A proposal for a world pidgin language Wikipedia

From Meta, a Wikimedia project coordination wiki

This is a proposal to create a new Wikipedia database that allows an interlinguistic mixing of different languages on the same Wikipedia database. This would be a World Pidgin Language Wikipedia. There have been two discussions on Wikimedia regarding this, and other discussions about the need for a multilingual Wikipedia.

Frequently asked questions[edit]

Why develop a World Pidgin language when a translation program can be written?[edit]

A translation program cannot translate innuendo, poetry, the depth of passion of the writer or speaker, programs often translate incorrectly, the rendering on the webpage loses much of the user experience, and most importantly a program prevents the human mind from blending languages, like it naturally would do in a multi-linguistic civilization that does not put social penalties on individual's who deviate from the established grammar rules.

Is English not already a world language?[edit]

English is widely spoken for various reasons, but to say it is the world language other cultures must learn is ethnocentric and not fair to other languages. Blending all languages is the most fair approach.

How will a World Pidgin language deal with different alphabets?[edit]

There can be more than one World Pidgin languages. Some World Pidgin languages may primarily use a single alphabet such as Latin, Cyrillic, Arabic, etc., others may have a blend. A consensus of editors on each article can decide what language blends will be used on each article. Every article can use different language blends and follow a different set of rules to allow the languages to continue evolving.

Wikimedia should not create another Esperanto, Lojban, or Klingon[edit]

This would not be like Esperanto, Lojban, or Klingon because it would not be a language with fixed rules and perimeters; it would be an evolving language made of all the world's languages. Learning words from all the world's languages has a greater benefit than learning Kilingon, so editors and readers will have a greater incentive to participate.

How does creating a World Pidgin language fit in with Wikimedia's mission of spreading knowledge?[edit]

The purpose of Wikipedia is to spread knowledge, and one of the greatest obstacles to sharing knowledge is the language barrier. If Wikipedia can find a way past the World's language barrier it will fulfill its purpose and create a new network or language of knowledge that may one day transcend past the Wikimedia experience. Wikimedia can either leave a legacy of language segregation or a legacy that Wikimedia took every effort possible to transcend the language barrier to share knowledge.

Why would anyone besides Wikipedia editors learn the language?[edit]

People like puzzles, people learn by doing, and many people half know a language, so writing by mixing languages would be fun and helpful to a lot of people. Due to the notability of Wikimedia and the huge ambition of this project, this project will gain a lot of media attention and will help to stimulate the conversation on the role of language blending on the internet and formal grammar rules, so this benefits of project will transcend beyond Wikipedia.

Will translating to and out of a World Pidgin language even be useful?[edit]

The primary goal of this project is not only to create an eternally evolving world language, but also to create a project that will allow the flow of new words into every language in the world. The immediate usefulness of translating in and out of the Wikipigin language would not affect the usefulness of this project because the primary goal of the project is to seed the world with new words and create a forum where language can coevolve unrestrained by language segregation and the fixed rules of grammar.

Further Reading[edit]

Wikimedia[edit]

The original Wikimedia discussions regarding a World Pidgin Wikipedia can be found here:

Other multilingual ideas[edit]

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/A_proposal_towards_a_multilingual_Wikipedia