UN-speak: a tool for universal communication?

In the organization of the United Nations system, an English that is neither British nor American but rather a language in its own right has developed as a common vehicle of communication. This language, sometimes decried as UN-speak, is analyzed as a potential tool for universal communication. The author considers the extent to which UN-speak's evolution since the days of the League of Nations is attributable to intercultural and interlingual influences. UN-speak is considered as a self-restricting language that, unlike artificial or controlled languages, mirrors a real intercultural community and has a life that such languages lack. It is concluded that UN-speak might therefore be suitable as the nucleus of a universal language for intercultural communication.<>