Universal Languages and Scientific Taxonomy in the Seventeenth Century

In The Seventeenth Century A Series Of Proposals And Schemes For An Artificial Language Intended To Replace Latin As The International Medium Of Communication Gained Currency. Fully Developed These Schemes Consisted Of A Classification Of All Known ''Things'' And A Set Of Self-Defining Names Designed To Reflect The Divisions Of The Classification. This Attempt To Create A Specialized And Scientific Form Of Language Was Enthusiastically Taken Up By A Number Of Eminent Scientists Of The Day Including Bacon Descartes Newton And Other Members Of The Royal Society. Dr Slaughter Demonstrates That The Idea Of A Universal Language Was A Rational Response To The Inadequacy Of Seventeenth-Century Language A Result Of Social And Cultural Changes Precipitated By The Rise Of Science The Spread Of Print And Literacy And The Subsequent Development Of A Literate Culture. A Valuable Addition To The Study Of History And Literature This Book Also Has Relevance For Contemporary Languages With Similar Problems Of Development.