Tag Archives: history
Tremendous Scholarly Text Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 4, 2009
If you have ever found yourself searching for a compendium of major Esperanto literary works, at last your needs have been met! A fairly new (circa 2008) English-language encyclopedia is now available. As soon as my university procures a copy of this enormous tome, I’ll give it a thorough read! Prices for Geoffrey Sutton’s Concise…
What Is Ido? Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 30, 2009
Believe it or not, Esperanto has produced an ancillary language! Much in the same way that Latin evolved into Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese, so too has Esperanto spawned a similar language. The offspring language is called “Ido.” And, appropriately enough, the Esperanto word “ido” means “offspring.” (It’s also a suffix that denotes offspring, such…
Solresol Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 27, 2009
Esperanto was not the first attempt at a universal language. There were a few ill-fated ventures throughout history. Mostly, they had the right idea, but simply did not connect with the human mindset. My favorite example was Solresol, a curious language that used the seven notes of the musical scale. It came into existence a…
Almost at the U.N. Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 27, 2009
At two salient points in world history, Esperanto came within a fraction of a hair of being globally embraced. Unfortunately, neither of those instances proved fruitful for our favorite secondary language. However, it is worth noting that Esperanto comes closer and closer to worldwide recognition with each consecutive try – so we should be there…
La Verda Stelo Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 21, 2009
In your studies of Esperanto, you may have encountered La Verda Stelo, one of two major symbols of the language. It’s a readily recognizable image, easy to draw and easier to print! You might wonder where the symbol came from, or why the Esperanto movement decided on the green star as its emblem, so here…
Brief Notes on L.L. Zamenhof Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 19, 2009
Who is L.L. Zamenhof? To studentoj kaj parolantoj of Esperanto, Zamenhof is a hero of sorts, whose singular contributions to world language have been greater than any individual before or since. He has even been deified in the Shinto religion of Japan, where he is recognized as a “kami.” (studento = student; -j = denotes…