Jump to content

Esperanto: Difference between revisions

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
←Redirected page to Klingon language
Line 1: Line 1:
{{this|the language}}
#REDIRECT [[Klingon language]]

{{Infobox Language
|name=Esperanto
|caption=Flag
|image=[[Image:Flag of Esperanto.svg|170px|center|Esperanto flag]]
|creator=[[L.L. Zamenhof]]
|date=1887
|setting=[[International auxiliary language]]
|speakers=[[Native Esperanto speakers|Native]]: 200 to 2000 (1996, est.)<ref>http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=epo</ref>;<br/>Fluent speakers: est. 100,000 to 2 million
|fam2=[[International auxiliary language]]
|posteriori=vocabulary from [[Romance languages|Romance]] and [[Germanic languages]]; phonology from [[Slavic languages]]
|agency=[[Akademio de Esperanto]]
|iso1=eo|iso2=epo|iso3=epo}}

{{Audio|Esperanto.ogg|'''Esperanto'''}} is the most widely spoken [[constructed language|constructed]] [[international auxiliary language]]. The name derives from ''Doktoro Esperanto'', the [[pseudonym]] under which [[L. L. Zamenhof]] first published the ''[[Unua Libro]]'' in [[1887]]. The word itself means 'one who hopes'. Zamenhof's goal was to create an easy and flexible [[language]] as a universal [[second language]] to foster [[peace]] and international understanding.

Although no [[List of countries|country]] has adopted the [[official language|language officially]], it has enjoyed continuous usage by a community estimated at between 100,000 and 2 million speakers. By some estimates, there are about a thousand [[Native Esperanto speakers|native speakers]].<ref>{{cite paper
| author = Jouko Lindstedt
| title = Native Esperanto as a Test Case for Natural Language
| version =
| publisher = University of Helsinki - Department of Slavonic and Baltic Languages and Literatures
| date = January 2006
| url = http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/sky/julkaisut/SKY2006_1/1FK60.1.5.LINDSTEDT.pdf
| format = pdf
| accessdate =
}}</ref>

Today, Esperanto is employed in [[tourism|world travel]], [[correspondence]], [[culture|cultural]] exchange, conventions, [[literature]], language instruction, [[television]] ([[Internacia Televido]]) and [[radio]] [[broadcasting]] [http://esperanto-panorama.net/angla/radio.htm]. Some state [[education]] systems offer elective courses in Esperanto, and in one university instruction is in the language (see [[Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj San Marino]]). There is evidence that learning Esperanto is a useful preparation for later language learning (see [[Propaedeutic value of Esperanto]] for more details).

== History ==
{{Refimprovesect|date=June 2007}}
{{Main|History of Esperanto}}

[[Image:Unua Libro.jpg|thumb|right|The first Esperanto book by L. L. Zamenhof]]
Esperanto was developed in the late 1870s and early 1880s by [[ophthalmology|ophthalmologist]] [[L. L. Zamenhof|Dr. Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof]], an [[Ashkenazi Jew]] from the west of the [[Russian Empire]] (in what is now Poland). After some ten years of development, which Zamenhof spent translating literature into the language as well as writing original [[prose]] and [[Poetry|verse]], the [[Unua Libro|first Esperanto grammar]] was published in [[Warsaw]] in July 1887. The number of speakers grew rapidly over the next few decades, at first primarily in the [[Russian empire]] and [[Eastern Europe]], then in [[Western Europe]] and the [[Americas]], [[China]], and [[Japan]]. In the early years speakers of Esperanto kept in contact primarily through correspondence and [[magazine|periodicals]], but in 1905 the first [[World Congress of Esperanto|world congress of Esperanto speakers]] was held in [[Boulogne-sur-Mer]], [[France]]. Since then world congresses have been held in different countries every year, save for during the two [[world war|World Wars]], and have been attended by up to 6000 people (typically 2000-3000).{{Fact|date=June 2007}}

Esperanto has no official status in any country, but is an elective part of the [[curriculum]] in several state [[education]]al systems.{{Fact|date=June 2007}} There were plans at the beginning of the 20th century to establish [[Moresnet|Neutral Moresnet]] as the world's first Esperanto state, and the short-lived [[artificial island]] [[micronation]] of [[Republic of Rose Island|Rose Island]] used Esperanto as its official language in 1968. In China, there was talk in some circles after the 1911 [[Xinhai Revolution]] about officially replacing [[Chinese language|Chinese]] with Esperanto as a means to dramatically bring the country into the twentieth century, though this policy proved untenable. In the summer of 1924, the [[American Radio Relay League]] adopted Esperanto as its official [[international auxiliary language]], and hoped that the language would be used by [[Amateur radio|radio amateurs]] in international communications, but actual use of the language for radio communications was negligible. Esperanto is the working language of several [[non-profit organization|non-profit]] international organizations such as the ''[[Sennacieca Asocio Tutmonda]]'', but most others are specifically Esperanto organizations. The largest of these, the [[World Esperanto Association]], has an official consultative relationship with the [[United Nations]] and [[UNESCO]]. The U.S. Army has published military phrasebooks in Esperanto,<ref>[http://www.kafejo.com/lingvoj/auxlangs/eo/maneuver/ ''The Maneuver Enemy'' website]</ref> to be used in [[Military simulation|wargames]] by the enemy forces.

== Linguistic properties ==
=== Classification ===
As a [[constructed language]], Esperanto is not [[Genealogy|genealogically]] related to any [[ethnic group|ethnic]] language. It has been described as "a language [[lexicon|lexically]] predominantly [[Romance languages|Romanic]], [[morphology (linguistics)|morphologically]] intensively [[agglutination|agglutinative]] and to a certain degree [[isolating languages|isolating]] in character".<ref>{{cite book |last= Blank |first= Detlev |coauthors= |title= Internationale Plansprachen. Eine Einführung ("International Planned Languages. An Introduction") |publisher= Akademie-Verlag |date= 1985 |month= |id= ISSN 0138-55 X }}</ref> The [[phonology]], [[grammar]], [[vocabulary]], and [[semantics]] are based on the western [[Indo-European languages]]. The [[phoneme|phonemic inventory]] is essentially [[Slavic languages|Slavic]], as is much of the semantics, while the [[vocabulary]] derives primarily from the [[Romance languages]], with a lesser contribution from [[Germanic languages|Germanic]]. [[Pragmatics]] and other aspects of the language not specified by Zamenhof's original documents were influenced by the native languages of early speakers, primarily [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Polish language|Polish]], [[German language|German]], and [[French language|French]].

[[Linguistic typology|Typologically]], Esperanto has [[preposition]]s and a [[information flow|pragmatic word order]] that by default is ''[[Subject Verb Object]]'' and ''[[Word order|Adjective Noun]]''. New words are formed through extensive [[prefix (linguistics)|prefix]]ing and [[suffix]]ing.

=== Phonology ===
{{Main|Esperanto phonology}}

Esperanto has 5 [[vowel]]s and 23 [[consonant]]s, of which two are [[semivowel]]s. [[tone (linguistics)|Tone]] is not used to distinguish meaning of words. [[Stress (linguistics)|Stress]] is always on the penultimate vowel, unless a final vowel ''o'' is [[Elision|elided]] (which in practice occurs mostly in [[poetry]]). For example, ''familio'' (family) is {{IPA|[fa.mi.ˈli.o]}}, but ''famili’'' is {{IPA|[fa.mi.ˈli]}}.

