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I speak three languages. My native language is Spanish. Since very young I have been trying to learn English. Before I was able to fully understand English, I studied Esperanto and even started to speak in Esperanto fairly well. Today I can manage those three languages about the same.Learning Esperanto was an interesting experience. I studied it using only a small book. It was a surprise to find out that I could understand and I could talk during the very first day that I was in company of other Esperantists.
I hope that by reading about some of my experiences, you would also like to learn Esperanto.
How is Esperanto used?
Esperanto classical use:
Since its beginning, Esperanto was used for correspondence between people of different countries. During more than a century, Esperantists have had pen pals in other countries.
In many towns around the world, Esperantists met to speak in their language. Many of these groups began to publish their own monthly bulletins, and some magazines. These publications were also distributed to other "Esperanto Clubs", or were sold to other Esperantists.
Many books were translated to Esperanto, many books were also written originally in this language. Books translated to English, require that the translator's native language be English, to render a good translation, good, but losing the author's cultural spirit. Translations into Esperanto, are generally made by native speakers of the language to be translated, given the original flavor to the translation. Many authors from small countries are never known in the English speaking world. Translations to Esperanto can be read by people that could never master English, but took some time to learn Esperanto.
Since 1905 Esperantists meet annually at the "Esperanto World Congress". These congresses are made every year in a different country:
1990 Havana, Cuba
1991 Bergen, Norway
1992 Vienna, Austria
1993 Valencia, Spain
1994 Seoul, Korea
1995 Tampere, Finland
1996 Praha, Czech Republic
1997 Adelaide, Australia
1998 Montpellier, France
1999 Berlin, Germany
2000 Tel Aviv, Israel
2001 Zagreb, Croatia
2002 Fortaleza, BrazilThere are Esperantist's meetings at different levels. Many countries have national congresses every year, trying to meet each year at a different place. Local associations also meet weekly or monthly. Some times they meet just to welcome traveling Esperantists from other countries. I have been at the national Congress for USA and Canada, in Montreal in July 1998. I also was at the Argentinean Congresses in October 1998 in Presidencia Roque Saenz Peña, Chaco Province, and now, in October 1999 in San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro Province.
Internet:
Internet made possible instant communication throughout the world. The main obstacle now, continues being the language. If we manage to know the Chinese language, we could talk with about 16% of the world's population (supposing that all Chinese speakers were connected to internet) If we could speak Spanish or English, we could add another 8%. Still, we couldn't speak to most of the world's population. To learn anyone of those languages after we already speak our native language, would take many years, and we will still never talk at the same level as natives do.
Instead, we can learn Esperanto in much less time, and begin talking to other people that also took some of their time to learn Esperanto.
How did Esperanto begin?
Many people would say that Esperanto was created by an Ophthalmologist (Doctor Ludwig Lazarus Zamenhof), but Esperanto was born in the mind of a five year young boy. He was born in 1859 in Bialistok, a town at the border between Poland and Russia.
In this little town there were four groups, four religions, four languages, four cultures. There were not people, only Russian, Poles, German, and Jews. And there was much hatred.
Little Ludwig's young mind assumed that this hatred existed mainly because they couldn't understand each other, and if they could speak to each other, they would feel much better about each other. This thought was in his mind for long time, until he decided that a common language would help.
Eventually he began to search a language to be used as a common language, but soon he realized that existing languages were very difficult to learn. Why not create a language that could be easy to learn? Before finishing High School he was already practicing his new language with some of his schoolmates. While studying at the university in Warsaw, he translated many classical books to his language. When he found problems in his language, he would make changes, and then would restart the translations. In 1887 he published a small book called "International Language" written by Doctor Esperanto. In his language, Esperanto means: "The person who has hope"
This page still under construction...
Links
Esperanto in the NEWS
Boston Globe, May 12th, 1999 :
La Nación, Buenos Aires, Argentina, May 12th, 1999 : (in Spanish)
A high school junior was asked to write
an essay and to chose her own subject.Two years later, this student was asked to write another essay:
"Discuss an important aspect of your life, and how it affects you"Here is her second essay : (Spanish translation/ Español) :
For more information about Esperanto:
This site contains hundreds of links...
Información en otros idiomas
Information in other languages
35 aliaj lingvojMore information:
The International Language that works! (English)
Virtuala Esperanto-Biblioteko (esperante)
Information from ELNA (English)
ELNA
Esperanto League for North America.
PO Box 1129
El Cerrito CA 94530
USAPhone : 1-510-653-0998 Fax : 1-510-653-1468
Information: Informado:
info@esperanto-usa.org
(1-800) ESPERANTO
(1-800) 377-3726
Pen Pals using Esperanto
Esperanto Koresponda Servo:Participants list: (esperante)
How to participate in the Pen Pal List
English , Castellano / Spanish , EsperantoHow to learn Esperanto
Por lerni Esperanton en la reto:
Kelkaj lingvoj (Several languages)
To traslate Esperanto to English
Esperanto Dictionaries:
Komentoj al Enrike@aol.com :
Used to live in Buenos Aires, or Rosario, Argentina
Rosario, Argentina: This page has all you will
ever want to know about this progressive city:http://www.rosario.com.ar/indes.html
Spanish, Castellano:
Rosario, Argentina:
Esta página contiene toda la información
que pueda necesitar acerca de esta ciudad progresista.
Albany, NY, USA Enrique@eeo.8k.com 5 August 2000 Visited |
 Esperanto Symbol |
 Esperanto Flag |
