All About The Esperanto Language
So, what is Esperanto? Why is the language Esperanto useful to know? Why is learning Esperanto important in 2024? Let’s find out the answers to all these obvious questions.
This blog will explore everything about the Esperanto language, which is almost similar to any other widely spoken language. The language has its own culture, literature, textbooks, etc. However, like other languages, Esperanto does not belong to a specific country and has nearly no native speakers.
What is the Esperanto Language?
Esperanto is a constructed language. These types of languages are usually different from natural languages. Constructed languages start with a plan and focus less on the growth of the language, which also depends on the people who speak it.
The other constructed language is Klingon or Dothraki. If you are a “Star Trek” or “Games of Thrones” fan, you must have been familiar with it.
A Polish-Jewish doctor, Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, created Esperanto in 1887. We also call it Doktoro Esperanto or “Doctor Esperanto.”
The Polish medical doctor grew up amid political and cultural tensions in the Russian empire. It was when confusion and anxiety were on the rise.
Later in his life, he realized to create a language to offer solutions for actual conflicts. Most of these issues resulted from misunderstandings, xenophobia, and language barriers.
Zamenhof once quoted in one of his letters:
“I was brought up as an idealist; I was taught that all people were brothers, while outside in the street, at every step, I felt that there were no people, only Russians, Poles, Germans, Jews, and so on.”
(L. L. Zamenhof, in a letter to Nikolai Borovko, c. 1895)
Esperanto Language (Lingua Franca) – The Solution For Peace
That’s why Dr. Zamenhof worked to create a language to end global conflict and offer world peace. He believed that his universal second language would also prevent conflicts in the future.
He introduced this new language first in the book Lingvo Internacia, or International Language. Interestingly, the original name of this artificial language was “la Lingvo Internacia.” But, the early speakers changed the name to Esperanto, which means – one who hopes.
Zamenhof had high hopes that his auxiliary language would eliminate conflicts from cultural and linguistic differences. But it did not work out well. The Esperanto language gained popularity, but World War I broke out just a few years after Zamenhof created Esperanto.
Later, during World War II, the Nazi Germany party discredited the language and destroyed Esperanto speakers. The international language developed by Jewish men appeared as a threat to their nationalist ideology.
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Who Speaks Esperanto? Where are Esperanto Speakers?
Esperanto is not one of the hardest languages to learn. It is the language that goes beyond any nation’s world domination and boundaries to promote world peace. Although the language has no specific country, the universal language has a supra-national community.
Since its creation, over 2 million early speakers from around 120 nations have learned Esperanto. It is challenging to find the exact number of people who speak Esperanto. It is also hard to know where the speakers of a second international language live.
Esperanto is undoubtedly not the most highly spoken language in the world. But, in all these years, the handful of universal Esperanto association people have doubled as Esperantists.
Some of the celebrated Esperanto speakers are – Leo Tolstoy (Russian author), Pope John Paul II (Polish), Jules Verne (French author), William Shatner (Canadian actor), Ho Chi Minh (Vietnamese politician), and George Soros (Hungarian-American investor).
However, some amazing new inventions, like the internet, helped the dead language grow in popularity. BBC reports – that one million people globally have tried to pick up constructed auxiliary language using popular learning platforms. Know more about the Romania language.
Why Learn the Esperanto Language in 2024?
Why do people like to learn Esperanto, which does not have a country of its own? What is the use of learning it today as the common language, developed 120 years ago, for peace? Let’s find out why it is the best language to learn.
1. An International Language
It is another good reason to learn Esperanto. It does not have any nation, but it represents a community of people globally. They have selected Esperanto as their first language to communicate with people scattered around the globe. They will not use it with their neighbours or colleagues.
As mentioned, Esperanto was created to overcome the language barrier. Language barriers can create huge misunderstandings within communities speaking different languages. Using Esperanto offers a better view of social, cultural, and political issues that concerns all of us.
But, if you are migrating to a country called Hungary, you will be an advantage if you know the Hungarian language
2. Everyone Starts On the Same Platform
The culture of Esperanto language correlates offers access to similar international means of communication with no discrimination. Linguistic discrimination happens with people whose native tongue is dominant, especially English speakers. They can survive on the existing language to gain knowledge and even participate in international forums.
Today, a country or anyone who wants to capture the international market must use English as a business or official language. The fact people need to learn English besides their native language is undesirable. That creates an imbalance within international organizations and businesses.
Zamenhof always disliked this discrimination and offered a neutral language for communication. One more goal of this language was transnational education. The idea is everyone should have equal access to knowledge regardless of nationality.
3. Esperanto is Easy to Learn
It cannot be a romantic language. But, Zamenhof was clear that his tongue must be easy to learn. Global learners can learn Esperanto five times faster than European languages and other international languages.
That is simply because of only sixteen grammar rules, simple spellings, only one way to write each sound, and conjugation, which is based on math logic.
4. The Best Travel Language
The last reason is Esperanto will only unite us if we speak similar Esperanto words or language, and it is already doing this! Learning Esperanto gives people access to the Pasporta Servo.
Pasporta Servo is a low-cost accommodation or service for Esperanto speakers globally. You must communicate with Other Esperanto speakers if you speak or learn Esperanto while traveling. Pasporta Servo will let you explore many new people, and you can stay with the Esperanto Congress community cheaply.
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How to Learn the Esperanto Language?
Many online resources are available to learn foreign languages. The same goes for the Esperanto language. Here are some of the Esperanto learning resources and websites:
- A free website to learn Esperanto is available in various languages: learn!
- The Universal Esperanto Association – UEA or World Esperanto Congress.
- The Esperanto accommodation service translates into Pasporta Servo. But you need to know Esperanto a little before you can use it.
- The written Esperanto alphabet, Esperanto textbook, Esperanto grammar, and much more
- Listen to the Esperanto audio files.
- The Esperanto Association of Britain offers some great resources. They organize regular events and courses. It is an excellent place to connect with other Esperanto speakers.
Another language that is funny and can grab your attention is the Simlish Language.
Conclusion
Dr. Zamenhof crafted the Esperanto language to maintain world peace and eliminate the issues that arise from language discrimination. After 120 years, the language has gained prominence thanks to modern technology. Learners can learn the language through online platforms and learning apps.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What country do they speak Esperanto?
There is not any Esperanto-speaking nation. However, Esperanto speakers spread globally. Most speakers are in the UK, USA, Belgium, Brazil, Poland, Italy, Germany, and Japan.
2. Is Esperanto still spoken?
Despite other constructed languages, Esperanto is still the most widely spoken. You will find Esperanto-spoken people in China and Eastern Europe. Being an international language, the speakers popularly use Esperanto for literary publications.
3. What language is Esperanto closest to?
We mainly find the roots of Esperanto in Latin. It also influences Russian, Polish, German, and English. Those who already speak a language from Latin would have a much easier time learning this new language.
4. Is Esperanto a difficult language?
The relatively easy grammar, with complete regularity and without exceptions, makes it easy to learn the language. You will find no irregularities in the past tenses, plurals, or using prepositions.
5. Why is Esperanto so popular?
It allows you to connect with the international community. The best part is you can learn the language quickly. You can connect with Esperanto speakers globally and get discounts on your stay and meals.
6. How many people speak Esperanto fluently?
It is challenging to estimate how many people speak Esperanto. But to count, the number of people who use Esperanto is around 100,000. The concentration of speakers is highest in Europe, East Asia, and South America.
7. Is Esperanto a real language?
Developed naturally, you can call Esperanto an actual language. It is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language in the world. Creating the language aims to break language barriers and offer world peace.
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