==== Consonants ====
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 0 auto;"
|-
|
| colspan="2" | '''[[Bilabial consonant|Bilabial]]'''
| colspan="2" | '''[[Labiodental consonant|Labio-<br/>dental]]'''
| colspan="2" | '''[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]'''
| colspan="2" | '''[[Postalveolar consonant|Post-<br/>alveolar]]'''
| colspan="2" | '''[[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]'''
| colspan="2" | '''[[Velar consonant|Velar]]'''
| colspan="2" | '''[[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]'''
|-
| | '''[[Plosive consonant|Plosive]]'''
| {{IPA|p}} || {{IPA|b}}
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| {{IPA|t}} || {{IPA|d}}
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| {{IPA|k}} || {{IPA|g}}
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
|-
| | '''[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]'''
| &nbsp; || {{IPA|m}}
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| &nbsp; || {{IPA|n}}
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
|-
| | '''[[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]'''
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| {{IPA|f}} || {{IPA|v}}
| {{IPA|s}} || {{IPA|z}}
| {{IPA|ʃ}} || {{IPA|ʒ}}
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| {{IPA|x}} || &nbsp;
| {{IPA|h}} || &nbsp;
|-
| | '''[[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]'''
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| {{IPA|ʦ}} || &nbsp;
| {{IPA|ʧ}} || {{IPA|ʤ}}
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
|-
| | '''[[Lateral consonant|Lateral approximant]]'''
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| &nbsp; || {{IPA|l}}
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
|-
| | '''[[Approximant]]'''
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| &nbsp; || {{IPA|j}}
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
|-
| | '''[[Trill consonant|Trill]]'''
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| &nbsp; || {{IPA|r}}
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
|-
|}

The sound {{IPA|/r/}} is usually [[alveolar trill|rolled]], but may be [[alveolar flap|tapped]] ({{IPA|[ɾ]}} in the [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]). The {{IPA|/v/}} has a normative pronunciation like an [[English language|English]] ''v'', but is sometimes somewhere between a ''v'' and a ''w'' (IPA {{IPA|[ʋ]}}), depending on the language background of the speaker. A semivowel {{IPA|[u̯]}} normally occurs only in [[diphthong]]s after the vowels {{IPA|/a/}} and {{IPA|/e/}}. Common (if debated) [[assimilation (linguistics)|assimilation]] includes the pronunciation of /nk/ as {{IPA|[ŋk]}}, as in English ''sink'', and /kz/ as {{IPA|[gz]}}, like the ''x'' in English ''example''.

A large number of possible consonant clusters can occur, up to three in initial position and four in medial position (for example, in ''instrui'', to teach). Final clusters are uncommon except in foreign names, poetic elision of final ''o'', and a very few basic words such as ''cent'' (hundred) and ''post'' (after).

====Vowels====
Esperanto has the five "pure" vowels of [[Classical Latin]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]]. No distinctions of length are made and there are no nasalized vowels.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 0 auto; text-align:center;"
!
! | [[Front vowel|Front]]
! | [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! style="text-align: right;" | [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA|i}}
| {{IPA|u}}
|-
! style="text-align: right;" | [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
| {{IPA|e}}
| {{IPA|o}}
|-
! style="text-align: right;" | [[Open vowel|Open]]
| colspan=2 | {{IPA|a}}
|}

There are six falling diphthongs: ''uj, oj, ej, aj, aŭ, eŭ'' ({{IPA|/ui̯}}, {{IPA|oi̯}}, {{IPA|ei̯}}, {{IPA|ai̯}}, {{IPA|au̯}}, {{IPA|eu̯/}}).

With only five vowels, a good deal of variation is tolerated. For instance, {{IPA|/e/}} commonly ranges from {{IPA|[e]}} (French ''é'') to {{IPA|[ɛ]}} (French ''è''). The details often depend on the speaker's native language. A [[glottal stop]] may occur between adjacent vowels in some people's [[Manner of articulation|speech]], especially when the two vowels are the same, as in ''heroo'' (hero) and ''praavo'' (great-grandfather).

=== Grammar ===
{{Main|Esperanto grammar}}

Esperanto words are [[Derivation (linguistics)|derived]] by stringing together [[prefix (linguistics)|prefix]]es, [[Root (linguistics)|roots]], and [[suffix]]es. This is very regular, so that people can create new words as they speak and be understood. [[Compound (linguistics)|Compound]] words are formed with modifier-first, head-final order, i.e. the same way as in English ''birdsong'' vs. ''songbird''.

The different [[Part of speech|parts of speech]] are marked by their own suffixes: all [[common noun]]s end in ''-o,'' all [[adjective]]s in ''-a,'' all derived adverbs in ''-e,'' and all [[verb]]s end in one of six [[Grammatical tense|tense]] and [[Grammatical mood|mood]] suffixes, such as [[present tense]] ''-as.''

[[Grammatical number|Plural]] nouns end in ''-oj'' (pronounced "oy"), whereas [[direct object]]s end in ''-on''. Plural direct objects end in ''-ojn'' (pronounced to rhyme with "coin"). Adjectives [[Grammatical number#Effect of number on verbs and other parts of speech|agree]] with their nouns; their endings are plural ''-aj'' (pronounced "eye"), direct-object ''-an,'' and plural direct-object ''-ajn'' (pronounced to rhyme with "fine").

{| style="margin: 0 auto;"
|-
|
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 0 auto;"
! [[Noun]]
! Subject
! Object
|-
! Singular
| -'''o'''
| -'''on'''
|-
! Plural
| -'''oj'''
| -'''ojn'''
|}
|
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 0 auto;"
! [[Adjective]]
! Subject
! Object
|-
! Singular
| -'''a'''
| -'''an'''
|-
! Plural
| -'''aj'''
| -'''ajn'''
|}
|}

The six verb [[inflection]]s are three tenses and three moods. They are [[present tense]] ''-as,'' [[future tense]] ''-os,'' [[past tense]] ''-is,'' [[infinitive|infinitive mood]] ''-i,'' [[conditional mood]] ''-us,'' and [[jussive mood]] ''-u.'' Verbs are not marked for person or number. For instance: ''kanti'' - to sing; ''mi kantas'' - I sing; ''mi kantis'' - I sang; ''mi kantos'' - I will sing.

{| style="margin: 0 auto;"
|-
|
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 0 auto;"
! Verbal Tense
! Suffix
|-
! [[Present tense|Present]]
| '''-as''' (kantas)
|-
! [[Past tense|Past]]
| '''-is''' (kantis)
|-
! [[Future tense|Future]]
| '''-os''' (kantos)
|}
|
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 0 auto;"
! Verbal Mood
! Suffix
|-
! [[Infinitive]]
| '''-i''' (kanti)
|-
! [[Jussive mood|Jussive]]
| '''-u''' (kantu)
|-
! [[Conditional mood|Conditional]]
| '''-us''' (kantus)
|}
|}

Word order is comparatively free: adjectives may precede or follow nouns, and subjects, verbs and objects (marked by the suffix ''-n)'' can occur in any order. However, the [[article (grammar)|article]] ''la'' (the) and the [[demonstrative]]s almost always come before the noun, and a [[preposition]] ''must'' come before it. Similarly, the negative ''ne'' (not) and [[conjunction]]s such as ''kaj'' (both, and) and ''ke'' (that) must precede the [[phrase]] or [[clause]] they introduce. In [[copula]]r (A = B) clauses, word order is just as important as it is in English clauses like ''people are dogs'' vs. ''dogs are people.''

====Correlatives====
A [[correlative]] is a word used to ask or answer a question of who, where, what, when, or how. Correlatives in Esperanto are set out in a systematic manner that correlates a basic [[idea]] (quantity, manner, time, ''etc.'') to a function (questioning, indicating, negating, ''etc.'')

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
| colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Table of<br>Correlatives
![[Interrogative word|Question]]<br>(What)
![[Demonstrative|Indication]]<br>(This, that)
!Indefinite<br>(Some)
!Universal<br>(Each,&nbsp;every)
!Negative<br>(No)
|-
!ki&ndash;
!ti&ndash;
!i&ndash;
!ĉi&ndash;
!neni&ndash;
|-
! style="text-align:left"|Thing
!&ndash;o
|''kio''<br>(what)
|''tio''<br>(this, that)
|''io''<br>(something)
|''ĉio''<br>(everything)
|''nenio''<br>(nothing)
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Individual
!&ndash;u
|''kiu''<br>(who, which one; which&nbsp;[horse])
|''tiu''<br>(that one; that&nbsp;[horse])
|''iu''<br>(someone; some&nbsp;[horse])
|''ĉiu''<br>(everyone; each&nbsp;[horse], all&nbsp;[horses])
|''neniu''<br>(no one; no&nbsp;[horse])
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Association
!&ndash;es
|''kies''<br>(whose)
|''ties''<br>(that one's)
|''ies''<br>(someone's)
|''ĉies''<br>(everyone's)
|''nenies''<br>(no one's)
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Quality
!&ndash;a
|''kia''<br>(what a)
|''tia''<br>(such a)
|''ia''<br>(some sort of)
|''ĉia''<br>(every kind of)
|''nenia''<br>(no kind of)
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Place
!&ndash;e
|''kie''<br>(where)
|''tie''<br>(there)
|''ie''<br>(somewhere)
|''ĉie''<br>(everywhere)
|''nenie''<br>(nowhere)
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Manner
!&ndash;el
|''kiel''<br>(how, as)
|''tiel''<br>(thus, as)
|''iel''<br>(somehow)
|''ĉiel''<br>(in every way)
|''neniel''<br>(no-how, in&nbsp;no&nbsp;way)
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Reason
!&ndash;al
|''kial''<br>(why)
|''tial''<br>(therefore)
|''ial''<br>(for some reason)
|''ĉial''<br>(for all reasons)
|''nenial''<br>(for no reason)
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Time
!&ndash;am
|''kiam''<br>(when)
|''tiam''<br>(then)
|''iam''<br>(sometime)
|''ĉiam''<br>(always)
|''neniam''<br>(never)
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Amount
!&ndash;om
|''kiom''<br>(how much)
|''tiom''<br>(that much)
|''iom''<br>(some, a&nbsp;bit)
|''ĉiom''<br>(all of it)
|''neniom''<br>(none)
|}

