Esperanto, Often Given up for Dead, Finding New Popularity

Sun Jul 20 17:59:31 UTC 2008

Esperanto, Often Given up for Dead, Finding New Popularity
[image: The Esperanto center in Fulda,
Germany]<http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,3493772,00.html>
* The shiny, modern Esperanto center in Fulda,
Germany<http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,3493772,00.html>
*

The Internet is helping bring about a resurgence of the planned language
Esperanto, long given up by many for dead. In Rotterdam, Esperantists are
celebrating the 100th anniversary of the World Esperanto Federation.

The language that was developed in the late 19th century to bring about
world peace was hit hard by Stalinist purges and Nazi ideology in the 20th.
But its greatest blow was likely from something else:  a general lack of
interest, not to mention the emergence of English as the global lingua
franca. But as speakers of Esperanto gather on July 19 for the beginning of
the World Esperanto Congress in Rotterdam, they will be celebrating a
resurgence of interest in the language as well as the fact that their world
body has made it to the century mark, battered perhaps, but still
kicking. This "auxiliary language" owes its boost to the online world.

"The Internet has opened up new possibilities," Boris-Antoine Legault, a
leading Esperantist in North America, told the Canadian Press. "Esperanto is
a fantastic tool on the Internet as a bridge language."

[image: Ulrich Matthias and his Chinese wife Nan Matthias-Wang are raising
their daughter as a native Esperato
speaker]<http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,3493772_ind_1,00.html>
*Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  Ulrich
Matthias and his Chinese wife Nan Matthias-Wang are raising their daughter
as a native Esperanto
speaker<http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,3493772_ind_1,00.html>
*

Be it blogs, forums, or online tutorials, the Internet has allowed Esperanto
to reach larger audiences than it used to. Pre-Internet, learning Esperanto
generally meant ordering a book from a little-known publisher or perhaps
visiting one of the few dusty Esperanto offices still open in a few larger
cities.

Estimates on the number of Esperanto speakers are hard to come by. They
range from several hundred thousand to about two million. And although the
death of the artificial language, which sounds something like Spanish or
Latin with a little German thrown in, has often been announced, Esperanto
speakers are an enthusiastic and determined group who have kept the language
alive.

*Lofty goals, tough times*

[image: Ludovic Lazarus
Zamenhof]<http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,3493772_ind_2,00.html>
*Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  Ludovic
Lazarus Zamenhof<http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,3493772_ind_2,00.html>
*

Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof, an ophthalmologist from Bialystok, published his
Esperanto grammar in 1887. He believed that a universal second language
would foster international understanding and war would become a thing of the
past.

In the early days, Esperanto found many adherents, especially among the
working class. It grew most rapidly in eastern Europe and Russia, as well as
in western Europe, the Americas and China and Japan.

But totalitarian regimes looked on Esperanto with suspicion. Adolf Hitler
mentioned the language in his book "Mein Kampf," saying it would become the
language of the so-called international Jewish conspiracy once they achieved
world domination because Zamenhof was a Jew.

Stalin denounced the Esperanto as the "language of spies" and had
Esperantists executed. It was illegal in the Soviet Union until 1956.

[image: The 89th International Esperanto Conference in Beijing was in
2004]<http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,3493772_ind_3,00.html>
*Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  The
89th International Esperanto Conference in Beijing was in
2004<http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,3493772_ind_3,00.html>
*

Still, Esperantists worked hard to promote the language after World War One,
and the League of Nations almost declared it as a model neutral global
language. But it ran up against national sensitivities that hindered more
widespread acceptance. Opposition was especially fierce in France, which saw
its role as the language of international communication endangered by this
artificial upstart.

"During this time, in the 20s, English began to grow in influence and France
was extremely sensitive when it came to language questions," said Detlev
Blanke, a linguist and Esperanto researcher from Berlin.

*Upswing*

After the Second World War, the language experienced a short-lived flowering
but the juggernaut of English was hard to withstand.

[image: Esperanto in
Iran]<http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,3493772_ind_4,00.html>
*Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  Esperanto
in Iran <http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,3493772_ind_4,00.html>*

In the 60s and 70s, the language made some inroads into popular culture. In
1965, William Shatner of Star Trek fame starred in the only movie ever made
in Esperanto, a horror flim called "Incubus."

But Esperantists and linguists like Blanke feel there is cause for cautious
optimism about the future of the language.

"I think that in connection with better understanding among people, that we
need a more democratic language policy, something which we don't have right
now in Europe," said Blanke. "In this context, I think interest in the
Esperanto model is growing."

North American Esperantist Legault agreed: "We think that a national
language is not adequate," he says. "In addition to being more fair,
everyone has to make a small effort to learn the language, but no one has a
big advantage."

While its original goal of becoming a global second tongue might still be
far away, a small, but flourishing culture has grown up around the language.
There is Esperanto music, books and even what some would call literature --
the PEN writers' group has officially recognized it.

Britons are soon going to be exposed to the language like never before. The
Littlewoods Direct company is using Esperanto is one of its TV spots to
advertise its clothes.

"We know that the majority of people who watch the ad will not understand
what is being said, but the language is as beautiful and stylish as our
clothes," said merchandising director David Inglis. "And we have added
subtitles."

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3493772,00.html

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