One Language Under God

When my parents took a month long vacation in Europe, they anticipated that they would have difficulty communicating with the various people they would come across, as they don’t speak any European languages other than Spanish. They were pleasantly surprised that with every place they visited (with the exception of one), they were met with English-speaking Europeans who were able to take their orders, show them around, and answer their questions. My parents said that this heightened their experience because they were able to effectively communicate with the locals. 

Different Countries' Flags

Whether or not English should be made the official language of the world has been under debate for some time. Heck, the issue has even been pushed against in the United States, where most of its occupants speak English. That leads to a bigger question: if not English, should some other language be made the official language of the world?

When the printing press was invented, people had access to works such as the Bible in great quantities for the first time ever. New ideas spread like wildfire and new freedoms were able to stretch their toes. However, the ideas would have oftentimes been limited to those who spoke the language that was printed. Were the world to have had a universal language at that point, unique ideas might have spread more rapidly.

During World War II, at least a dozen different languages were spoken by participants. It is doubtful that poor communication contributed to the War on a larger scale, but perhaps as people fought in smaller battles they could have worked things out a little better. After the war, Winston Churchill, in his speech Sinews of Peace, referred to the audience and others as the “English speaking peoples.” Perhaps people may have felt more united if all people could have been roped under a common language?

Image Credit: "National Flags" by Wikimedia public domain