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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 1:45 am Post subject: Arabic and the international language |
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I have been reading Stephen Lambden’s translation of Bahaullah’s
tablet on the international language
http://www.hurqalya.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/BAHA'-ALLAH/Int-Language.htm.
As a non linguist certain questions occur to me and I was hoping
someone out there who knew more about these things would be able to
make some useful comment. Perhaps this has already been chewed over on
this list.
a. What is the nature of the superiority of Arabic? Note in this
tablet how Bahaullah praises Arabic, “Indeed, relative to it, all
languages have been, and will remain, circumscribed”. Is the
superiority of Arabic due to its linguistic qualities? Or is it
something else?
b. Bahaullah seems to be saying in this tablet that although Arabic
would be the choice of heaven it somehow does not fit the purpose of
an international language. I can think of various reasons why that
would be starting with the relative ease of learning something like
Esperanto as compared to Arabic. Arabic was only ever adopted in
countries which already spoke a related language. Ok. So where does
that leave Arabic? |
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