What is Esperanto?

Esperanto

Esperanto is designed to be an "international" language, a second language for everyone. So, if New Zealanders want to speak with Greeks, or if someone from Mexico wants to speak with someone from Kuwait, there is no need to learn a lot of different languages. If we all could speak Esperanto besides our own mother tongue, then it would be so much easier to communicate and share ideas and friendship.

How did Esperanto come about?

Esperanto was created by L. L. Zamenhof in Poland, while he was studying medicine. He came up with a simple grammar and vocabulary and the idea just developed from there. He published the first book on Esperanto in 1887. The International Language has now spread throughout the world and there about a million people who speak Esperanto in over 100 countries, from the deserts of Africa to the islands of Japan.

Is it hard to learn?

Well, no. It has been proven that Esperanto is actually the easiest language in the world. You can learn Esperanto in a fraction of the time it would take you to learn French, Chinese or German, for example.

But what about English - isn't that the international language?

It is true that English is widely spoken throughout the world but it does have some disadvantages. English is not neutral. It is the official language in several countries, so it would not be right if everyone else in the world had to spend time and money learning OUR language while people in New Zealand, Britain, the United States etc. wouldn't have to make that effort. English is a difficult language and, of course, there is always the question of which English - British or American?

"English isn't managing to sweep all else before it- and if it ever does become the universal language, many of those who speak it won't be able to understand one another". In an article called What Global Language , in the magazine The Atlantic Monthly, (November 2000, pp 52-66) Barbara Wallraff discussed many of the arguments often trotted out about English and compares them with some of the known facts and projections into the future. "If we want to exchange anything beyond rudimentary messages with many of our future fellow English-speakers, we may well need help from something other than English". In most countries multi-lingualism is normal. David Crystal estimated that two thirds of the world's children grow up in bilingual environments and become competent in both languages.

Many of the statistics that one reads about the supposed number of English speakers in the world are very inaccurate, and don't specify what degree of competency they refer to. "When researchers tested 4500 Europeans for 'perceived' versus 'actual' English-language skills, the results were discouraging... the number of people really fit for English-language television turned out to be less than half the expected audience. ... In countries such as France, Spain and Italy less than three percent had excellent command of English; only in Scandinavia and the Low Countries did the numbers even exceed ten percent".

"Much is made of the Internet as an instrument for circulating English around the globe, but Internet traffic in other languages will soon outstrip English-language traffic".

Not everyone wants to use English. 'Dr Neville Alexander, political activist, who was imprisoned on Robben Island during ex-president Mandela's time there, and director of the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa, has been a key player in the language debate.' In Linux Journal, ('Bridging the Digital Divide', November 2002) 'He emphasises the need to move away from being a monolinguistic society:'

An Engish-only, or even an English-mainly, policy necessarily condemns most people, and thus the country as a whole, to a permanent state of mediocrity, since people are unable to be spontaneous, creative and self-confident if they cannot use their first language.

For this reason many people are working to make computers available to ordinary people in South Africa, India, and other countries, for use in their own languages.

Linguist David Gaddol is quoted as saying "the globalization of English is not going to happen the way people expect it to".

UN Decade for Indigenous Peoples

Where and how can I use Esperanto?

There are 101 practical ways that you can use Esperanto:

• Travel: When you are traveling overseas you can contact local Esperantists (Esperanto-speakers) almost anywhere you go, and there are some Esperantists who will let you stay at their homes. That is a great way of getting to know the local way of life. You don't see much of a country from a hotel room and you don't get much of a feel for the local culture unless you can have a deep and meaningful discussion with the locals!
• Interest groups: Many Esperantists have got together in interest groups because they share the same hobby or occupation or because they want to exchange information. Business people and lawyers, for example, have formed their own groups.
• Language and literature: Esperanto has its own literature. There are thousands of books written in Esperanto - science fiction novels, love stories, poems, scientific text books - not to mention translations into Esperanto of famous works from world literature e.g. Shakespeare, the Bible, Tintin and Asterix, Anne Frank's Diary to name a few.
• Contact with the world: Through Esperanto, you can have penfriends in almost every single country in the world. There are discussion groups on the Internet where you can exchange views with other Esperantists. It is an easy way of having contact with people you would not otherwise be able to talk to - simply because of the language problem!

Universal Esperanto Association

The Universal Esperanto Association (UEA) has its main office in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. It also has an office at the United Nations in New York where it has close links with UNESCO. Its email address is: uea@inter.nl.net
For a statement by UEA of its aims read: Manifesto of Esperanto (in English)

UEA works to raise awareness of language problems and the value of Esperanto. It also publishes regular newsletters and magazines. It maintains an extensive library, and it has a large mail order service through which it sells thousands of books, compact disks, tapes and other items in or about Esperanto: UEA Catalogue of over 4000 items

The Communications Centre of UEA, based in Brussells, succeeded in getting the EU to modify its policy on advertising job vacancies in the EU. The EU was in the habit of advertising that jobs were open only to native speakers of English. UEA argued that this was discriminatory. Eventually the EU accepted UEA's argument.

UEA also organises an annual congress. In 1997, this took place in Adelaide, Australia. In 1998 in Montpellier France, in 1999 in Berlin Germany, in 2000 Tel Aviv Israel, in 2001 Zagreb Croatia, in 2002 Fortaleza Brazil, in 2003 Gotenburg Sweden, in 2004 Beijing China, in 2005 Vilnius Latvia, in 2006 Florence Italy, in 2007 Yokohama Japan, in 2008 Rotterdam The Netherlands, in 2009 Bialystok Poland.

There is also a special section for young Esperantists (up to the age of 30).

If you are interested in supporting Esperanto, you can become a member of UEA or the New Zealand Esperanto Association, or both. For more details on the work of UEA, please refer to the UEA home page .

Esperanto in New Zealand

There is an established network of local Esperanto clubs in New Zealand. See our page on the New Zealand Esperanto Association .

New Zealanders have published many books and articles in Esperanto.

Esperanto on the Internet

Thanks to the Internet, it is easy to contact other Esperantists and find out what is happening in the Esperanto world. Esperanto has blossomed on the Internet and there are now hundreds, if not thousands of sites, using Esperanto.

The following list includes some recommended sites with background information on Esperanto, courses where you can learn Esperanto, and the home pages of several Esperanto clubs in English-speaking countries.

Esperanto League for North America (the Esperanto association in the United States) (in English)

The Esperanto Association of Ireland has a good site with a lot of information in Engish.

If you would like to find out more about Esperanto, take the following link where you can find hundreds of links in English and in Esperanto to Esperanto associations, discussion groups, libraries, special interest groups etc.
Don Harlow's Esperanto links (in English and Esperanto)

Information on Esperanto in the United Kingdom (in English and Esperanto)

A good starting point for information in various other languages is: www.esperanto.net