Examples:
*''Kio estas tio?'' "What is this?"
*''Kioma estas la horo?'' "What time is it?" Note ''kioma'' rather than ''Kiu estas la horo?'' "which is the hour?", when asking for the ranking order of the hour on the clock.
*''Io falis el la ŝranko'' "Something fell of the cupboard."
*''Homoj tiaj kiel mi ne konadas timon.'' "Men such as me know no fear."

Correlatives are declined if the case demands it:
*''Vi devas elekti ian vorton pli simpla'' "You should choose a (some kind of) simpler word." ''Ia'' receieves ''-n'' because it's part of the [[direct object]].
*''Kian libron vi volas?'' "What sort of book do you want?" Contrast this with, ''Kiun libron vi volas?'' "Which book do you want?"

=== Vocabulary ===
{{Main|Esperanto vocabulary}}

The core vocabulary of Esperanto was defined by ''Lingvo internacia'', published by Zamenhof in 1887. It comprised 900 roots, which could be expanded into the tens of thousands of words with prefixes, suffixes, and compounding. In 1894, Zamenhof published the first Esperanto [[dictionary]], ''Universala Vortaro'', with a larger set of roots. However, the rules of the language allowed speakers to borrow new roots as needed, recommending only that they look for the most international forms, and then derive related meanings from these.

Since then, many words have been borrowed, primarily but not solely from the Western European languages. Not all proposed borrowings catch on, but many do, especially [[technical terminology|technical]] and [[science|scientific]] terms. Terms for everyday use, on the other hand, are more likely to be derived from existing roots—for example ''komputilo'' (a computer) from ''komputi'' (to compute) plus the suffix ''-ilo'' (tool)—or to be covered by extending the meanings of existing words (for example ''muso'' (a mouse), now also means a computer input device, as in English). There are frequent debates among Esperanto speakers about whether a particular borrowing is justified or whether the need can be met by deriving from or extending the meaning of existing words.

In addition to the root words and the rules for combining them, a learner of Esperanto must learn some idiomatic compounds that are not entirely straightforward. For example, ''eldoni'', literally "to give out", is used for "to publish" (a [[calque]] of words in several European languages with the same derivation), and ''vortaro'', literally "a collection of words", means "a glossary" or "a dictionary". Such forms are modeled after usage in some European languages, and speakers of other languages may find them illogical. Fossilized derivations inherited from Esperanto's source languages may be similarly obscure, such as the opaque connection the root word ''centralo'' "power station" has with ''centro'' "center". Compounds with ''-um-'' are overtly arbitrary, and must be learned individually, as ''-um-'' has no defined meaning. It turns ''dekstren'' "to the right" into ''dekstrumen'' "clockwise", and ''komuna'' "common/shared" into ''komunumo'' "community", for example.

Nevertheless, there are not nearly as many truly idiomatic or [[slang]] words in Esperanto as in ethnic languages, as these tend to make international communication difficult, working against Esperanto's main goal.

=== Writing system ===
{{Main|Esperanto orthography}}

Esperanto is written with a modified version of the [[Latin alphabet]], including six [[Letter (alphabet)|letters]] with [[diacritic]]s: [[c-circumflex|ĉ]], [[g-circumflex|ĝ]], [[h-circumflex|ĥ]], [[j-circumflex|ĵ]], [[s-circumflex|ŝ]] and [[u-breve|ŭ]] (that is, ''c, g, h, j, s'' [[circumflex]], and ''u'' [[breve]]). The alphabet does not include the letters ''q, w, x, y'' except in unassimilated foreign names.

The 28-letter alphabet is:
<big><center>'''a b c ĉ d e f g ĝ h ĥ i j ĵ k l m n o p r s ŝ t u ŭ v z'''</center></big>

All letters are pronounced approximately as their [[Minuscule|lower-case]] equivalents in the [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]], with the exception of ''c'' and the accented letters:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 0 auto; text-align:center;"
! Letter
! Pronunciation
|- align="center"
! c
| {{IPA|[ʦ]}}
|- align="center"
! ĉ
| {{IPA|[ʧ]}}
|- align="center"
! ĝ
| {{IPA|[ʤ]}}
|- align="center"
! ĥ
| {{IPA|[x]}}
|- align="center"
! ĵ
| {{IPA|[ʒ]}}
|- align="center"
! ŝ
| {{IPA|[ʃ]}}
|- align="center"
! '''ŭ'''<br>(as ''aŭ, eŭ'')
| {{IPA|[u̯]}}
|}

Three [[ASCII]]-compatible writing conventions are in use. These substitute [[Digraph (orthography)|digraph]]s for the accented letters. The original "h-convention" (''ch, gh, hh, jh, sh, u'') is based on English 'ch' and 'sh', while a more recent "[[x-convention]]" (''cx, gx, hx, jx, sx, ux'') is useful for alphabetic word sorting on a [[computer]] (''cx'' comes correctly after ''cu'', ''sx'' after ''sv'', etc.) as well as for simple conversion back into the standard [[orthography]]. Finally, the insertion of an apostrophe as the second glyph (c', s', etc.) is also common. See ''[http://www.esperanto.mv.ru/Ek Esperanta klavaro]'', [[keyboard layout]], [[Latin-3]] and [[Unicode]].

Esperanto has been a 'clear' language for [[Morse code]] communication since the 1920s, and [[code]]s exist for all accented Esperanto characters.

=== Useful phrases ===
Here are some useful Esperanto phrases, with IPA transcriptions:

* Hello: ''Saluton'' {{IPA|/sa.ˈlu.ton/}}
* What is your name?: ''Kiel vi nomiĝas?'' {{IPA|/ˈki.el vi no.ˈmi.ʤas/}}
* My name is...: ''Mi nomiĝas...'' {{IPA|/mi no.ˈmi.ʤas/}}
* How much?: ''Kiom?'' {{IPA|/ˈki.om/}}
* Here you are: ''Jen'' {{IPA|/jen/}}
* Do you speak Esperanto?: ''Ĉu vi parolas Esperanton?'' {{IPA|/ˈʧu vi pa.ˈro.las es.pe.ˈran.ton/}}
* I don't understand you: ''Mi ne komprenas vin'' {{IPA|[mi ˈne kom.ˈpre.nas vin/}}
* I like <u>this</u> one: ''Mi ŝatas tiun ĉi'' {{IPA|/mi ˈʃa.tas ˈti.un ˈʧi/}} or ''Ĉi tiu plaĉas al mi'' {{IPA|/ʧi ˈti.u ˈpla.ʧas al ˈmi/}}
* Thank you: ''Dankon'' {{IPA|/ˈdan.kon/}}
* You're welcome: ''Ne dankinde'' {{IPA|/ˈne dan.ˈkin.de/}}
* Please: ''Bonvolu'' {{IPA|/bon.ˈvo.lu/}}
* Here's to your health: ''Je via sano'' {{IPA|/je ˈvi.a ˈsa.no/}}
* Bless you!/Gesundheit!: ''Sanon!'' {{IPA|/ˈsa.non/}}
* Congratulations!: ''Gratulon!'' {{IPA|/ɡra.ˈtu.lon/}}
* Okay: ''Bone'' {{IPA|/ˈbo.ne/}} or ''Ĝuste'' {{IPA|/ˈʤus.te/}}
* It is a nice day: ''Estas bela tago'' {{IPA|/ˈes.tas ˈbe.la ˈta.ɡo/}}
* I love you: ''Mi amas vin'' {{IPA|/mi ˈa.mas vin/}}
* Goodbye: ''Ĝis (la) (revido)'' {{IPA|/ʤis (la) (re.ˈvi.do)/}}
* I would like a [one] beer, please: ''Unu bieron, mi petas.'' {{IPA|/ˈu.nu bi.ˈe.ron mi ˈpe.tas/}}
* What is that?: ''Kio estas tio?'' {{IPA|/ˈki.o ˈes.tas ˈti.o/}}
* That is... : ''Tio estas...'' {{IPA|/ˈti.o ˈes.tas/}}
* How are you?: ''Kiel vi (fartas)?'' {{IPA|/ˈki.el vi ˈfar.tas/}}
* Good morning!: ''Bonan matenon!'' {{IPA|/ˈbo.nan ma.ˈte.non/}}
* Good evening!: ''Bonan vesperon!'' {{IPA|/ˈbo.nan ves.ˈpe.ron/}}
* Good night!: ''Bonan nokton!'' {{IPA|/ˈbo.nan ˈnok.ton/}}

