The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1352 Babel Tower Project

The so-called Esperanto may be extremely unfamiliar to modern people, but when we mention Mr. Shu Ren’s “New Language of All Nations”, we can understand its influence at its peak.

Esperanto almost became an international diplomatic language, but it failed to materialize due to opposition from the French at a critical moment.

In fact, before World War II, at least before the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, French had always been the first language in diplomacy.

However, it was World War II that dealt a fatal blow to Esperanto, as all the major powers simultaneously issued strict bans, which caused it to fall into decline.

Franz naturally did not have such great ambitions, nor was he so naive as to pursue world peace, but it was still necessary to unify the Austrian Empire and the surrounding languages.

A Polish ophthalmologist who changed his career could create a language, not to mention the language experts of the Austrian Empire.

Generally speaking, only those who master three or more foreign languages ​​can be called language experts, but in the Austrian Empire, scholars who mastered less than eight foreign languages ​​were embarrassed to say that they were linguistics majors.

As language experts, it is rare to find people willing to provide them with funding, and this is much safer than going into the jungles of South America, crossing the death zone in Africa, polar expeditions, and going down to ancient tombs.

(In fact, there were not many pure linguists at that time. They generally served as historians, archaeologists, explorers, exorcists, and other roles. They often died in some strange places, which left this stereotype.)
It was not difficult for them to invent a language, but the difficulty lay in how to preserve the dominant position of the German-speaking people.

After several years of discussion, hundreds of experts finally came to the conclusion that the German language should be improved. At this time, the German language was also divided into many language families:
For example, High German (Bavarian dialect), Middle German (Saxon and Rhine dialect), Low German (Hamburg, Hanover area), Mountain German (Swiss and North Tyrol dialect), Court German (Viennese dialect).
(Dutch is also a Low German language, but it is slightly different from the Low German in the German region, but this had little impact on communication in the 19th century.)
Prussia is a special case. Traditionally, the Pomeranian language they speak is considered to be a form of Low German, but because it occupied large tracts of Saxony and the Rhine region, there was also a large number of Middle German speakers.

The vocabulary, grammar, and even some pronunciations of these German languages ​​are different, and they cannot communicate effectively with each other. In fact, these problems still plague Germany today. The Swabian dialect is as terrible to most Germans as the Wenzhou dialect.

It wouldn’t be a big deal that there are many dialects, but the key is that experts from different countries all say their own thing, and the people are determined not to change even under the wave of democracy.

The so-called standard German is based on a dialect of German translated by Martin Luther into the Bible, but because Martin Luther was of common origin and a Protestant.

Therefore, the nobles and Catholics in the German region could not accept the so-called standard German. As a result, the Grimm brothers began compiling the "Great German Dictionary" in 1852, which took four generations to complete in 4.

"The same writing, the same wheel gauge, the same measurement system, the same ethics, and the same geography." This step will be very difficult, but someone will always have to take it.

Franz's actions have already brought him many sins, and this one is not the least of them.

Of course, Franz would not be stupid enough to force everyone in Germany to change their behavior habits immediately. He would find a reason that is reasonable and noble enough.

In fact, Franz had thought of the entire plan more than ten years ago and informed the top leaders of the Vienna Church, so Archbishop Rauscher regarded himself as a so-called natural saint and supported himself with all his might.

All this was just one page in the Babel plan. Not long ago, the Pope handed him the keys to Rome, which made the prerequisites of this plan come true. Franz wanted to revise the Bible, and this time he would use the improved German language.

The improved German language, while retaining the rigorous characteristics of the German language, simplifies and splits it to make it simpler and more efficient, and most importantly, lowers the threshold for learners.

In addition, I don’t know if it’s because there are artists mixed in with the linguists, or if it’s because of the characteristics of Vienna, the original fierce and violent feeling of standard German like the roar of a ferocious beast has disappeared, and the soft and artificial feeling of court German has also disappeared.

Instead, it feels like music or poetry, which sounds good, but somehow feels ridiculous.
(According to the Bible, Old Testament, Genesis, in ancient times, humans united to build a tower that could lead to heaven.

In order to stop human plans, God gave humans different languages, making it impossible for them to communicate with each other, and the Tower of Babel plan eventually came to nothing.

The church uses this to explain why there are different races and different languages ​​in the world.)
At the same time, Franz also wanted to revise the "Great German Dictionary", nominally for the benefit of brothers in various states, but in fact he was still promoting the Austrian version of standard German.

At this time, both the monarchists and republicans in the German Confederation were completely subdued by Franz, and the so-called National Assembly was uprooted by Franz.

As for the nationalists, they were so happy to hear that Franz was going to compile a "Great German Dictionary". How could they object?
Especially for the Greater Germans, this was simply their glorious moment and the first step towards their ultimate goal.

Nationalism is a powerful placebo. Although it cannot cure diseases, it can minimize the negative emotions that a unified language brings to the people, and even urge them to learn "German".

As for the real lower class, in this era, they are already doing their best to have enough food to eat, so how could anyone be so bored as to risk their life with Franz over such a thing?

Of course, Franz was also ready to make necessary sacrifices when necessary. Without the courage to kill, how could he have the determination to save people?
Franz is not the kind of person who only makes big promises. He will make more big promises and let people feel the benefits personally.

The Austrian Empire needed a large number of teachers for grassroots education, and Franz could also improve the treatment and status of teachers.

Franz also plans to introduce women into the basic education industry. On the one hand, this can compensate for the losses caused to women's employment due to equal pay for equal work in some industries, and on the other hand, it can optimize the allocation of labor resources.

With the development of the economy and the establishment of a self-circulating economic system in the Austrian Empire, the service industry will also be reborn. At least in the short term, the Austrian Empire will be free from economic crises.

Of course, with the establishment of the European Monetary Union, once an economic crisis occurs, the consequences will be more serious than in history.

The same dictionary is called "Great German Dictionary" in the German Confederation, but it is called "Greater Common Language Dictionary" in the Austrian Empire.

In addition, the Austrian Empire also published a book called "Two Hundred Words for Everyday Life of Imperial Citizens", which was widely praised within the empire.