Some Halloween Words Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 23, 2009
The end of October approaches, and so too does Halloween! As your talk turns to topics of ghouls and ghosts, you might want to have some Esperanto words up your sleeve to dazzle your friends. Here’s a list of some of the more common Halloween frights you could encounter at the close of the month…Hopefully…
Further Web Resources Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 22, 2009
While ELNA, the Esperanto League of North America, is one of my favorite Web destinations, sometimes other places are well worth the visit. As a practicing Esperantist, it would help you to check out the resources that similar organizations in other countries put forth. One of my preferred venues is the Esperanto Association of Ireland…
Esperanto and Horror Fiction Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 20, 2009
Since Halloween approaches, a friend of mine asked me to write a critical essay of the horror genre. It’s still in the works, but I’ve done a bit, including something on the film Inkubo. Here’s an adapted snippet of it that’s pretty relevant to our continued discussion of Esperanto. You might remember a post some…
Word of the Day Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 6, 2009
The website Lernu.net is one of the best Internet resources an Esperantist can use. They have all sorts of exercises and learning materials for all different skill levels. My personal favorite tool from the good people at Lernu is their Word of the Day feature. Every day, they put up a new Esperanto word, and…
LOL! Or Equivalent! Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 29, 2009
A few days ago, somebody requested a post on how to use the American-English acronym “LOL.” For those of you who have never encountered it, “LOL” is a common bit of Internet slang that means “laugh out loud” or “laughing out loud.” While I haven’t been able to find a common Esperanto equivalent, I thought…
Esperanto and Cultural Combination Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 26, 2009
Here’s something to think about today. If Esperanto happened to become the world’s second language, as we all hope it someday will, do you think that it would cause a homogenization of cultures? Or perhaps it would consume every culture and unite it under the single banner of Esperanto culture? My neighbor, a student of…
Linguistic Evolution and the End of Esperanto Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 24, 2009
It’s a simple fact that languages, given time, will evolve. If ever you have the chance, take a look at the Oxford English Dictionary, and track the evolution of any random word. Sometimes, the years required for a word to radically alter its meaning are few – take today’s contradictory-seeming definitions of the word “oversight,”…