Language as a Public Space

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.

Genesis 11:1-9

Language as a public space

Boundaries are sometimes physical, a river or a mountain range, but usually they exist only in our heads. The Biblical story of the city and the tower is about the endless possibilities that would arise when humanity would be united by the same language. No mutual misunderstandings that cannot be resolved, no challenge that cannot be addressed through a joint effort. For some, the story of ‘the city and the tower’ is a cautionary tale about human hubris, for us it is a story about public space.

Like Europe, China has many languages and cultures. In contrast to Europe, everyone in China communicates with each other through a common script: Hanzi. A text drawn up in Chinese characters is for every literate Chinese to understand, even if they don’t share a common language. Europe has tried to forge unity through a common currency, the market, regulation and parliament. These elements have so far not delivered a broad common identity. What is missing is a European public sphere. A logographic script would be an amazing way to create a European public sphere. It could become the bearer of a common political and cultural discourse, and a shared cultural heritage. What could happen in and with Europe when all Europeans can read each other’s newspapers, books, magazines and policy documents?

Language as a public space was an intervention and lecture organized together with Paolo Patelli for New Europeans. The project is a thought experiment about a future European or global language that helps everyone to understand each other. We looked back at historic attempts at such a language, like Esperanto and Bliss, and forward to new options, like emoji’s.