Esperanto. THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE.

Progress, Volume I, Issue 6, 2 April 1906, Page 133

Esperanto. THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE.

Esperanto has come to stay, and we are indebted to the secretary of the New Zealand Esperanto Association for some news about the progress of the movement in New Zealand. It would be as well, perhaps, to say something about the language itself. It was invented some nineteen years ago by a Dr. Zamenhof, who spent his boyhood in a small town where four languages were spoken — Russian, Polish, German, and Yiddish — and the value of a universal language was apparent to him from his childhood. While studying at the University, he perfected a language which is free of idiomatic difficulties, absolutely phonetic, and has so many international words that it presents no difficulty to any person with even a moderate education. The grammar is of the simplest kind and may be learnt in an hour. It is composed of some two-thousand root words, and about forty-six prefixes and affixes. Most of the root words are English, and there are none of those terrors to the schoolboy, irregular verbs. The language progressed very slowly at first, being practically confined to Russia. It was then taken up with enthusiasm in France, from which country it spread to Canada, and back to England, where it was introduced about three years ago. During the last two years the progress all over the world has been simply phenomenal. There are probably two hundred societies, more than twenty journals devoted to Esperanto ; and many societies, notably the French Touring Club, have adopted Esperanto as their official language. New Zealand is a country of records, and bids fair to throw the same enthusiasm into the study of Esperanto as in other ethical and educational movements. There are several fluent Esperantists m the colony, and even now, close upon a hundred students. The New Zealand Esperanto Association m Christchurch has been started about two months and has already enrolled many members. The objects of the Association are to spread the knowledge of the Universal Language by circulating literature, correspondence tuition, by correspondence between members ; and it is proposed to have an Esperanto Congress at the N.Z. International Exhibition. Sir Robert Stout has expressed his sympathy with the movement and has joined the Association. No text books are yet available, but they will be reserved for members by the secretary, whose address is Box 597, P. 0., Christchurch. The cost of text books is 2/2, including postage. The subscription is 5/- per annum