Lingua franca
LISA ISAACS’S report (March 1) of Albie Sachs’s and Dr Rakwena Monareng’s contributions to PanSALB’s inaugural public lecture and language awards ceremonies is welcomed.
As we know all the languages of the world are subject to inevitable change, sometimes useful and good, but by no means always. Currently the explosive development of electronic communication presents a special challenge.
However one statement in quotes is I believe a serious mistake: “... the invigoration of African languages… not as used in daily discourse… but also in science…” Some of your readers will know of the Swede Dr Carl Linnaeus who invented Biologic Classification in the 18th century. In the basement of the Royal Academy in London his life’s work, comprising specimens, writings and correspondence, is stored and protected in a large air conditioned safe guarded by a giant circular bank door. It was once my great privilege to be allowed to see that collection. What struck me most forcibly was the language of the letters; they were in Latin.
Thirteen centuries after the political collapse of the Roman Empire the language of Science was still Latin.
During the next two centuries Latin gave way to English as the language of science. There was no effort by government bodies to promote this change. During the 19th and early 20th centuries much of the research in science was taking place in the US and UK. I had a career in surgical science starting in the 50s and 60s. My first presentation at an international congress was in Chicago in 1961. The language of the conference was English. My first presentation at a European meeting was in Rome in 1963.
There was a battery of translators performing the difficult task of providing the listeners with a “live” translation in at least five languages. Over the next 10 to 20 years the professional societies serving the hard sciences made English the language of their publications and their annual meetings. Even the French finally gave in. English has taken the place of Latin as the universal language of the hard sciences. Those of us pursuing science in South Africa do not have to learn a foreign language to present their our to the world.