Rene Descartes’ letter to abbot Mersenne. November, 20, 1629. Translation from English

Abstract

This letter is of value for lingua-philosophical and linguistic researches. Rene Descartes’ remarks about the first proposal for the universal language are expounded in it. Descartes was considered as a pioneer in linguistic constructions due to these remarks. This letter contains philosopher’s conclusions about the universal language’s grammar and use, as well as project’s implementation obstacles.

Keywords

• Rene Descartes
• letter to Mersenne
• universal language
• linguistic philosophy
• linguistic constructions
• grammar
• sounds
• written language