Esperanto: Lingvo kaj Kulturo
A. Giridhar RAOUniversala Esperanto-Asociokaj Azim Premji
University
[email protected]
Esperanto?
What? Planned language for international communication
Why? Easy to learn
And? Not the cultural property of any nation or group:
humanity's common resource
Esperanto How does it sound?
Mia nomo estas Giridhar.
Mi estas en Bengaluro.
Bengaluro estas la efurbo de la landparto Karnataka.
Karnataka estas en suda Barato.
Barato estas granda lando en la kontinento Azio.
Why Esperanto? - 1
English, French, Chinese, Hindi, Telugu... take too long to
learn!
Being forced to master someone else's language is unfair. We
need a more even playing-field: linguistic democracy.
Why Esperanto? - 2
Esperanto
is an easy, open-source, democratic solution
helps in learning other languages faster
promotes global citizenship
a tool for peace-building
What is Esperanto?
Planned language for international communication
Easy to learn
Not the cultural property of any nation or group
Lejzer Ludwik ZAMENHOF
(1859-1917)
Zamenhof's Esperanto - 1
Russian, Polish, German (fluently); Yiddish, French, Hebrew,
Greek, Latin, English (less well). Some knowledge of Spanish,
Lithuanian and Volapk
26 July 1887 La Unua Libro 127 years
Some original poetry
Translated Old Testament, Hamlet, Goethe, Heine, Schiller,
Gogol
Zamenhof's Esperanto - 2
Volapk? Johann Martin SCHLEYER
So, Esperanto was not the first planned language? Certainly
not!
Over a 1000 such projects through human history!
Planned Languages - A
Aawaaniaan, Acian, Adelfiy, Adelic, Adinjo, Aduna lingvo,
Aeldarspragc (Dale Morris), Aelya (C. Moreland-Stringham), Aeo
(Jonathana Tegire), Aertran (A. B. Basham), Afga, Aftesalono, Ahua
(R. K.), Akbiekdi, Alarian, Aldana (R. D. Cooper), Alevain (Sydney
Mathew Willoughby), Alesi, Allmiror, Almalinian, Almaqerin, Alpha
Smart, Alphistian, Altayko, Aluric, Alzetjan (H. Miller), Amaringa,
Amaubo, Amelic, mman-Ir, Amtorian, Andan, Ande, Anawanda, Aninese,
Antelangua, Arcaicam Esperantom, Arden, Arkian, Arumo (lingvo),
Ascian, Asiteya, Assi (P. Pfeaster), Astegonagraphianek,
Atlanteano, Atlo-Greka, Aulingese, Auxilingua (J. Bowks, 1979)
(Bazita sur Interlingua), Auxilia, (G. Morin, 1947) Ayeis
(http://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listo_de_planlingvoj)
What is Esperanto?
Planned language for international communication
Easy to learn
Not the cultural property of any nation or group
Esperanto: the affixes - 1
evalo (= Horse / Stallion )
evalino ( = Mare )
evalido ( = Foal / Colt )
evalidino ( = Filly )
evalejo ( = Stable )
evala ( = Horse-like / Equine )
Esperanto: la afiksoj - 2
Esperanto: la afiksoj - 3
Arbo = a tree + -ar- = a group of things
Arbaro = a forest (vort-ar-o; hom-ar-o)
Skribi = to write + -a- = something concrete; something
tangible
Skribao = some writing; something written
-il- = a tool; Skribilo = a pen; Skribilaro = stationery, a
bunch of things you need to write with, paper, pens, erasers,
etc.
Esperanto: the affixes - 4
-ej- = a place; Skribejo = a room where we sit and write;
Skribilejo = a room where you keep pens
-ist- = a professional; Skribisto = a professional writer, a
scribe
Skribilisto = someone who professionally makes or sells pens
Skribilaristo = a stationery producer or seller
Esperanto: the affixes - 5
Ino (female), Ido (child), Aro (set), Ilo (tool), Ejo (place),
Isto (professional) words in themselves; lexical affixes
Thus: inismo (feminism); ilaro (tool-kit)
Highly productive derivational morphology; intensively
agglutinating
Result: in John Wells' Eo-En / En-Eo dict. (2010), 10 315
entries in Eo; 22 300 in En
Why Esperanto? - 1
English, French, Chinese, Hindi, Telugu... take too long to
learn!
Esperanto? How long?
Why Esperanto? - 1
Basic French? Basic German? 100-200 hours of classes (+
homework!)
Basic Esperanto? 40 hours max!
Why Esperanto? - 2
School English? 10 00015 000 hours of learning!Nursery + LKG +
UKG + Class 1-10 = 13 years
5 hours every day x 200 days per year = 1000 hours per year of
English
Nursery to Class 10 = 13 000 hours of English
Esperanto: the community - 1
Guestimate: About 100 000 active speakers
(Factoid: half the world's 7000 lang. have less than 7000
speakers! Mean = 886k)
Universala Esperanto-Asocio (Rotterdam): 18 000 members in 111
countries (previous prezidanto: Probal Dasgupta, Kolkato,
Barato)
Esperanto: the community - 2
~ 200 families where Esperanto is one of the home languages
150-200 books every year
Esperanto Wikipedia: > 201 000 articles; with ~ 12 000 hits
per hour!
100a Universala Kongreso en Lillo, Francio
Online communities
What is Esperanto?
Planned language for international communication
Easy to learn
Not the cultural property of any nation or group
Esperanto: Ideology - 1
Praga manifesto (1996)
Linguistic democracy
Transnational education
Pedagogical efficiency
Esperanto: Ideology - 2
Multilingualism
Linguistic rights
Linguistic diversity
Human emancipation
How to learn Esperanto
Free Esperanto courses (in > 41 languages!) at
WWW.LERNU.NET
Esperanto: the flavour
Soneto 18 de ekspiro (Tr. Reto Rosetti)
u mi komparu vin al tag' somera?Vi estas ja pli bela kaj
serenaMajflorojn ofte vipas vent' severaKaj tro maldaras la somero
bena.
Jen brulas la okulo de l'ieloJen vualias ia vido oraKaj iam
senbelias iu beloLa voj' natura a pro fat' rigora
Sed jam ne velkos via plensomeroNek deklinios de l'beleco nunaLa
morto vin ne tenos kun fieroSe vin la vers' eterna gardas juna.
Dum homoj spiros kaj okuloj vidosVivante en vivanta vers' vi
sidos.
