Archive for August, 2009
Games catch on! Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 31, 2009
I’ve always thought that one way Esperanto could receive a good deal of notice is if it appeared in a popular video game. Perhaps appearing as a coded language of some kind would motivate people to learn it. As matters stand, I’ve only glimpsed Esperanto in one video game: the weird and wonderful Katamari Damacy…
Esperanto Extensions Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 28, 2009
A while back, I mentioned the Esperanto word processor Esperantilo. On its own, it’s a useful little program. However, its developers have made it functional for even more programs! The free office software suite OpenOffice has a plethora of extensions. So far, the only Esperanto one I’ve found is one for Esperantilo. You can find…
Esperanto Onomatopoeia Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 20, 2009
“Onomatopoeia” is the formal term for any word whose function is to imitate a sound. In English, they encompass such words as “woof” for the bark of a dog, “moo” for the lowing of a cow, and the like. Esperanto has its fair share of them, as well. You can find a quick sample list…
Multi-Fractal Analysis…? Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 19, 2009
An article published last year in the New Scientist Technology Blog suggests that Esperanto is fundamentally different from other languages. Astonishing! To be frank, I have no idea what multi-fractal analysis has to do with linguistic comparison, but the author of the post seems to draw a conclusion the rest of us missed. If you…
Septembra Mateno – William Auld Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 11, 2009
Autumn is on its way! The stint of cooler weather in my part of the country has me in a mode of nostalgia for seasons past. So, I thought I’d share one of William Auld’s fall-themed poems, entitled “Septembra Mateno” (September Morning). Not only is it a great, short piece, but it also illustrates examples…
Research and Such Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 7, 2009
I foresee a day when universities across the globe will offer “Esperanto Studies” as a major field of research. We’re still a ways off right now – so far, I know of no US universities that offer an Esperanto degree, and only NASK seems to provide any college credit for advanced Esperanto study. However, that certainly does…
Dictionary Links Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 5, 2009
Cxu vi deziras vortarojn? Even the best sometimes need a quick reference to help them find the word for which they’re searching. I’ve decided to list a few of my favorites here, in case anyone wanted to grab hold of one. Online, you can find a simple TXT-file version at the ever-reliable Project Gutenberg. Click…