=== Sample text ===
Supporters of Esperanto{{Who|date=September 2007}} argue that it is easy to pronounce and has a pleasant, harmonious sound not unlike Italian. Critics{{Who|date=September 2007}}, on the other hand, point to the East European features of the language as being harsh and difficult to pronounce, and argue that Esperanto has an artificial feel to it, without the flow of a natural tongue. Both supporters and critics agree however, that the feel or 'flavour' of the language is an important factor in its success or failure. The following short extract gives an idea of the character of Esperanto: <ref> Maire Mullarney ''Everyone's Own Language'', p147, Nitobe Press, Channel Islands, 1999</ref>
* (Note: pronunciation is as per the section above. The main point for English speakers to note is that the letter 'J' in Esperanto has the same sound as the letter 'Y' in English)

''"En multaj lokoj de Ĉinio estis temploj de drako-reĝo. Dum trosekeco oni preĝis en la temploj, ke la drako-reĝo donu pluvon al la homa mondo. Tiam drako estis simbolo de la supernatura estaĵo. Kaj pli poste, ĝi fariĝis prapatro de la plej altaj regantoj kaj simbolis la absolutan aŭtoritaton de feŭda imperiestro. La imperiestro pretendis, ke li estas filo de la drako. Ĉiuj liaj vivbezonaĵoj portis la nomon drako kaj estis ornamitaj per diversaj drakofiguroj. Nun ĉie en Ĉinio videblas drako-ornamentaĵoj kaj cirkulas legendoj pri drakoj."''

*English Translation:
"In many places in China there were temples of the dragon king. During times of drought, people prayed in the temples, that the dragon king would give rain to the human world. At that time the dragon was a symbol of the supernatural. And later on, it became the ancestor of the highest royalty and symbolised the absolute authority of the feudal emperor. The emperor pretended that he was the son of the dragon. All of his personal possessions carried the dragon name and were decorated with different dragon figures. Now everywhere in China dragon decorations can be seen and dragon legends circulate."

== The Esperanto speaker community ==
=== Geography and demography ===
[[Image:Pasporta-servo.jpg|thumb|right|400px|A map showing possible lodgings and hosting locations by [[Pasporta Servo]] in 2005]]

Esperanto speakers are more numerous in Europe and East [[Asia]] than in the Americas, [[Africa]], and [[Oceania]], and more numerous in [[urban area|urban]] than in [[rural]] areas.<ref name=Sikosek_2003>Sikosek, Ziko M. ''Esperanto Sen Mitoj'' ("Esperanto without Myths"). Second edition. Antwerp: Flandra Esperanto-Ligo, 2003.</ref> Esperanto is particularly prevalent in the northern and eastern countries of Europe; in China, [[Korea]], Japan, and [[Iran]] within Asia; in [[Brazil]], [[Argentina]], and [[Mexico]] in the Americas; and in [[Togo]] and [[Madagascar]] in Africa.{{Fact|date=June 2007}}

An estimate of the number of Esperanto speakers was made by the late [[Sidney S. Culbert]], a [[retirement|retired]] [[psychology]] [[professor]] of the [[University of Washington]] and a longtime Esperantist, who tracked down and tested Esperanto speakers in sample areas of dozens of countries over a period of twenty years. Culbert concluded that between one and two million people speak Esperanto at [[ILR or Foreign Service Level language ability measures|Foreign Service Level 3]], "professionally proficient" (able to communicate moderately complex ideas without hesitation, and to follow speeches, radio broadcasts, etc.).<ref name=Culbert>Culbert, Sidney S. [http://www.panix.com/~dwolff/docs/ Three letters about his method for estimating the number of Esperanto speakers], scanned and HTMLized by David Wolff</ref> Culbert's estimate was not made for Esperanto alone, but formed part of his listing of estimates for all languages of over 1 million speakers, published annually in the [[World Almanac|World Almanac and Book of Facts]]. Culbert's most detailed account of his methodology is found in a [http://www.panix.com/~dwolff/docs/culbert-methods.html 1989 letter to David Wolff]. Since Culbert never published detailed intermediate results for particular countries and regions, it is difficult to independently gauge the accuracy of his results.

In the Almanac, his estimates for numbers of language speakers were rounded to the nearest million, thus the number for Esperanto speakers is shown as 2 million. This latter figure appears in ''[[Ethnologue]]''. Assuming that this figure is accurate, that means that about 0.03% of the world's population speaks the language. This falls short of Zamenhof's goal of a [[international auxiliary language|universal language]], but it represents a level of popularity unmatched by any other constructed language. Ethnologue also states that there are 200 to 2000 [[native Esperanto speakers]] (''denaskuloj''), who have learned the language from birth from their Esperanto-speaking parents<ref>http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=epo</ref> (this happens when Esperanto is the family language in an international family or sometimes in a family of devoted Esperantists).

Marcus Sikosek has challenged this figure of 1.6 million as exaggerated. Sikosek estimated that even if Esperanto speakers were evenly distributed, assuming one million Esperanto speakers worldwide would lead one to expect about 180 in the city of [[Cologne, Germany|Cologne]]. Sikosek finds only 30 [[fluency|fluent]] speakers in that city, and similarly smaller than expected figures in several other places thought to have a larger-than-average concentration of Esperanto speakers. He also notes that there are a total of about 20,000 members of the various Esperanto organizations (other estimates are higher). Though there are undoubtedly many Esperanto speakers who are not members of any Esperanto organization, he thinks it unlikely that there are fifty times more speakers than organization members.<ref name=Sikosek_2003/>

The [[Finnish people|Finnish]] [[linguistics|linguist]] Jouko Lindstedt, an expert on native-born Esperanto speakers, presented the following scheme<ref name=Lindstedt_1996>Lindstedt, Jouko. "Re: Kiom?" (posting). [http://www.helsinki.fi/~jslindst/denask-l.html DENASK-L@helsinki.fi], [[22 April]] [[1996]].</ref> to show the overall proportions of language capabilities within the Esperanto community:

* ''1,000 have Esperanto as their native language
* ''10,000 speak it fluently
* ''100,000 can use it actively
* ''1,000,000 understand a large amount passively
* ''10,000,000 have studied it to some extent at some time.''

