Very often question arises during botanical description, about why
latin is being used and why not English or any other language? And
many answers are being regularly given by scholars and scientists,
most of which seemed much irrelevant. I have been able to gather some
information with the help of some friends which may be of use to many.
Some people explained that Latin is not a verbal language, whereas
some say that Latin is not a written language and hence it is not a
developing language i.e., it is consistent!!
Infact Latin is still a continuously developing language like any
modern ("living") one, perhaps even more than many, as it has to adapt
to modern concepts, and so needs the words, all the time. Take an
example of the Papal Encycliques (A papal letter addressed to the
bishops of the Church or to the hierarchy of a particular country)
that are issued now and then about current moral issues are in Latin.
Some people say that at Vatican, the original text today is written in
German (the Pope being a German) and then translated into neo-modern
Latin. This is the ultimate text, but when it is sent around the world
it is accompanied by a translation in the local language, for there
are no dictionaries neo-modern Latin - XXX. Pope Benedict XVI is very
good in Latin and is reported to have sent back drafts because of
faulty wording!
In Baltic countries there are even weekly newshour on radio in Latin
along with some annual conferences where nothing but Latin is spoken!
Latin used to be the universal scientific language until the end of
the 19th century. It also has no political connections (ruling out
some hard-line Protestants, who say it is the language of the doomed
Catholics and their Pope, who have tried to take over the world during
the last 2 millennia).
ICBN started with rules laid down by Linnaeus in his Critica botanica
(1737). At the request of the botanical community it was up-dated by
De Candolle in the Lois de la nomenclature botanique (1867), which was
in French. At that time French language was most disliked in large
parts of Europe due to various wars being fought with / against the
French, so in Berlin, Engler made his own set in German. Of course no
Anglo-Saxon could read either language, so Kew had its Kew Rules, and
Britton of NY developed the American Code. Other speakers, like the
Russians, Spaniards, Italians (and Chinese, had they been there) found
this discriminatory, so at the Vienna Congress (1905) to please the
majority it was therefore voted unanimously that the validating
language for a description must be Latin.
At every nomenclatural session proposals have been made to make at
least English as a validating language. For fossils that has succeeded
(Art. 36.3) but for other cases all non-English speakers constantly
have rejected it. The Code used to be tri-lingual, with the English
version being the last word in disputes. Mainly to save money it is
now English only. Lately there have been proposals to make it a 2-
volume work: one with the rules, the other with the nomina
conservanda / rejicienda.
The zoologists started much later with their Code and to please
everybody ruled that a validating diagnosis might be made in any
language. It is now too late to change that, so with a bit of luck you
may need to know (and be able to read) Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese,
Dutch, English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Latin,
Russian, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Vietnamese, etc. when you are studying
a SE Asian group. Be glad if you're a botanist!
This, and several other basic but conflicting articles, will make it
neigh impossible to have a Code of Life, although some optimists keep
trying. Obviously, no side will budge and relinquish a long-standing
rule.
Dr. Pankaj Kumar
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"indiantreepix" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected]
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
[email protected]
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix?hl=en
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
