* I thought it died out in the 50s. * Great idea--too bad it never caught on. * I remember reading about it somewhere. * Wasn't your granddad into that? * I sort of wish it was still around. <*> IT IS!! <*> READ ON--AND SATISFY YOUR CURIOSITY ABOUT ESPERANTO WHAT IS ESPERANTO? Esperanto is a language developed to make it easier for people of dif- ferent cultures to communicate. Its author, Dr. L. L. Zamenhof (1859-1917), published his "Lingvo Internacia" [International Language] in 1887 under the pseudonym "Dr. Esperanto" [one who hopes]. What's so special about it? What makes it any more international than French, English or Japanese? Esperanto is specifically intended for international/intercultural use, so those who use it meet each other on an equal footing, since neither is using his native language. With national languages, the average person isn't able to express herself as well as the native speaker or the gifted ling- uist. Thanks to its simple, logical, regular design, anyone can learn Esperanto fairly rapidly. AN EMERGING GLOBAL CULTURE Because Esperanto has been promoted for over a century as a language for international understanding and communication, those who learn it tend to be people who "think globally"--and global thinking has never been more impor- tant than in this Electronic Age when the "Global Village" is beginning to live up to its name. A sense of community has begun to emerge as the media flash audio/visual images from the other side of the planet right into our living rooms. And we find that people on the other side of the planet have many of the same hopes and fears and wants that we do--even if their basic culture is very different. Indeed, a global culture has begun to coalesce on a level distinct from the national or regional ones. A UNIVERSAL NETWORK The growing Esperanto movement, comprised of local, national, and global segments, is one manifestation of this universal sense of community. Universala Esperanto-Asocio (UEA) is the global association, based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. UEA has a consulting relationship with UNESCO in regard to language problems and planning, and administers a network of 2,300 delegates who provide services to UEA members and information to the public in 70 countries. National and regional associations, as well as groups based on common interests from art to vegetarianism, provide services and contacts to Esperantists. There are also hundreds of international meetings each year which use Esperanto as a working language. The annual Universala Kongreso de Esperanto (or "UK") attracts an average of 1750 people from between 40-50 coun- tries--the 1986 UK in Beijing was the largest international meeting in China's recorded history. Thousands of people use Esperanto-speaking travel services every year to visit old friends and make new ones in foreign countries. There are a num- ber of reciprocal hosting programs where Esperantists receive travelers in their homes. Thousands more get to know each other through correspondence. WORDS AND MUSIC The personal contacts people make through this network are only one part of the picture. Periodicals from the educational to the esoteric reach a worldwide audience--a fact recognized by advertisers such as Mitsui & Co. and Siemens AG. UEA's book service catalogue boasts thousands of titles, and on average, a new title is published in Esperanto every day. Esperanto litera- ture includes not only original works and translations of well-known classics, but also important translations of works originally written in languages (e.g. Lithuanian or Swahili) which would not afford them an audience outside their own culture. In Esperanto translation, everyone can enjoy easy access. Esperanto is also used in broadcasting and in the performing arts. Shortwave radio stations from Berne to Beijing, as well as local AM and FM sta- tions in Europe and South America, broadcast several thousand hours of Esperanto programming annually. Stage productions of "La Eta Princo" [The Little Prince] and "Kato Sur Varma Lado-tegmento" [Cat On A Hot Tin Roof] were enthusiastically received at the 1989 UK in Brighton, England. And the popular Czechoslovakian rock group TEAM'--whose 1988 debut album went gold overnight, placing them at the top of the Eastern European charts--performs selections in Esperanto at concerts, and has released an Esperanto album (with another in production). Many other talented artists perform and record in Esperanto. A LIVING LANGUAGE Esperanto is a living language, used for everything people use any other language for. But it's much easier to learn than a national language. Even people who can't remember a word of a language they studied for years in high school or college need only months to become fluent in Esperanto. It is also more useful than national languages if your goal in learning a language is to get to know people from different places, since virtually everyone who speaks Esperanto has learned it for this reason. For more information on Esperanto in the United States, the address of your local group, and the first lesson in a free postal course, write or call the Esperanto League for North America: ELNA Post Office Box 1129 El Cerrito CA 94530 (415) 653-0998 For information about the Esperanto movement in Canada, write to: Kanada Esperanto-Asocio C.P. 126 Succursale Beaubien Montreal, Quebec H2G 3C8 ESPERANTO--LA INTERNACIA LINGVO Another file downloaded from: NIRVANAnet(tm) & the Temple of the Screaming Electron 415-935-5845 Just Say Yes 415-922-1613 Rat Head 415-524-3649 Cheez Whiz 408-363-9766 Reality Check 415-474-2602 Specializing in conversations, obscure information, high explosives, arcane knowledge, political extremism, diversive sexuality, insane speculation, and wild rumours. ALL-TEXT BBS SYSTEMS. Full access for first-time callers. We don't want to know who you are, where you live, or what your phone number is. We are not Big Brother. "Raw Data for Raw Nerves"