In the absence of Dr. Culbert's detailed sampling data, or any other census data, it is impossible to state the number of speakers with certainty. Few observers, probably, would challenge the following statement from the [[website]] of the [[World Esperanto Association]]:
:Numbers of [[textbook]]s sold and membership of local societies put the number of people with some knowledge of the language in the hundreds of thousands and possibly millions. [http://www.uea.org/info/angle/an_ghisdatigo.html]

=== Culture ===
{{Main|Esperanto culture|Esperanto literature|Esperanto film|Esperanto music}}

Esperanto is often used to access an international [[culture]], including a large corpus of original as well as translated [[Esperanto literature|literature]]. There are over 25,000 Esperanto books (originals and translations) as well as over a hundred regularly distributed [[Esperanto magazine]]s{{Fact|date=June 2007}}. Many Esperanto speakers use the language for free travel throughout the world using the [[Pasporta Servo]]{{Fact|date=June 2007}}. Others{{Who|date=June 2007}} like the idea of having [[pen pal]]s in many countries around the world using services like the Esperanto Pen Pal Service. Every year, 1500-3000 Esperanto speakers meet for the [[World Congress of Esperanto]] ''(Universala Kongreso de Esperanto)''.<ref>Ziko van Dijk. ''Sed homoj kun homoj: Universalaj Kongresoj de Esperanto 1905–2005''. Rotterdam: UEA, 2005.</ref>

Historically most of the [[Esperanto music|music]] published in Esperanto has been in various folk traditions; in recent decades more rock and other modern genres have appeared.{{Fact|date=June 2007}}

To some extent there are also shared [[tradition]]s, like the [[Zamenhof Day]], and shared [[behaviour]] patterns, like avoiding the usage of one's national language at Esperanto meetings unless there is good reason for its use.{{Fact|date=June 2007}}

Two full-length [[feature film]]s have been produced with [[dialogue]] entirely in Esperanto, namely ''[[Angoroj]]'' in 1964 and ''[[Incubus (1965 film)|Incubus]]'' starring [[William Shatner]] in 1965. Other amateur productions have been made, such as a dramatisation of the novel ''Gerda Malaperis'' (Gerda Has Disappeared). A number of "mainstream" films in national languages have used Esperanto in some way, such as ''[[Gattaca]]''.
In Charlie Chaplin's masterpiece ''[[The Great Dictator]]'' all of the signs in the Jewish Ghetto are in Esperanto.

Esperanto is frequently criticized for "having no culture". Proponents{{Who|date=August 2007}} observe that Esperanto is culturally neutral by design, as it was intended to be a facilitator between cultures, not to be the carrier of any one culture. Thus it is considered a culture on its own.{{Fact|date=June 2007}} (See ''[[Esperanto as an international language]]''.)

=== Science ===
{{Refimprovesect|date=June 2007}}
Nearly from the beginning Esperanto was used for scientific papers; the ''Fundamenta Krestomatio'' of 1903 contains a section ''El la vivo kaj sciencoj'' (from life and sciences). A few scientists, such as [[Maurice René Fréchet|Maurice Fréchet]], [[Helmar Frank]] and [[Reinhard Selten]], have published part of their work in Esperanto. In articles on [[interlinguistics]] the use of Esperanto is common. It is not commonly used in [[Physics]], [[Biology]], or [[Chemistry]].

Esperanto is the first language for teaching and administration of the [[Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj San Marino|International Academy of Sciences San Marino]], which is sometimes called an "Esperanto University", although it does not teach the language, but ''in'' the language. It is not to be confused with the [[Akademio de Esperanto]] (Academy of Esperanto).

=== Goals of the Esperanto movement ===

Zamenhof's intention was to create an easy-to-learn language to foster international understanding. It was to serve as an international auxiliary language, that is, as a universal second language, not to replace ethnic languages. This goal was widely shared among Esperanto speakers in the early decades of the movement. Later, Esperanto speakers began to see the language and the culture that had grown up around it as ends in themselves, even if Esperanto is never adopted by the United Nations or other international organizations.

Those Esperanto speakers who want to see Esperanto adopted officially or on a large scale worldwide are commonly called ''finvenkistoj'', from ''fina venko'', meaning "final victory", or ''pracelistoj'', from ''pracelo'', meaning "original goal".<ref>[http://members.aol.com/enrike/BostnGlb.htm "Esperanto"] by Mark Feeney. ''The Boston Globe'', 12 May 1999</ref> Those who focus on the intrinsic value of the language are commonly called ''raŭmistoj'', from [[Rauma, Finland|Rauma]], [[Finland]], where a declaration on the near-term unlikelihood of the "fina venko" and the value of Esperanto culture was made at the International Youth Congress in 1980<ref>[http://www.esperanto.org/Ondo/H-silf55.htm "Kion Signifas Raŭmismo"], by Giorgio Silfer.</ref> (''see [[Raumism]]''). These categories are, however, not mutually exclusive. (''See [[Finvenkismo]]'')

The [[Prague Manifesto (Esperanto)|Prague Manifesto]] (1996) presents the views of the mainstream of the Esperanto movement and of its main organisation, the World Esperanto Association ([[World Esperanto Association|UEA]]).<ref>[http://uea.org/info/angle/an_manifesto_prago.html "Prague Manifesto"] (English version). Universala Esperanto-Asocio, updated 2003-03-26.</ref>

=== Symbols and flags ===
[[Image:Jubilea simbolo.svg|thumb|250px|right|"Jubilee" symbol]]

{{main|Esperanto symbols}}

In 1893, C. Rjabinis and P. Deullin designed and manufactured a lapel pin for Esperantists to identify each other. The design was a circular pin with a white background and a five pointed green star. The theme of the design was the hope of the five continents being united by a common language.{{Fact|date=June 2007}}

The earliest flag, and the one most commonly used today, features a green five-pointed star against a white canton, upon a field of green.{{Fact|date=June 2007}} In 1905, delegates to the first conference of Esperantists at Boulogne-sur-Mer, unanimously approved [http://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanta_Flago] a version, differing from the modern only by the superimposition of an "E" over the green star. Other variants [http://www.fotw.net/flags/qy-eo.html#vars] include that for Christian Esperantists, with a white Christian cross superimposed upon the green star, and that for Leftists, with the color of the field changed from green to red.

In 1997, a second flag design was chosen in a contest by the UEA for the first centennial of the language. It featured a white background with two stylised curved "E"s facing each other. Dubbed the "jubilea simbolo" ([[Esperanto jubilee symbol|jubilee symbol]]) [http://www.fotw.net/flags/qy-eo.html#jub], it attracted criticism from some Esperantists, who dubbed it the "melono" (melon) because of the design's elliptical shape. It is still in use, though to a lesser degree than the traditional symbol, known as the "verda stelo" (green star). [http://www.fotw.net/flags/qy-eo.html]

== Esperanto and education ==
{{Refimprovesect|date=July 2007}}
Relatively few [[school]]s teach Esperanto officially outside of [[China]], [[Hungary]], and [[Bulgaria]]; the majority of Esperanto speakers continue to learn the language through self-directed study, online tutorials or correspondence courses.{{Fact|date=June 2007}} Several Esperanto paper correspondence courses were early on adapted to [[e-mail]] and taught by corps of volunteer instructors (e. g. the Russian language [esperanto-kurso] group [http://ikso.net/esperanto-kurso/] founded in March 2001, 1331 members as on 14 September 2007). In more recent years, teaching websites like ''[[lernu!]]'' have become popular. Various educators have estimated that Esperanto can be learned in anywhere from one quarter to one twentieth the amount of time required for other languages. [http://esperanto-usa.org/?q=node/77] Some argue, however, that this is only true for native speakers of Western European languages. [http://www.rickharrison.com/language/bloated.html]

[[Claude Piron]], a psychologist formerly at the [[University of Geneva]] and Chinese-English-Russian-Spanish translator for the United Nations, argued that Esperanto is far more "brain friendly" than many ethnic languages. "Esperanto relies entirely on innate reflexes [and] differs from all other languages in that you can always trust your natural tendency to generalize patterns. [...] The same [[neuropsychology|neuropsychological]] law [— called by] [[Jean Piaget]] ''generalizing assimilation'' — applies to word formation as well as to grammar."<ref name=Piron>Piron, Claude: [http://www.claude-piron.ch/hidden-perverse-effects.html "The hidden perverse effect of the current system of international communication"], published lecture notes</ref>

=== Esperanto and language acquisition ===
{{main|Propaedeutic value of Esperanto}}
Several [[research]] [[experiment|studies]] demonstrate that studying Esperanto before another [[foreign language]] speeds and improves [[learning]] the other language. This is presumably because learning subsequent foreign languages is easier than learning one's first, while the use of a grammatically simple and culturally flexible auxiliary language like Esperanto lessens the first-language learning hurdle. In one study,<ref name=Williams_1965>Williams, N. (1965) 'A language teaching experiment', ''Canadian Modern Language Review'' 22.1: 26-28</ref> a group of European [[secondary school]] students studied Esperanto for one [[year]], then French for three years, and ended up with a significantly better command of French than a control group, who studied French for all four years. Similar results were found when the second language was [[Japanese language|Japanese]], or when the course of study was reduced to two years, of which six [[month]]s was spent learning Esperanto.{{Fact|date=June 2007}}

== Esperanto and religion ==
{{Refimprovesect|date=June 2007}}
=== Homaranismo ===
L. L. Zamenhof promoted a philosophy of his own called ''[[Homaranismo]]'', but was concerned this could taint his earlier work in establishing Esperanto.

