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ESPERANTO
The International Language that works!
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A second language for everyone
ESPERANTO
The International Language that works!
Every year, our world seems smaller. Ships carry a thousand items
between countries. Jets carry passengers across oceans and around the
world. Satellites bring us live television coverage from Europe and
Asia. Every year, Americans in every walk of life communicate more
and more with people of other countries.
One barrier remains...
As a result of this tremendous increase in contacts with the outside
world, Americans are realizing that there is still a major barrier to
international communication -- the language barrier!
Americans have long heard the cliche that "Wherever you go, people
speak English." In fact, at most ten percent of the world speaks
English! Often, in other countries, only people in the best hotels of
the largest cities can use English, and even they are often not very
fluent. Anyone who has visited a foreign country and struggled with
the language barriers understands this. Americans are at last
discovering what the rest of the world has long known: there is a
real need for an international language.
Fortunately, there is such a language...
Its name is Esperanto. It was created by Dr. Ludwig L. Zamenhof, a
Polish physician, who published it in 1887. Since then, Esperanto has
been learned by millions. Of the many projects and proposals for an
international language over the centuries, Esperanto is the only one
that has stood the test of time and is being spoken today. It is in
daily use by many thousands of people all over the world, and the
number is growing constantly.
Many international meetings are held in Esperanto. Books and
magazines are published by the thousands to meet the demands of an
international public. Some of the largest international firms put on
special advertising campaigns in Esperanto. Hotels, restaurants and
tourist resorts compete for the patronage of the Esperanto-speaking
traveler.
Esperanto's impressive success as the language of international
communication is due to three basic advantages. It is easy to learn.
It is politically neutral. And it has many practical uses.
Esperanto is easy...
Esperanto is much easier to learn than any other language. In fact,
it can be learned in a quarter of the time needed to learn a national
language! The spelling is easy: each letter has exactly one sound.
The pronunciation is easy: there are no strange combinations of
letters to create new sounds, and the accent is always on the next to
last syllable. The grammar is easy: there are only sixteen basic
rules, with no exceptions. (That means, for example, that there are
no irregular verbs.) The vocabulary is easy, too: many international
words are used, such as telefono (telephone), biologio (biology), and
matematiko (mathematics). Esperanto gives a very "natural" impression
in spoken or written use; and, because of its high ratio of vowels to
consonants, it is often said to resemble Spanish or Italian.
Esperanto also uses prefixes, suffixes, and interchangeable endings
to reduce the number of words to be learned. For example, in English
we make the words friendly, unfriendly, and friendship from the root
word friend. Esperanto carries this idea much further, making the
vocabulary easier to learn.
In short, Esperanto has been rationally constructed for ease of
learning. This has made it especially popular with busy men and women
who cannot spend years learning a foreign language, which would be
useful in only a small part of the world. Because of these features,
Esperanto is attractive as an introduction to other foreign language
studies. In the Hawaiian schools, for example, the study of Esperanto
is a basic part of that state's innovative English program.
Esperanto is neutral...
The second major reason for Esperanto's success is that it is
neutral. It belongs to no one country. Many people in America and
England say that English is already spoken so widely and is such an
"important" language in the world that it should be officially
adopted by all nations as the international language. This view is
very unpopular in many countries.
This attitude is not merely because English is one of the most
difficult languages to learn. The newer nations of Africa and Asia
are very reluctant to accept English (or any major language) for
international communication because of the political overtones. For
example, the countries of the former Soviet bloc would not want to
use English as an official international language, just as we would
be reluctant to accept Russian in that role (as some Soviet
publicists have actually suggested).
The Western nations have also shown their sensitivity to questions of
linguistic equality. Quebec has rejected English as its official
language; the Common Market nations insist on using all their
languages in Brussels; the UN spends tens of millions of dollars
every year translating into five official languages and into fifteen
for UNESCO!
Esperanto is not the property of any one nation, group of nations, or
social class. It belongs to everyone. It has no political or
historical implications to hinder its acceptance. Every person who
uses Esperanto is on an equal linguistic footing with all other
Esperantists. Esperanto's popularity in smaller nations and in Asian
countries, such as Japan, is largely due to this neutrality. This
promotes a spirit of friendship and brotherhood among Esperantists
which is quite impressive to everyone who sees it in use.
Esperanto is practical...
Esperanto offers exceptional practical advantages. Coordinating these
advantages is the worldwide organization, the Universal Esperanto
Association.
The UEA, from its headquarters in Rotterdam, maintains a network of
over 1,900 representatives in 90 countries, sponsors many
international activities, and issues a Yearbook containing the
addresses of its representatives and information on current
international activities. There are several dozen international
professional associations including, for example, teachers,
scientists, journalists, doctors, and lawyers. These groups sponsor
meetings, publish journals, and otherwise promote the technical use
of Esperanto. Other international organizations serve the interests
of Esperantists who share the same religious affiliation -- such as
Catholics, Protestants, Quakers, Buddhists, Bahai's -- or who share a
hobby, such as stamp collecting, bicycling, or chess.
