Tag Archives: discussion
Linguistic Relativity and Esperanto Posted by Transparent Language on Jan 29, 2010
Have you ever heard of the philosophical concept of linguistic relativity? If not, there’s the possibility that you’ve already thought about it yourself! Come to think of it, according to the theory, you’ve been thinking about it your whole life, probably without realizing it. According to the theory, the thoughts you are capable of thinking…
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…
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,”…
Purism or Pluralism? Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 24, 2009
Based on an insightful comment from Pascal Blondiau in regards to “krokodili” the other week, I find myself asking whether or not I want to see Esperanto evolve or not. Moreover, if the language needs to change, I wonder how we should go about changing it. Before you read any further, I highly recommend reading…
Internet Contractions and Abbreviations Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 20, 2009
Since I’m a student of English, I typically bemoan the decline of proper grammar due to Internet chatrooms and instant-message programs. However, when brevity is imperative, I can see how a few bits of contractions or abbreviations may be appropriate. There are a few commonplace contractions in Esperanto that you might encounter during casual online…
Who says it’s forgotten? Posted by Transparent Language on May 12, 2009
I encountered this news story a little while ago during my periodic voyages across the Internet. The piece is a bit outdated (it’s from 2005), but it does raise a valid question: what happened to Esperanto? There are still quite a few speakers worldwide, but I have a feeling that Esperanto does not enter the…