From Paul Coyne
Robert Morley pleads for a single global language, and refuses to mourn the deaths of hundreds of languages (26 June, p 30). The extinction of a language is not only about the loss of its everyday use; it is the end of the history and culture of the people who spoke it. Would Morley, who writes in English, consign Shakespeare and Milton to be forgotten? If this is a scientific approach to linguistics then count me out.
From Clive Semmens
Morley asserts that: “if we all spoke the same language, it would be a very positive outcome for humankind”.
I disagree, and not from nostalgia. It is good that we are nearly at a stage where there is one global second language, but lose a language, and you lose a way of thinking and a culture.
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The perspectives offered by alternative ways of thinking may mean that a problem considered insoluble becomes easy to solve, or is shown to be of such little importance that no solution is needed. Similarly, it can be hard to see the flaws in one’s own culture, but to someone brought up differently they can be clear. Trying to “fix” flaws in someone else’s culture can be a recipe for disaster, but if someone somewhere can see them there is some hope of people within the culture becoming aware too.
Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK
Glasgow, UK
