The Babel Text

Another purpose of The Babel Text is to encourage designers of model languages to demonstrate how those languages would actually be used in sustained discourse. Most model language designers (myself included) do not provide much text actually written in their language. It is hoped that The Babel Text will become a standard document for model language designers to translate into their languages.

The source document for The Babel Text is Genesis 11:1-9, the story of the breaking of the Tower of Babel. This passage was chosen because:

Its theme of the creation of new languages from one language is highly appropriate to language development.
It repeats patterns, making it easier to translate and understand than other passages of its length.
As part of the Bible, it has already been translated into many natural and artificial languages.
It is less formulaic and rigid than the Paternoster (The Lord's Prayer), which is currently the passage most used to compare languages.

Additional translations will be added on an ongoing basis. To submit a passage for a natural or model language, you can e-mail the text of the passage to me. I'll take care of the formatting. Or even better - post it to your own web page, and let me know the URL, and I'll add a link.

If you're interested in parallel texts in other languages, check out Jabberwocky and How To Say Goodbye In Many Languages.

Regards,

Jeffrey Henning

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The Babel Text

Introduction

Last updated: March 23, 1997