=== Oomoto ===
The [[Oomoto]] religion encourages the use of Esperanto among their followers and includes Zamenhof as one of its deified spirits.

=== Bahá'í ===
The [[Bahá'í Faith]] encourages the [[Bahá'í Faith and auxiliary language|use of an auxiliary international language]]. While endorsing no specific language, some Bahá'ís see Esperanto as having great potential in this role.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bahai.de/bahaaeligo/angla/englisch.htm | title=The Baha'i Faith and Esperanto | publisher= Bahaa Esperanto-Ligo ( B.E.L. ) | accessdate=2006-08-26 }}</ref>

[[Lidja Zamenhof]], daughter of Esperanto's founder, became a Bahá'í.

Various volumes of the [[Bahá'í scripture]]s and other Baha'i books have been translated into Esperanto.

It should be noted that between 1979 and [[1981]] (the Bahá'í interest in Esperanto goes back over a century), the [[Islamic Republic of Iran]] through the [[mullah]]s had also encouraged the use of Esperanto.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.webcom.com/~donh/efaq.html | title=Esperanto - Have any governments opposed Esperanto?| publisher= Donald J. Harlow| accessdate=2006-08-26 }}</ref>

=== Spiritism ===
Esperanto is also actively promoted, at least in [[Brazil]], by followers of [[Spiritism]]. The Brazilian Spiritist Federation publishes Esperanto coursebooks, translations of [[Spiritist Codification|Spiritism's basic books]] and encourages Spiritists to become Esperantists.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.math.uu.se/esperanto/207pardue.pdf#search=%22esperanto%20%2Breligion%22 | title=Uma só língua, uma só bandeira, um só pastor: Spiritism and Esperanto in Brazil by David Pardue| publisher= University of Kansas Libraries| accessdate=2006-08-26 }}</ref>

=== Bible translations ===
The first translation of the [[Bible]] into Esperanto was a translation of the [[Tanach]] or Old Testament done by [[L. L. Zamenhof]]. The translation was reviewed and compared with other languages' translations of the Bible by a group of British clergy and scholars before publishing it at the [[British and Foreign Bible Society]] in [[1910]]. In [[1926]] this was published along with a New Testament translation, in an edition commonly called the "Londona Biblio". In the [[1960s]], ''Internacia Asocio de Bibliistoj kaj Orientalistoj'' tried to organize a new, ecumenical Esperanto Bible version.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://home.att.net/~el_sxadaj/kbiblio.htm | title=La Sankta Biblio - "Londona text" | publisher=|accessdate=2006-08-26 }}</ref> Since then, the Dutch Lutheran pastor Gerrit Berveling has translated the [[Deuterocanonical]] or apocryphal books in addition to new translations of the Gospels, some of the New Testament epistles, and some books of the Tanakh or Old Testament; these have been published in various separate booklets, or serialized in ''Dia Regno'', but the [[Deuterocanonical]] books have appeared in recent editions of the Londona Biblio.

=== Christianity ===
* [http://www.ikue.org/ IKUE] - Internacia Katolika Unuiĝo Esperantista - the International Union of Catholic Esperantists.
* Roman Catholic popes (including at least [[Pope John Paul II|John Paul II]] and [[Pope Benedict XVI|Benedict XVI]]) have occasionally used Esperanto in their multilingual ''[[urbi et orbi]]'' blessings.
* [http://www.chez.com/keli/ KELI] - Kristana Esperantista Ligo Internacia - the International Christian Esperantists League. KELI was formed early in the history of Esperanto, and works in cooperation with IKUE
* An issue of "The Friend" describes the activities of the [[Quaker]] Esperanto Society.<ref>{{cite journal
| journal=The Friend
| title=Esperanto Lives On
| author=Eric Walker
| date=May 27, 2005
}}</ref>
* There are instances of Christian apologists and teachers who use Esperanto as a medium. [[Nigeria]]n [[Pastor]] Bayo Afolaranmi's "[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritanutrajxo/ Spirita nutraĵo]" (spiritual food) Yahoo mailing list, for example, has hosted weekly messages since [[2003]].<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritanutrajxo/
| title=Spirita nutraĵo
| author=Bayo Afolaranmi
| accessdate=2006-09-13
}}</ref>
* [[Chick Publications]], publisher of [[Fundamentalist Christianity|Protestant fundamentalist]] themed evangelistic tracts, has published a number of comic book style tracts by [[Jack T. Chick]] translated into Esperanto, including "This Was Your Life!" ("Jen Via Tuto Vivo!")

=== Islam ===
[[Ayatollah Khomeini]] of [[Iran]] officially called on Muslims to learn Esperanto and praised the use of Esperanto as a medium for a better understanding among peoples of different religious backgrounds. He suggested Esperanto replace English as an International [[Lingua franca]]. Although Esperanto became popular in Iran well before his comment,{{Fact|date=August 2007}} it found its way to the seminaries of [[Qom]] following his verdict. An Esperanto translation of the [[Qur'an]] was shortly thereafter published by the state. <ref name="webcom">{{cite web | url=http://www.webcom.com/~donh/efaq.html | title=Esperanto - Have any governments opposed Esperanto?| publisher= Donald J. Harlow| accessdate=2006-08-26 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://porneniu.wordpress.com/learn-esperanto/ | title=Esperanto in Iran (in Persian)| publisher= Porneniu| accessdate=2006-08-26 }} </ref> Khomeini, and the Iranian government later began to oppose Esperanto in 1981 after realising that followers of Bahá'í were interested in Esperanto.<ref name="webcom"/>

==Esperanto and 20th-century totalitarianism==
In his work, ''[[Mein Kampf]]'', [[Hitler]] mentioned Esperanto as an example of a language that could be used to achieve world dominance by an international Jewish Conspiracy.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.hitler.org/writings/Mein_Kampf/mkv1ch11.html
| author=Adolf Hitler
| title=Mein Kampf
| work=Volume 1, Chapter XI
| date=1924
| accessdate=2007-05-22
}}</ref> As a result, this led to the [[persecution]] of [[Esperantist]]s during the [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]].<ref>[http://www.his.com/~wormsong/esw/esw6.html About ESW and the Holocaust Museum]</ref>

Soviet dictator [[Joseph Stalin]] denounced Esperanto as "the language of spies" and had Esperantists in the [[Soviet Union]] executed. While United States Senator [[Joseph McCarthy]], known for his rabidly Anti-Communist speeches and instigating the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]], considered knowledge of Esperanto to be "nearly synonymous" with sympathy towards [[Communism]].<ref>http://www.funtrivia.com/en/World/Esperanto-15136.html</ref>

== Criticism and modifications of Esperanto ==
{{Main|Esperanto as an international language|Esperantido}}

Common criticisms of the language are that its vocabulary and grammar are too European; that its vocabulary, accented letters and grammar are not similar enough to major Western European languages (a critique addressed by [[Ido]], [[Novial]] and [[Interlingua]]); that it is [[sexism|sexist]]; that it looks and sounds artificial; or that it has failed to meet the expectation - of at least its founder - that it would one day be seriously considered for use as a second language by all nations.

Though Esperanto itself has changed little since the publication of the ''[[Fundamento de Esperanto]]'' ("Foundation of Esperanto"), a number of reform projects have been proposed over the years, starting with [[Reformed Esperanto|Zamenhof's proposals in 1894]] and [[Ido]] in 1907. Several later constructed languages, such as [[Fasile]], were based on Esperanto.

In modern times, conscious attempts have been made by Esperantists to eliminate perceived sexism in the language. One example of this is [[Riism]], which is one among several propositions to modify the language in a non-sexist manner.

