Strawdog arguments against using an international language.

Why are so many false and unreal arguments used against not only the idea of an IAL, but against specific languages?

What is a strawdog?

Basically it is an argument made up to look real, but in fact has no substance and is not real. But, it looks real. It's purpose?

To make its "creator" look good by answering what appears to be a serious problem. But, it isn't a serious or real problem.

What are these arguments?

Here is the place to describe the "strawdogs" and explain why they aren't real. And, instead, replace them with real life answers to strawdog phantasies.

Jens Member 1 post registered on Jul. 23 2007	on Jul. 27 2007 I don't know about strawdog arguments, but what about real arguments? There is a single, serious, overwhelming argument that I hear often toward IALs in general. Simply: we already have English. Why do we need anything else? That is really the only argument that I hear from people I talk about an IAL to. And it's probably not a strawdog argument. But it is important to have a response. What is a good response to that?
Auliuniv from Tucson Associate 147 posts registered on Jul. 16 2007	on Jul. 27 2007 IMO this is what I call a "strawdog" argument. It is not based on real facts, but on "imagination". That is, that everyone uses English no matter where one goes, and therefore, there is no need to learn anything else. If the person was honest about reality, then the argument would be, "I see no personal need for an IAL. I speak English and most of my friends are English speakers, and I have no need for learning something else." In other words, "I see no need nor benefit to myself to learn XYZ language." There is no real answer to someone who does not want to learn an IAL, anymore than having an answer for a client who doesn't want to buy the salesman's new 60 piston engined new car. The old one still works fine. The best answer is to let them know you actively use an auxiliary language, and tell them the benefits you've received from using it. The standard reasons for having and using an IAL don't capture the public's imagination. And, in order to do that, it will take a unified effort by more than one person to come up with the answer that will grab people and make them want to take action. This site could become one of the steps in that direction, especially if we can begin here to use the IAL's fluenty, and gradually, so folks can follow from day one, so to speak. With that said, I would like to add: Occidental es un lingue international. Yo usa Occidental in articules. Occidental es un lingue facil, regulari e "natural".
Bartlett	on Aug. 26 2007 One problem, as I see it, is simply public perception and awareness. Recently the daily newspaper that I read (The Washington Times, Washington, DC, USA) carried a short article about how baby talk was the "universal language." I recall without digging back through old issues, the article began with something like, English and Esperanto are not the universal language, the utterances mothers use with their babies are. The point is that with respect to constructed international auxiliary languages, this is a point that advocates of other languageswill have to deal with. Edited by auliuniv on Aug. 28 2007
Rosto Member 1 post registered on Jul. 12 2009	on Jul. 12 2009 Interlinguistics is a game. I think, it is one of the most interesting games in the world. It is a some kind of intellectual sport. You can play whith men in all the world. It is a sphere of passions. It is not only a sport, but it is an art too. But what is English? A very boring thing.

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