What is Esperanto?
Esperanto is a language created in 1887 by L. Zamenhof. Zamenhof was upset at seeing people fighting because they spoke different languages and couldn't understand each other. The word Esperanto means in Esperanto "the one who hopes". The ultimate aim would be that everyone speaks at least 2 languages, the language of the country they live in and Esperanto.
What are the advantages of Esperanto?
First, it is much easier to learn than other languages. The grammar is very regular, the spelling is phonetic. Esperanto makes a wide use of suffixes and prefixes to reduce considerably the number of words that have to be mentioned (see lesson). It is nevertheless a real language, enabling to express anything. There are even Esperanto poets.
Secondly, it doesn't belong to a nation and can therefore be considered as a neutral language. Nowadays English speakers have an unfair advantage over people who don't have English as a mother tongue. Most people who have grown up in an English-speaking country don't realise how difficult and time-consuming it is for foreigners to learn English.
Other information
There are thousands of books that have been published in Esperanto, many translations, many written in Esperanto, numerous magazines and newsletters are issued regularly. Over 100 international meetings and conferences are being held each year. UEA is the largest international Esperanto organization and has members in 117 countries.
Esperanto in Australia
Esperanto is not as widespread in Australia as in many other countries, but there is an organization called the Australian Esperanto Association with a bimonthly bulletin. There is a newsletter specifically for NSW too. Among the Australian Esperanto speakers, there is a former High Court judge, etc.
Want to know more?
- If you have specific questions, you can email them to Nicole.
- The best way to get more information is to browse the net. If you type the word Esperanto into a search engine, you'll find thousands of pages in or about Esperanto.
- If you would like to learn Esperanto, you could do a free course on the net at www.lernu.net, or buy a textbook. One of the favourite ones for self study is the Teach Yourself Esperanto by J. Cresswel. The Australian Esperanto Association has an online bookshop and sells many textbooks and dictionaries in addition to a wide range of books written in Esperanto.