1. Would the world be a more peaceful place if everyone spoke the same language?
I believe that an universal language could help create peace. If the world spoke the same language then the language barrier could be nonexistent and there would be a connecting factor between countries. These together are the base of peace but even with out a language barrier different parts of the world will still think differently. Even with a connection different countries have different customs and views. Having one language would make communicating easier but it would not be the sure way to achieve peace.
Having a universal language could lower the amount of wars by lowering the miscommunication however with the same language the views of the countries would not have changed. As a global community we have many differences that enrich our cultures and can create conflict with others. Having the same language may not change that. Though it would help one country to understand another. Conflict rises from misunderstanding having an universal language may reduce the misunderstanding but it may not be able to change the conflicting cultures of countries.
-Natalie Nishi
Natalie stated, “Having one language would make communicating easier but it would not be the sure way to achieve peace.” I agree with Natalie in that the miscommunications may slowly decrease with one universal language but not all communication challenges would be resolved.
ReplyDeleteA key point to remember is that communication is not just words spoken but there are also the physical aspects of communication. A universal language would not solve countries misinterpretation of each other’s messages based on gestures. Conflicts could still exist between countries based upon misinterpretation of non-verbal cues. According to Karen Beaman of Jeitosa Group International, in her PowerPoint presentation entitled Issues in Multicultural Communication, “Studies have shown that when there’s a discrepancy between the verbal and the non-verbal messages, people believe the non-verbal.”
Even if countries can communicate using a common language, it does not guarantee that they will agree on all topics. Just because people within a country, or even a family, speak the same language, fighting cannot always be avoided.
In conclusion, communication may become easier but peace would not automatically prevail. Let’s face it, war can be declared whether there is one language or not.