Saturday, April 27, 2019

A useful language for travellers? A neutral language? Esperanto? Why? Why Not?

Esperanto flag.

I was on the Facebook Polyglot page where somebody asked which language you liked to hear and speak and what you would like as a lingua franca or universal language.

Angela Lansbury

 Esperanto is neutral and easy to learn - but ugly. 

Italian is the lilting language - but not so widely spoken. 

I started learning Italian because I like it and it is relatively easy and I like Italian food and restaurants and already know Italian from menus and opera.

You also recognize a lot of Esperanto words. It is a hybrid language. Esperanto means hope. The o ending for I reminds you of Italian and  Portuguese.

Esperanto Is Easy
I opted for Esperanto because it is easy to learn.
Esperanto is easy

Esperanto Is Neutral - but No Country
That is also is disadvantage. 

Why English?
English is spoken in the Commonwealth and former British empire. English takes you around America, England, Ireland, Caribbean islands, South Africa, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

American Accents? 
People learn English with American accents to enjoy American films and holiday in America. They also want to do business in America. They want to live in America.

Since I already speak English, British English, and have lived in America, what would be my next language?

Back to Esperanto
Esperanto is the most widely spoken made up language. Esperanto is the most popular made up language. In theory I would chose Esperanto.  It is the only language spoken as a second laguage (in Hungary).

Simple Letters
Esperanto does not involve learning a large number of letters, nor letters not used in other languages (like Korean). Get rid of Chinese picture language and stick to the Roman alphabet with only 26 letters. 

Simple Spelling
I used to hate American spelling. I still do. It looks like it is written by and for five year olds. It lacks elegance.

However, we are all moving towards simplified spelling in text language because it is quicker to type. Esperanto should be a standard second language, with a small Esperanto village in every country where immigrants are taught Esperanto as a half way house towards integration..

Esperanto is a bit like being vegan. It is a great theory. It puts you in touch with others in your minority. But it cuts you off from the majority.

However, as the number of speakers or followers grows, Esperanto could become the next great thing. I often meet people who have never even heard of Esperanto.

Useful websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto
to learn Esperanto
duolingo.com

Author
Angela Lansbury

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