are a host of international words; i.e. the lexical material of the international language sought for already exists, but is latent in the national languages. This fact both facilitates and fore-ordains the final solution of the problem. The existing international vocabulary — cultural, scientific, technical, and so forth — constitutes the incontestable basis for the international language. If — as is done by certain language-makers — one refuses to accept the existing scientific and technical terminology as it stands, one is forced to rebaptize the whole of the science and technics of the western world — a labour of Sysisphus. Is there any use in, any possibility of, doing so? The spiritual and intellectual culture of the Occidenta is of Roman-Grecian origin. We are still living in the shadow of ancient Rome. What has Roman law not meant for a large number of European states, the Church of Rome for our spiritual life? Latin was, and in a way still is, the mother-tongue of our civilization. It would be madness to deny the facts of history. It follows from the practical character of languages that the only important point is whether the user of a language can most easily express himself in it in speech and writing, and is most easily understood by his auditors and readers, and not whether the number of grammatical rules which a learner has to master is sixteen or sixty. A language is to be judged by its practical efficiency, not according to theoretical principles. The majority of projects of artificial international languages put forward during the last 50 years have in general shown their authors to be surprisingly lacking in any sense of reality and of what is possible. The natural languages have been pronounced illogical, chaotic, degenerate, inefficient, unsuitable — assertions which clearly show how far those responsible for them have been from the truth and reality. Chemists and mathematicians have tried to make us believe that languages should be created in accordance with chemical and algebraical formulae. Unike other projects, the language known as Occidental displays an obvious tendency to keep in close touch with the linguistic habits and sentiments of European nations. It is the fruit of the fullest comprehension both of the actual nature of language and of its real object. And the social character of a language has always been, is, and will continue to be, the decisive factor. ——————— Some typical Occidental Words station agression actor argument cultura libertá tecnica socialisme capitalist [plu paroles venir] ——————– Cronica – Publicationes – Novas [esser continuiat] 
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