==In popular culture==
{{Main|Esperanto in popular culture}}

Esperanto has been used in a number of films and novels. Typically, this is done either to add the exoticness of a foreign language without representing any particular ethnicity, or to avoid going to the trouble of inventing a new language. The Charlie Chaplin film ''[[The Great Dictator]]'' (1940) showed shops designated in Esperanto, each with the general Esperanto suffix ''-ejo'' (meaning "place for..."), in order to convey the atmosphere of some 'foreign' East European country without reference to a particular East European language. The Canadian actor [[William Shatner]] learned Esperanto to a limited level so that he could star in the all-Esperanto B-movie horror film ''[[Incubus (1965 film)|Incubus]]''. In the British comedy [[Red Dwarf]], [[Arnold Rimmer]] is seen attempting to learn Esperanto in a number of early episodes, including ''[[Queeg]]''. Esperanto can be overheard on the public address system in the US film ''[[Gattaca]]'' (1997).

== See also ==
{{portalpar|Esperanto|Flag of Esperanto.svg}}
{{wiktionarypar|Esperanto}}
{{Esperanto}}

*[[Distributed Language Translation]] (Distribuita Lingvo-Tradukado) (DLT)
*[[Encyclopedia of Esperanto]]
*[[EoLA]] (an international festival of Esperanto arts and literature)
*[[Esperantic Studies Foundation]]
*[[Esperantist]]
*[[Esperanto and Ido compared]]
*[[Esperanto and Interlingua compared]]
*[[Esperanto and Novial compared]]
*[[Esperanto Antaŭen]]
*[[Esperanto as an international language]]
*[[Esperanto II]] (a reform of Esperanto)
*[[Esperanto in popular culture]]
*[[Esperanto library]]
*[[Esperanto magazine]]
*[[Esperanto Wikipedia]]
*[[Esperantujo]] (Esperantio)
*[[Ĝangalo]] (an Esperanto-language internet news website)
*[[Indigenous Dialogues]] (project to empower organisations of indigenous peoples)
*[[list of Esperanto organizations]]
*[[Lojban]] (see under [[Lojban#Comparison with other constructed languages|Comparison with other constructed languages]])
*''[[Monato]]'' (a monthly world news magazine)
*[[Multimedia Esperanto]]
*[[Poliespo]] (Polisinteza Esperanto) (extension of Esperanto using Cherokee words)
*[[Reformed Esperanto]]
*[[Signuno]] (manual encoding of Esperanto)
*[[stelo]]
*[[World Esperanto Association]] (in Esperanto, UEA: Universala Esperanto-Asocio)

== References and notes ==
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
<references />
</div>

== Further reading ==
* Emily van Someren. [http://www.ethesis.net/eu_language/eu_language_contence.htm]. Republication of the thesis 'The EU Language Regime, Lingual and Translational Problems'.
* [http://katalogo.uea.org/index.php?inf=4006 ''Ludovikologia dokumentaro I''] Tokyo: Ludovikito, 1991. Facsimile reprints of the ''Unua Libro'' in Russian, Polish, French, German, English and Swedish, with the earliest Esperanto dictionaries for those languages.
* [http://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org/fundamento/enhavo.php Fundamento de Esperanto]. HTML reprint of 1905 ''Fundamento'', from the Academy of Esperanto.
* Auld, William. ''La Fenomeno Esperanto'' ("The Esperanto Phenomenon"). Rotterdam: Universala Esperanto-Asocio, 1988.
* Butler, Montagu C. ''Step by Step in Esperanto''. ELNA 1965/1991. ISBN 0-939785-01-3
* DeSoto, Clinton (1936). ''200 Meters and Down''. West Hartford, Connecticut, USA: [[American Radio Relay League]], p. 92.
* Everson, Michael. {{PDFlink|[http://www.evertype.com/alphabets/esperanto.pdf The Alphabets of Europe: Esperanto]|25.4&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 26025 bytes -->}}. Evertype, 2001.
*Forster, Peter G. ''The Esperanto Movement''. The Hague: Mouton Publishers, 1982. ISBN 90-279-3399-5.
* Harlow, Don. [http://donh.best.vwh.net/Esperanto/eaccess/eaccess.book.html The Esperanto Book]. Self-published on the web (1995-96).
* [[John C. Wells|Wells, John]]. ''Lingvistikaj aspektoj de Esperanto'' ("Linguistic aspects of Esperanto"). Second edition. Rotterdam: Universala Esperanto-Asocio, 1989.<li>Zamenhof, Ludovic Lazarus, ''[http://genekeyes.com/Dr_Esperanto.html Dr. Esperanto's International Language: Introduction & Complete Grammar]'' The original 1887 ''[[Unua Libro]]'', English translation by Richard H. Geoghegan; HTML online version 2006. Print edition (2007) also available from [http://www.esperanto-usa.org ELNA] or [http://www.uea.org UEA].</li>

== External links ==
===National Esperanto associations (English-speaking countries)===
* [http://www.esperanto-gb.org Esperanto Association of Britain]
* [http://www.novajeb.org.uk Junularo Esperantista Brita] (British Youth Association)
* [http://www.esperanto.ca/kea/index.htm Canadian Esperanto Association]
* [http://www.esperanto.org.nz/ New Zealand Esperanto Association]
* [http://www.esperanto.ie/english/ Esperanto Association of Ireland]
* [http://www.esperanto-usa.org/ Esperanto League for North America] (USA)
* [http://www.esperanto.org.au/ Australian Esperanto Association]
* [http://www.melburno.org.au Melbourne Esperanto Association] (Australia)

=== Information on Esperanto ===
{{InterWiki|code=eo}}
{{Wiktionarylang|code=eo}}
{{sisterlinks}}

* [http://www.uea.org/info/angle/an_ghisdatigo.html An Update on Esperanto] by the [[World Esperanto Association]]
* [http://esperanto.net Esperanto.net: information in many languages]
* [http://esperanto.ie/english/zaft/zaft.htm Esperanto: A Language for the Global Village] by Sylvan Zaft
* [http://www.esperanto-chicago.org/key.htm A Key to the International Language] compiled by R. Kent Jones and Christopher Zervic
* [http://www.homunculus.com/babel/aesperanto.html Blueprints for Babel: Esperanto] - Commentary and grammatical summary of Esperanto and Riismo, with glossary and links
* [http://www.proz.com/topic/23774 "A Scottish Poet in Esperanto"] by [[William Auld]], Esperantist Nobel Prize nominee
* [http://esperantic.org/ced/espstu.htm "Esperanto Studies: An Overview"] by Humphrey Tonkin and Mark Fettes (1996)
* [http://claudepiron.free.fr/articles.htm Articles on Esperanto and International communication] (multilingual)

=== Esperanto courses and pronunciation ===
* [http://en.lernu.net/ Lernu.net] – see also [[Lernu!]]
* [http://pacujo.net/esperanto/course/ Free Esperanto Course] – E-mail correspondence course
* [http://www.cursodeesperanto.com.br Kurso de Esperanto] – Software and e-mail correspondence course (multilingual)
* [http://www.esperanto-panorama.net/ Esperanto - Panorama]
* [http://lingvo.org/parolu Parolu, Esperanto pronunciation].
* [http://www.arkitakt.com/esperanto/ La Facila Kurso de Esperanto] Very practical and well illustrated, covering common tasks and situations.
* [http://www.gutenberg.net/browse/languages/eo Esperanto books at Project Gutenberg]

=== Dictionaries ===
* [http://purl.org/NET/voko/revo/ Reta Vortaro], an Esperanto dictionary
* [http://www.notam02.no/~hcholm/altlang/ht/Esperanto.html The Alternative Esperanto Dictionary], a dictionary of vulgarities and slang
* [http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/Esperanto/ Esperanto Dictionary]: from [http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org Webster's Dictionary]
* [http://eo.wiktionary.org/wiki/%C4%88efpa%C4%9Do Esperanto Wiktionary] and [[Wiktionary:Category:Esperanto language]]
* [http://jvortaro.berlios.de/ jVortaro], an Esperanto dictionary written in Java
* [http://www.freelang.net/dictionary/esperanto.html Freelang Dictionary], a downloadable Esperanto-English dictionary
* [http://www.freeweb.hu/etymological/Esperanto.htm], a downloadable Esperanto-English etymological dictionary by Andras Rajki
* [http://www.gutenberg.net/browse/languages/eo Esperanto books at Project Gutenberg]

=== Glossary and Root Words ===
*[http://www.esperanto-chicago.org/rootsglossary.htm Esperanto Common Roots Glossary] A list compiled by the Esperanto Society of Chicago clearly showing the roots. List was derived from [http://katalogo.uea.org/index.php?inf=708 Frekvencmorfemaro de Parolata Esperanto] (List of Morpheme Frequency in Spoken Esperanto), a computer analysis of the most commonly used words.
*[http://www.esperanto-chicago.org/glossary.htm Esperanto-English Glossary] from the Esperanto Society of Chicago. This contains 650 words and because of Esperanto's word formation is equivalent to around 6,500 English words.

