Page:Sambahsa - Complete Grammar.pdf/9

 languages derive their words for “person” from words related to clay, like the word “earthling”. The white color was chosen because it contrasts the best. The small concentric circles represent the wheel because it is an important innovation made by humans, the square represents the vehicle (car, chariot…), the “T”s represent the thill, the lines represent the axle and the bigger circle represents the Sun as well as the Circle of Life.

The “movement” that supports Sambahsa is not linked to any kind of thought: people from all kinds, ethnicities, places, beliefs, genders, sexual orientations, social classes, and ideologies may use this language as they please.

'''WHY LEARN AN AUXILIARY LANGUAGE? WE ALREADY HAVE ENGLISH'''

You ask me: “we already have English as an international language, why learn an artificial language?”. Before I answer this question, I must remember that we are speaking here about a language for a world context, if I were to work in China or, at least, stay in touch with Chinese people, I would have to learn Mandarin, it's pretty obvious! The point is: if I enter a room where there are a Pakistani, a Russian, an American, an Argentine, and a Japanese, all of them only can have communication if they know a common language because only a very few people have time and disposition to learn five different languages; in current days, it's expected that all these people speak English for making possible a communication. This is the heart of the matter.

The problem with a national language – no matter if it is English, Spanish, French, or Mandarin – is that it's too much spent time (and also money in many cases) learning it. Of course, for those who like to learn languages or will live in a foreign country, it's a great investment, even learning a “less important” language is valid if it pleases you. But when the matter is a language that serves as a bridge between different people, the scenario is different.

I like to say that when two people communicate with each other through the language of a determined country, it's like calculate using Roman numerals. It's perfectly possible to calculate with Roman numerals, peoples did that for centuries, but it's much more efficient to calculate with Hindu-Arabic numerals, which in our case would be the communication through a language that you learn in months and is regular. I said “language of a determined country” because people learn – in the international communication scope – the English variant from the United States of America or England, but never the English from Jamaica and neither the one from Australia or South Africa.

SO ARE YOU AGAINST THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE?

My answer to this question is a loud “NO”(!), although some other people may have negative views regarding the language originated in England. English is considered as an official language in countries of all the continents and it is relatively easy to learn, not to mention that the United States and England are great exporters of culture. It’s because of it and other factors that many people support the idea that English still will be used as lingua franca for a good