Esperanto is a language which was designed for international use. We say, designed, because unlike natural languages such as Greek, Latin and English, it did not evolve over centuries. Instead it is a planned language with a founder.
Esperanto was developed by L L Zamenhof, a Jewish doctor. Growing up in Warsaw, a multilingual society, Zamenhof became convinced that most international problems of his day would be resolved if only men had a common language.
He saw how racial and cultural differences were amplified by the use of different languages amongst people. Different languages hindered interaction and communication between people, giving rise to ignorance, suspicion and eventual conflict.
Zamenhof sought to develop a simple language which could be learned easily and which could be used internationally. Since, the language would not be connected to any region, country or people, everyone could identify with it. Zamenhof began working on it when he was just a junior in high school. He was finally ready to unveil his new language to the world when he was just 27 in the year 1887.
The language gained popularity with a relatively small time. Numerous periodicals were started to popularize the language. The First congress of Esperanto speakers was held in 1905 in France. These conferences are conducted annually. The conference for 2008 was conducted in Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
While it has not become the international language, its founder imagined, the language has been in continuous use for over a century. Though no country has adopted the language for official use, there are about one thousand native speakers of the language. Besides, about two million people are believed to be fluent in the language. Esperanto is also widely used in correspondence, radio and TV shows and in conventions.
There are 28 letters in Esperanto. The letters are mostly derived from the Latin alphabet. They are
a b c ĉ d e f g ĝ h ĥ i j ĵ k l m n o p r s ŝ t u ŭ v z
Some common expressions in Esperanto are
Hello: Saluton
What is your name?: Kiel vi nomiĝas?
My name is...: Mi nomiĝas...
How much (is it/are they)?: Kiom (estas)?
Here you are: Jen /jen/
Do you speak Esperanto?: Ĉu vi parolas Esperanton?
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