ESPERANTO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13886, 25 April 1907, Page 10

ESPERANTO.

Esperanto, I lie creation of Dr Zamciihbf, of Warsaw, is a practical international auxiliary language, suitable for the purposes of commerce, literature, poetry, science, and general correspondence and conversation between 'iieoplo of different, nationalities. It is not. a universal languago to supplant (lie mother tongue, but an'auxiliary one for use with other peoples. Two things arc aimed at: (1). l'crfcct simplicity, so that no one may be debarred from learning it; (2) extreme elasticity, so that, it can bo employed to render every possible shade o( thought. Its grammar is simple, and thore are 110 exceptions or irregular verbs. 11 is phonetic, cach letter having its own ixvamablk

EL LA UNUA LIBRO DM LA LfKOVO

HBPKRANTO.

'La -nun proponatair brnshuron la leganlo kredable prcnos en la nw.nojn kun walkoilfido, kun atitaue preta. pe'nso, ke al ii estos proponata ia ncefcklivigebla. Ulopio; im devas tial antau chio peti la leganton, ke . li. formelu t.iim chi antaujughon kai ko li pripensti scrioze kaj kriiike la propoltstan aferon.

'Mi no paroles tie chi vaste pri tio, kian grandegan signifou hairus por la homo.ro la enkonduko de 11/111 komune akceptita lingvo internaeia. kin prczentue egalrajtan proprajhon do la tuta mondo, apartenanto specialp Jl neniu el la okzistanlaj naeioj. Kiom ({a. tempo kaj laboroj cstas perdata por la ellernado <le freindaj lingvoj, kaj •rnalgrau ohio, elvetunntc el la limoj de ilia patrujo, ni ordinare no havas la eblon koniprcnigludi kun siinilaj al ni homoj. Kiom da tempo, laboroj • kaj inalerialaj rimedoj cstas perdala pnr tio, ke la produktoj do unu jileraturo estu aligitaj al fliiuj ali.ij literaturoj, kaj en la lino chin el ni pnvas per tradukoj konatighi nur l:un la ploj sensignifa ]iarlo de fremdaj literaturoj; scd elie etaistado dc lingvo internaeia cliiuj tradukoj estus farataj nur en liun chi Install, kiel noufralon, al cbini komprencblan. kaj la verkoj, kinj b.-ivns karalt.lcrou intcrnncian, cstus oble skrihulaj rekte. cn glii. Pains ia hliinaj muroj inier la homaj liteiu'.uroi: la literaturaj protltlkloj de alioj popoloj farishus por ni tiel fame atingchlaj, kiel la verkoj do nia propr* popolo: la legat«jl:o;. farighns komuna pnr ehiuj homoj. kaj Untie kun glii ankaii la cdukado, idealoj, lconvinkoj, einlndo,—kaj la popoloj interproksimighus kiel unu familio. Devigataj dividi man tcmpon. inter divenaj lingvoj, ni 11c havas la ohlon dcco fordoni nin eeh al unu el ili, Eed se chin el ni havns nur du lingvojii, —tiam ni pli bono ilin pnscdus kaj tiui chi lingvoj mem povns pli ellaborighidi kn.j piirleklig'iuidi l;:ij slarns multe pli alte, ol chiu cl ili slaras nun. Kaj la lingvo ja estas la ohefa inotoro do la civiliziicio: dank' al la lingvo ni tiel allighis suner la Ucstoj, kaj ju pli alte staran la lingvo, despli raplde progros as !a iiopolo. * I,a diferenco de la lingvoj pre/.entas la esencon |dc la diferenco kaj reeiproka mnhnnikeco 'de 111 naeioj, ehar tio chi antau chio fains en la oknlojn che renkonto de homoj: la 1 homoj ne koinpren as unu la aliau knj .titll ili tenis Kill fremde unu kontrau la alia. Renkontighante Run liotnoj, ni no demandap, kiajn politikajn konvinkoin ili .'h.ivas, sur kin parlo de la lera gibbo ili naAkighis, kie loghis iliaj prapalroj antan telko da miljaroj: scd tiui chi homoj ckpaTolas, kaj chin eono de ilia paiolo mcmoligas nin, ko ili estas fremdaj por ni. Kin unu fojon provis loghi en mbo. en kin Joghas homoj dc divcrsaj reciproke batalanlaj naeioj. tin eksontip, kian grandegan aJportu3 al la homaro lingvo internaeia, kiu no entrudighante en la doman vivon do la popoloj. povns, almenau en lahdoj kim diverelingva loghantaro, esti lingvo 'regna kaj gocieta. Kian, fine, grandegan eiguifon lingvo internaeia liavus por IS. ecicnco, komcrco—per unu vorto, sur ehiu'pasho, pri tio 110 Irezouas vaste paroli. liu almenau unu fojon seriozc ekmeditis pri _ tiu chi' dcraando, tin konsentas. ko : jicuib. oforo cstns tro Rrantla, si ni povus Ivor ghi akiri ol ni lingvon komunchoman. , Tial chiii cell la plcj raalforta provo en tiu chi dirckto mcriins atentoH,

