Babel

Konrad Valentin   Friday, May 14, 2004, 14:44 GMT
Does anyone know if the babel myth occurs in religions other than christianity? I'd also be interested to know what the religious users of the forum think about the global spread of English as well as the decline and eradication of other languages. Are we heading for another divine intervention that will cause us to speak in a plethora of tongues once again?
mike   Saturday, May 15, 2004, 18:10 GMT
I don't thinks so. I guess one day we're all going to speak one language. But it's more in the long run than in the short one. I'll probably take some 500 or 1000 years.
Jim   Monday, May 17, 2004, 00:14 GMT
The myth is in the Old Testiment thus obviously it occurs in Judaism and I guess that there should be some version in the Quran too.

The global spread of English as well as the decline and eradication of other languages is a sad fact. It is an errosion of culture. It does, however, have the advantagious spin-off that comunication is becoming easier.

Mike's 500 or 1000 years is still perhaps too short a term. I think it's going to take longer than that for us all to speak the one language if it ever happens.

"Are we heading for another divine intervention that will cause us to speak in a plethora of tongues once again?" This question already assumes that the story of Babel is true. I don't believe that it happened the first time and have no reason to believe that it will ever happen.

This is funny: http://home.eznet.net/~heiny/theories/godless_linguistics.html
Ghoti   Monday, May 17, 2004, 00:17 GMT
Why not believe that it happened the first time? It did, no matter if you believe it did or it didn't. The bible doesn't lie and if you say it does I'm sorry but your wrong.
Jim   Monday, May 17, 2004, 00:48 GMT
Ghoti,

Why should I believe that it happened? It's nothing but a myth that happens to be written in a book taken as sacred by a couple of religions. Not even all Christians would believe this story (though many might try to derive some other meaning or other out of it).

I'd agree that my disbelief in the story has no bearing on whether or not it is true. Let me remind you that the same is true for your belief in it.

"The bible doesn't lie ..." technically a book can't lie being that books aren't concious. Anyway I know what you're trying to say and I don't agree. I have no reason to think that what is written in the Bible is all true. I have good reason to believe that much of it is not. Perhaps I am wrong but maybe it's you who are wrong.

The scientific evidence is overwhelimingly against stories like this. Ghoti, I bet you think that the Earth is flat, has four corners and was created by God only a few thousand years ago.

Anyway if this is going to be a religious discussion rather than a discussion of language, I suggest we move it to http://pub103.ezboard.com/beuropa2
paul   Monday, May 17, 2004, 16:26 GMT
Take a look at www.omniglot.com, if you know another language.
It shows the story of the Tower of Babel in over a 100 different languages and in 20 or so scripts, including 3 varities of Chinese and the original Hebrew.

I expect that since it has been translated it will eventually be commonly known by many cultures.

Regards, Paul V.
Jim   Tuesday, May 18, 2004, 00:13 GMT
The Bible has been translated into a great many different languages. The question is whether or not this myth exists in the religions and/or folklore of cultures other to the Jewish/Christian/Islamic ones.
Ghoti   Tuesday, May 18, 2004, 00:15 GMT
Quote-''Ghoti, I bet you think that the Earth is flat, has four corners and was created by God only a few thousand years ago.'' How long ago do you think God created the Earth, Jim?
Jim   Tuesday, May 18, 2004, 00:38 GMT
Who says I think God created the Earth? I think that the Earth has been around for about four and a half milliard years and that it didn't need any god to have created it. How long ago do you think God created the Earth, Ghoti?

Again, Ghoti, I put to you that we should move this discussion elsewhere: religious topics are not the purpose of Antimoon.
Paul M   Tuesday, May 18, 2004, 01:17 GMT
I've seen a few books and documentaries saying that indeed, there was one original language in human history..
It's just not possible to "prove" that it is true or false and we will never "know" it for "sure".
Chico   Tuesday, May 18, 2004, 01:50 GMT
Sugar! I remember my Cecilia Cross. Americans love her voice. Polish sing in Spanish. German sing in English all her songs.
Jim   Tuesday, May 18, 2004, 01:54 GMT
They've given it the name "Proto-World" but if it existed the divergence into the various languages and dialects which has occured can be explained whithout the need to refer to the Biblical myth of the Tower of Babel.
Ghoti   Tuesday, May 18, 2004, 01:57 GMT
Quote-''Who says I think God created the Earth? I think that the Earth has been around for about four and a half milliard years and that it didn't need any god to have created it.'' Jim, If you're going to say that the Earth didn't need any god to have created than you might as well say that your house didn't need any builder to have created it. When do you think your house evolved?
Jim   Tuesday, May 18, 2004, 02:37 GMT
That's an absurd argument Ghoti and it doesn't belong on a site about language any way. I'm starting this thread up at Europa II so we can discuss the philosophical verses religious verses scientific aspect of it. Let's keep this thread language focused. Continue the religious rant here: http://p081.ezboard.com/feuropa2frm53
Juan   Wednesday, May 19, 2004, 23:54 GMT
Jim if you don't believe....well, it's your funeral.