Posted by Martyn R Jones on July 20, 1999 at 07:40:28:

In Reply to: I see now posted by Honda Ayakura on July 20, 1999 at 04:54:52:

Hello,

Appreciated the comments however I would also bring your attention to the use of compound words in verbal communications evolution and their apparent contribution to the perceived comparable richness of languages.

Whilst the Chinese language might boast 250 words regarding facets of joy I am happily quite sure that the German language has at least as many compund words to describe the use of potato in salads - and we have not even started with more complex notions such as pain, happiness, love and knowledge ... The problem with the way a number of people use the english language is not so much in its lack of richness as an intent to convey an idea or opinion without having to convey how "super adept" one is at constructing subtle and brrilliant scripted arguments that only a reduced number of native american/english speakers will understand.

BTW: If you really want a universal language for communicating ideas regarding Knowledge Management/or a brlliant piece of subtle literature then my choice would be Spanish. For wisdom and truth, Arabic. For joy, honor, love (especially) of life and a good poltical bust up, there's nothing better than French. The list could go on forever. For nature, Basque. For choral singing and poetry, Welsh etc. etc.

As one of my fellow (welsh) travellers, Dylan Thomas, once wrote:

We can catch buses and count our change and cross the roads and talk real sentences. But our innocence goes awfully deep, and our discreditable secret is that we don't know anything at all, and our horrid inner secret is that we don't care that we don't.

Best regards,

Martyn R Jones

• Language is a virus - Some are even like the common cold

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• Re: Simplied Universal English P. Richard Hansen 07:46:34 7/20/99 (0)

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