Problem 8: Communication
Facts: There's this initiative at WikiPedia, called
SimpleEnglish, where they attempt to create a small enciclopedia using just a
small subset of the language.
Idea: I wonder if "sound files" (wav, mp3, ogg, whatever "common denominator" format there is), could be uploaded to a wiki. If that is so, then we could cooperatively build a "learn simple English" repository, with say 200 words and 50 simple sentences ...
pronunciation included! Then we could do the same for 5 or 50 languages. Where languages can have wide differences in pronunciation, the more common or neutral should be used.
Uses: Teachers might want to include tasks such as "learn 10 words and two sentences" for each country you explore the history of. People can try on different languages. People who want their language to be noticed can do so. People wanting to create CDs for students can do so. Activists can develop "we want peace too" pages, so that people in one country can learn to say it in the "enemy"'s language.
Problems: There may be problems with formats (light-weight formats should be preferred), size (there should be filters for size), and people insisting in having their own way of speaking each language (in time sublanguages can be filled in).
