If you’re familiar with Esperanto, speak up.
Hmmm…the silence is deafening out there.
Anyone?
Oh yeah, that’s right… I can’t hear you, or see you. But, if I could, I’d like to imagine that maybe, just maybe, one of you might actually answer me in Esperanto.
That’s because, in case you didn’t know, Esperanto is a language – albeit a made up one. It’s a composite, of sorts, of many popular languages and was invented in 1887 to facilitate international communication. I’ve always loved the idea of an auxiliary, easy to learn tongue that unites the planet but, unfortunately, Esperanto never really caught on, on a mass scale.
I’m mentioning Esperanto because it’s ideologically related to Dotsies – which I recently discovered. Although Dotsies is not a language. And no, it’s not some sort of miniature candy either. Dotsies is a font which uses dots instead of letters and is, according to this website, optimized specifically for reading…maybe by aliens.
Its aim is to replace the Latin alphabet, which is supposedly optimized for writing only, and to make reading a more efficient experience.
Hang on. Replace the Latin alphabet? Pretty tall order. I love my Latin alphabet. I’m weird that way. But, you know me, always a sucker for any attempt to create major paradigm shifts.
If you’re intrigued, and I’ll admit that I am – because I fundamentally do believe that written language will drastically change in the future – take a gander at the Dotsies site. Its creator claims that Dotsies is easier to learn than it looks, and that it’s time better spent than watching another episode of Glee.
I may try it, just for kicks, and report back to you at some later time through the use, no doubt, of the good old Latin alphabet.
via The News from http://glowglee.blogspot.com