...for travel
Travelers who know Esperanto are not confined to talking with a few
people who cater to tourists. By writing to an Esperanto
representative in each place they visit, they can be sure of being
met and helped. Wherever they go, they know they will find friends
who speak the same language and share common interests. They will
meet and talk with the people of the country, instead of merely
looking at its monuments. At international meetings where Esperanto
is used, they can be sure of clear and animated discussions as well
as friendly conversations in corridors, lobbies, and nearby cafes,
free of earphones and interpreters.
...for correspondence
Through Esperanto you get to know other countries and their people
without ever leaving home. Books and magazines in Esperanto bring the
news and culture of other countries to your door. And, through
friendly correspondence with people in other countries, you can
broaden your horizons and learn more about the world. Many
Esperantists correspond with those abroad who share their hobbies,
others on topics of professional interest. Many seek to learn about
foreign customs and how other people live.
A scientifically constructed language
Some people ask, "But isn't Esperanto an artificial language?" Of
course it is. So is every language in the world. The word
"artificial" means "made by human beings," and every language has
been created by human beings. The difference between Esperanto and
other languages is that Esperanto was scientifically designed to do a
special job -- the job of international communication -- and it does
that job superbly.
Esperanto and the UN
In October 1966, the UEA presented the Secretary General of the
United Nations with a proposal recommending that the UN solve the
language problem by supporting use of the International Language,
Esperanto. The petition was signed by almost a million individuals
and by 3,843 organizations representing 71 million more people from
all over the world. Today, an Esperanto office operates across the
street from the UN, staffed by a professional linguist and several
volunteers.
Esperanto and You
The national Esperanto group in the United States of America is the
Esperanto League for North America (ELNA). In Canada, the Canadian
Esperanto Association (CEA) performs the same tasks of providing
information, assisting local groups, organizing classes and annual
conventions, and cooperating with the UEA. For more information about
books, records, membership, and classes, contact:
Esperanto League for North America, Inc.
P.O. Box 1129
El Cerrito CA 94530, USA
(800) ESPERANTO
(800) 377-3726 or
(510) 653-0998
In Canada, contact:
Canadian Esperanto Association
P.O. Box 2159
Sidney BC CANADA V8L 3S6
Esperanto does not aim at replacing the existing national languages;
but it overcomes the present linguistic chaos by serving as a neutral
instrument of international communication for all.
Structure:
The core grammar of Esperanto consists of only 16 rules, with no
exceptions. In spite of this simplicity, Esperanto can express the
finest shades of meaning.
Vocabulary:
The word roots in Esperanto have been taken from many national
languages according to the principle of maximum internationality.
Thus, many of them are already known to people of all nations. Many
words -- an average of ten to fifteen, but sometimes as many as fifty
-- may be formed from one root. This building block approach helps
make Esperanto easy to learn.
Technical vocabularies:
More than 125 technical dictionaries and vocabularies in some fifty
branches of science, philosophy, technology, and handicrafts have
been published in Esperanto.
Literature:
Esperanto literature includes translated and original novels, short
stories, plays, poems, scientific works and dissertations. The
library of the British Esperanto Association contains over 30,000
items in Esperanto.
UNESCO:
The UEA has consultative relations with UNESCO. By the Resolution of
December 10th, 1954, the General Conference of UNESCO recognized that
the results achieved by Esperanto in intellectual exchanges and in
bringing people together are in accordance with the aims and ideals
of UNESCO; that is, Esperanto contributes to international
cooperation in the fields of education, science, and culture.
Magazines:
Various magazines and literary, scientific, professional and
religious reviews in Esperanto are published regularly in all parts
of the world.
Radio:
Over a dozen radio stations, including stations in Peking, Rome,
Valencia, Warsaw, Havana, Vienna and the Vatican, regularly broadcast
in Esperanto, for a total of over fifteen hundred hours a year.
Conventions and conferences:
Every year an increasing number of conventions, conferences, courses
and study groups use Esperanto as their working language. In 1983
about 12,000 people attended international meetings using Esperanto
exclusively.
Esperanto organizations:
The Universala Esperanto-Asocio (Universal Esperanto Association) has
members in over a hundred countries; there are at least 53 affiliated
national organizations; more than 70 professional international
associations; a workers' association; and more than 1250 clubs and
societies in the world. Moreover, 1,900 delegates and specialty
delegates in all countries are at the service of Esperantists.
Local groups:
If you live in a large city, check your phone book for a nearby
Esperanto association. These groups can provide lessons, books, and
practice sessions. There are several local groups in the United
States.
Learn Esperanto! Use it in your professional work, in your travels,
in your international relationships!
Test your language ability
Inteligenta persono lernas la lingvon Esperanto rapide kaj facile.
Esperanto estas la moderna, kultura lingvo por la tuta mondo. Simpla,
fleksebla, belsona, g`i estas la praktika solvo de la problemo de
universala interkompreno. Esperanto meritas vian seriozan konsideron.
Lernu la internacian lingvon Esperanto.
Check your translation:
An intelligent person learns the language Esperanto rapidly and
easily. Esperanto is the modern, cultural language for the whole
world. Simple, flexible, musical, it is the practical solution for
the problem of universal mutual understanding. Esperanto deserves
your serious consideration. Learn the international language
Esperanto.
>>>Clip charts & pronunciation keys<<<
Another description of Esperanto is A Key to the International
Language Esperanto by R. Kent Jones and Christopher M. A. Zervic.
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