sound. ■ There is no difficulty about the pronunciation, and people of different nations meeting together for the first time, are readily able to understand cach other. A person can read or correspond after 12 hours' -study. There arc some hundreds of publications and more than 20 journals printed in Esperanto, and already morn than 2501000 people of different, nations uso« it for speaking and writing. The following is u short extract, from ])r Zamenhof's first book about 1/speranto. Tho translation is fairly literal, though of course it is iinpo-siblo to make it agree word for word; still it is close enough to enable anyone carefully comparing the two columns to pick up a good deal of Jispc- 1

ranto: —

FROM THE FIRST BOOK OF TITK

LANGUAGE ESPERANTO.

The pajniihlct hero presented the reader will probably take in his hands with suspicion, with the already-formed belief that some unattainable Utopia is aixmt to be proposed to him; I must therefore first of all beg the reader to put aside this hasty conclusion, and consider the question seriously and crilicallv.

I will not. elaborate here 011 the lmgo significance ' the introduction of one commonly-accepted international tongue would have for mankind—a language which would present equal rights of ownership lo the wholo world and not specially belong to any one of the existing nations. How much timo and labour are lost in the study of foreign languages, and in spite of it nil when wc journey outside the boundaries of our nat.ivo land wo ordinarily have no power to understand or be understood by our fellow creatures. How much • time, work, and actual labours aro lost-in order that, the product" of otic literature may bo joined to all other literatures, and in the end cach of us can, by translations, become acquainted with only the most insignificant part of foreign writings; but willi the existence of a.ll international language all translations would be made into that only, as being neutral and comprehensible to all, ami the works which have an international character would possibly he straightway written in it. Down would fall the Chinese walls separating human knowledge, the writings of other peoples would become for us just a-s attainable as the works of our own people; all reading matter would hecomc common to all men. and together with it also education, ideals, convictions, aims>—and people wotdd draw together as one family. Compelled to divide our time between different languages, we have not the power to properly givo ourselves up to one of them, whereas if cacji of us used onlv two languages, then we would know them tetter, and thev thomselvos would be better worker! out nnd perfect nd and would rank much higher than any of them do now. And language is indeed the chief motor of. civilisation: thanks to S|ieech we have bceome thus raised aljovo tho beast*, and the higher the language ranks the more rapidlv tho people advanre. The difference of languages shows tlir essence of the difference and reciprocal hate of tho natibns, because that first of all catches the eye in meeting mon; they do not understand cach other, and therefore regard themselves as foreign to. each other. When we come in rotil:ict v w.ilh people, we do not ask what their political opinions on what nart of the earth thev were born, and where their. ancestors lived some thousands of years a';o; but thc.=n mon becin to speai:. and each sound of Iheii; speech reminds us that- they are foreign to us, Whoever has once lived in a town where there are men of different hostile nations lias doubtless thought what an immense boon to mankind would be an intflrational language which, while not intruding into the homelife of the people, could, (it least in lands with- inhabitants speaking different languages, be an official and social speech. Finally, what- a tremendous cffcct an international language would have on science, commerce— in one word-at- ovcrv slop: about that I need not enlarge. Whoever has at least meditated' seriously on this question will agree thai no kind of sacrifico .would be too great, if wc, could thereby acquire a languago common to humanity. Therefore, every attempt- in that direction—even the weakest—deserves attention.