Over the centuries, people have dreamed about a universal language—one that everyone everywhere could speak. If there were such a language, they've thought, you could visit any country in the world and immediately feel at home. You could converse freely with the natives, read their literature, share ideas. If you wanted to, you could even be a sort of diplomat-at-large, promoting universal peace and fellowship.
There have been several attempts to impose a universal language. Alexander the Great did his best to make all the citizens in his vast empire speak Greek in the fourth century B.C. Later, Roman emperors made Latin the official language. In more modern times, French became the "international" language. Today, many people think of English as the language of worldwide trade and diplomacy.
But none of these has ever been a truly universal language—one that everyone spoke and wrote and thought in. And of course, none of them has ever brought permanent peace to the world.