=== Automatic translation from English and other languages ===
* [http://www.lingvo.org/traduku Traduku: Online Machine Translator]
* [http://www.xdobry.de/esperantoedit/index_en.html Esperantilo] – Text editor with spell and grammar checking and machine translation from Esperanto to English, German and Polish
* [http://wwwtios.cs.utwente.nl/traduk/EN-EO/Traduku/ From English to Esperanto]
* [http://www.majstro.com/Web/Majstro/dict.php?bronTaal=epo&doelTaal=eng&prec=1&teVertalen=&gebrTaal=eng Majstro Multlingva Tradukvortaro] - A multilingual translation dictionary that uses Esperanto as a pivot language
* [http://www.logosdictionary.com/pls/dictionary/new_dictionary.dictio_professional_window?u_name=&u_password=&u_code=4395&code_language= Logos]

=== Input tools ===
* [http://missagain.blog.shinobi.jp/Entry/105/ Esperanto Keyboard Layout] – Esperanto IME.
* [http://www.melburno.org.au/melbpad Melburno Notepad] – Converts to Esperanto special characters - cx = ĉ, sx = ŝ etc.
* [http://www.esperanto.mv.ru/Ek/ EK] - Esperanta Klavaro (Esperanto Keyboard); type using x-convention and it will automatically convert special characters
* [http://www.esperanto.mv.ru/UniRed/ENG/index.html UniRed] - A unicode plain text editor. Supports many charsets, has syntax coloring, search and replace via regular expressions. Able to run auxiliary programs, ISpell for example (for spellchecking). (project info: [http://sourceforge.net/projects/unired http://sourceforge.net/projects/unired])

=== News in Esperanto ===
* [http://www.liberafolio.org Libera Folio] - Independent news site
* [http://klaku.net KLAKU.net social news site]
* [http://raporto.info/ Raporto - Kie la mondo raportas al vi] - news site
* [http://www.polskieradio.pl/eo/ Polish radio in Esperanto]
* [http://es.chinabroadcast.cn/ China Radio International]
* [http://terra-esperanto.blog.ca/ TERRA-Esperanto expedition]
*[http://eo.reddit.com Esperanto subreddit at Reddit news site]

=== Portals ===
* [http://esperanto.china.org.cn/world/index.htm China Interreta Informa Centro] - China's Official Gateway to News & Information in Esperanto
* [http://members.aol.com/enrike/ekspeto.htm Esperanto Pen Pal Service]
* [http://www.google.com/intl/eo/ Google in Esperanto]
* [http://gxangalo.com/ Ĝangalo - La mondo en Esperanto] - The World in Esperanto (not updated at the moment)
* [http://startu.net/ Startu.net]
* [http://www.digitaldialects.com/Esperanto.htm]-activities and resources for learning Esperanto.

=== Philosophy in Esperanto ===
* [http://www.simpozio.ufsc.br Enciklopedio Simpozio] - All about philosophy in Esperanto

=== Entertainment ===
* [http://chitienun.zervic.com Ĉi Tie Nun] Podcast in Esperanto
* [http://esperan.to/podkasto/ esPodkasto] Rolfo's podcast
* [http://radioverda.com/ Radio Verda] Podcast of Arono and Karlina

=== International Esperanto organisations and institutions ===
* [http://www.uea.org Universal Esperanto Association]
* [http://www.europo.eu European Esperanto Union]
* [http://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org Akademio de Esperanto]
* [http://www.ikue.org Roman Catholic Esperantists]
* [http://www.esperokatolika.org The oldest, still published, Esperanto-magazine]

=== Criticism ===
* [http://www.xibalba.demon.co.uk/jbr/ranto/ Learn Not to Speak Esperanto] by Justin B. Rye
* [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/5037/Esp.html Esperanto - a critique] by James Chandler
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20030622112432/http://www.cix.co.uk/~morven/lang/esp.html "Why Esperanto is not my favourite Artificial Language"]
* [http://www.zompist.com/kitespo.html The irregularities of Esperanto] from [[Mark Rosenfelder]]'s Metaverse

=== Handouts, Leaflets ===
* [http://www.panix.com/~dwolff/docs/handout_suggestions.html Useful handouts for activists] A sample of material by the ELNA

[[Category:Esperanto]]
[[Category:International auxiliary languages|Esperanto]]
[[Category:Constructed languages]]

{{Link FA|de}}
{{Link FA|eo}}
{{Link FA|ja}}
{{Link FA|ru}}
{{Link FA|sk}}
{{Link FA|sv}}
[[af:Esperanto]]
[[als:Esperanto]]
[[am:ኤስፔራንቶ]]
[[ar:إسبرانتو]]
[[an:Esperanto]]
[[frp:Èsperanto]]
[[ast:Esperanto]]
[[az:Esperanto]]
[[zh-min-nan:Sè-kài-gí]]
[[ba:Эсперанто теле]]
[[be:Эсперанта]]
[[be-x-old:Эспэранта]]
[[bs:Esperanto]]
[[br:Esperanteg]]
[[bg:Есперанто]]
[[ca:Esperanto]]
[[cv:Эсперанто]]
[[cs:Esperanto]]
[[cy:Esperanto]]
[[da:Esperanto]]
[[de:Esperanto]]
[[et:Esperanto]]
[[el:Εσπεράντο]]
[[es:Esperanto]]
[[eo:Esperanto]]
[[eu:Esperanto]]
[[fa:اسپرانتو]]
[[fo:Esperanto]]
[[fr:Espéranto]]
[[fy:Esperanto]]
[[ga:Esperanto]]
[[gl:Esperanto]]
[[zh-classical:世界語]]
[[ko:에스페란토]]
[[hy:Էսպերանտո]]
[[hi:एस्पेरान्तो]]
[[hsb:Esperanto]]
[[hr:Esperanto]]
[[io:Esperanto]]
[[id:Bahasa Esperanto]]
[[ia:Esperanto]]
[[iu:ᐃᓯᐱᕋᓐᑐ/isipirantu]]
[[os:Эсперанто]]
[[is:Esperanto]]
[[it:Lingua esperanto]]
[[he:אספרנטו]]
[[kn:ಎಸ್ಪೆರಾಂಟೊ]]
[[ka:ესპერანტო]]
[[csb:Esperanto]]
[[sw:Kiesperanto]]
[[ku:Esperanto]]
[[lad:Esperanto]]
[[la:Esperanto]]
[[lv:Esperanto]]
[[lb:Esperanto]]
[[lt:Esperanto]]
[[li:Esperanto]]
[[jbo:esperant]]
[[hu:Eszperantó nyelv]]
[[ms:Bahasa Esperanto]]
[[nah:Netēmachīliztlahtōlli]]
[[nl:Esperanto]]
[[ja:エスペラント]]
[[no:Esperanto]]
[[nn:Esperanto]]
[[nov:Esperanto]]
[[oc:Esperanto]]
[[uz:Esperanto]]
[[nds:Esperanto]]
[[pl:Esperanto]]
[[pt:Esperanto]]
[[ksh:Esperanto]]
[[ro:Esperanto]]
[[ru:Эсперанто]]
[[sco:Esperanto leid]]
[[sq:Gjuha esperanto]]
[[scn:Lingua esperantu]]
[[simple:Esperanto]]
[[sk:Esperanto]]
[[sl:Esperanto]]
[[sr:Есперанто]]
[[sh:Esperanto]]
[[fi:Esperanto]]
[[sv:Esperanto]]
[[th:ภาษาเอสเปรันโต]]
[[vi:Quốc Tế Ngữ]]
[[tg:Забони эсперанто]]
[[tr:Esperanto]]
[[uk:Есперанто]]
[[ur:اسپرانٹو]]
[[vo:Sperantapük]]
[[wa:Esperanto]]
[[yi:עספעראנטא]]
[[bat-smg:Esperanto]]
[[zh:世界语]]

Revision as of 23:14, 14 October 2007

Redirect to:

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Esperanto&oldid=164597172"