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From: tmoody@sjuvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: sci.lang
Subject: Re: Esperanto
Message-ID: <219@sjuvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 23-Oct-86 10:47:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: sjuvax.219
Posted: Thu Oct 23 10:47:00 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 24-Oct-86 16:49:06 EDT
References: <102@ritcv.UUCP> <2081@ihlpa.UUCP> <3949@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Reply-To: tmoody@sjuvax.UUCP (T. Moody)
Distribution: net
Organization: St. Joseph's Univ., Phila. PA
Lines: 56
Keywords: highly phonetic, regular, easy, etc.

In article <3949@umcp-cs.UUCP> venu@umcp-cs.UUCP (Venugopala R. Dasigi) writes:
>
>Of course, language frequently reflects culture and an artificial language
>as neutral as Esperanto is a problem in this sense. (That's why everybody
>needs two languages, as mentioned above!) Also, any language evolves in time
>and it is difficult to imagine an artificial language evolving in time!

Not only does language reflect culture, but it can also *create* it.  In
a sense, this is exactly what Esperanto has done.  Anyone who insistst that
Esperanto has no speech community and no culture needs to become more
familiar with the facts of the matter.  There is a large and interesting
body of Esperanto literature, both original and translated.  There are
periodicals, scholarly journals, congresses, songs, etc.  True , the
Esperanto speech community is not geographically contained; but it is
held together and propelled into the future by the very interest and
commitment of Esperantists.  The Esperanto movement *is* the Esperanto
culture.  Out of this culture emerge the standards of intelligibility
that function within the language.  

In addition, Esperanto has evolved, and continues to evolve.  It's evolution
is not random or chaotic, but it is nevertheless real.  Many words have
been added, according to need and demand, while others have become "archaic".
The same is true of patterns and structures at the sentential level.  The
"right" Esperanto accent has emerged from the crucible of many speech
interactions, according to the principle of maximum intelligibility.

>I was instantly attracted by the very idea of esperanto when I first came
>across it, but I sure would like to know the views of a "practicing
>Esperantist." In particular, is it a practical idea in today's world? Are
>there any associations that promote Esperanto? Are any governments doing
>anything about it? (I understand there was some real interest on the part of
>several governments initially...)
>
>--- Venu Dasigi

Well, it's practical, because it has been demonstrated again and again that
it works.  Of course, the only way to appreciate that is to use the language
with someone who does not speak English.  That is the watershed point for
any Esperantist.  The Universala Esperanto-Asocio has its headquarters
in Rotterdam, and it maintains a consulting relationship with the United
Nations (where it also has an ofice).  There are numerous national 
organizations, such as the Esperanto League for North America (ELNA), at
P.O. Box 1129, El Cerrito , CA.  As for government involvement, there
are mixed results.  In the People's Republic of China, Esperanto is
taught in several dozen universities, and it is unlikely that that would
be the case without government support.  Perhaps someone who attended
the recent Universala Kongreso in Peking could give us more information
about that.  In Yugoslavia, there is some government support for Esperanto.
I believe that some other Eastern European countries have similar
arrangements. On the whole, though, government support has been weak
and intermittent.  The overall strategy of the movement is to promulgate
Esperanto among individuals and societies until it is generally recognized
as the effective medium that it is.

-- Todd Moody