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21 - 23 Oct London Language Show

de qwertz, 2011-oktobro-06

Mesaĝoj: 18

Lingvo: English

qwertz (Montri la profilon) 2011-oktobro-06 16:23:01

Hej,

http://twitter.com/Esperanto_UK

21 - 23 Oct is the London Language Show. EAB will be exhibiting once again. Click for a free ticket -

sudanglo (Montri la profilon) 2011-oktobro-07 09:43:59

I shall be again putting in a stint at the EAB's stand (at least on the Saturday) and I have started thinking about the opportunity that this show presents to explore the current attitudes of the general public towards Esperanto - or at least among language enthusiasts and professionals.

There is no point in our propaganda in fighting a battle that has already been won - trying to change attitudes where they are already favourable towards Esperanto.

But, as far as I know, no objective surveys have been conducted of the public's current prejudices (or favourable dispositions) with regard to Esperanto - in short Esperanto's current image in the mind of the public.

Furthermore such a survey provides a ready means of engaging the public milling by the stand - the number of visitors that this show receives is quite staggering.

I've started to mentally compile a list of questions on the survey and would welcome suggestions from Forum members.

qwertz (Montri la profilon) 2011-oktobro-08 13:18:59

Sounds very interesting:

"...Staff interpreters of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Court of Justice of the European Union will be present for all three days to answer your questions. The World Cinema will also be showing a selection of films about interpreting for Europe..."

sudanglo (Montri la profilon) 2011-oktobro-09 10:37:59

The traffic monitoring page at the EAB website sounds like a good idea Clare - though I seem to recall from last year that many of the vistors to the Show were not English.

I see from the Show's programme that Esperanto is to be included in the 'taster' language sessions. I think that's new, but maybe there was a beginners' course last year also. I wonder what the attendance will be like.

sudanglo (Montri la profilon) 2011-oktobro-09 10:49:08

Given the human capacity for self-deception and the readiness of our species to firmly believe things without evidence, it may well be the case that the Esperantists themselves have strange and false beliefs about Esperanto.

Such 'home-grown' prejudices may well be influencing our propaganda for the Language.

So a survey of our own beliefs and a comparison in the areas of greatest disparity with the General Public's ideas might be profitable.

Anyway, has nobody any ideas about what we (the Esperantists) think the General Public supposes and which might be the foundation for questions on the survey of attendees at the Language Show?

ceigered (Montri la profilon) 2011-oktobro-09 12:42:49

sudanglo:Anyway, has nobody any ideas about what we (the Esperantists) think the General Public supposes and which might be the foundation for questions on the survey of attendees at the Language Show?
"Are we Esperantists crazy, on a scale of "new-age fad" to "well-meaning internationalists" to "evil cult"?"

rido.gif (I'd hope many would go for "well-meaning internationalists", but somehow I think many would go for "new-age fad").

sudanglo (Montri la profilon) 2011-oktobro-10 10:38:37

Clare, I didn't encounter any confusion between Spanish and Esperanto last year at the Show, nor do I remember hearing anything like 'I thought it had died out'.

However a question along the lines of 'in your view, is Esperanto becoming more popular or less' might be useful.

Of course such a mini-survey could not claim to be scientific, but as a device for engaging the passers-by might be quite effective, and yet might reveal some aspect of the General Public's prejudices not often perceived.

I think I might ask:

'How long has Esperanto been a spoken language - 100/75/50/25 years?'

'Is Esperanto a mixture of European languages, or a language in its own right?'

Which of the following haven't been translated into Esperanto yet - Winnie the Pooh, The Bible, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Koran, Alice in Wonderland, Hamlet, The Da Vinci Code?

Should the EU adopt a single language for international communication?

'Is it possible to swear in Esperanto?'

Any more ideas, anybody?

ceigered (Montri la profilon) 2011-oktobro-10 16:12:48

sudanglo:Which of the following haven't been translated into Esperanto yet - Winnie the Pooh, The Bible, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Koran, Alice in Wonderland, Hamlet, The Da Vinci Code?
Is that a trick question? rido.gif (I'm guessing The Da Vinci Code, but seriously seems like it could none of them)

sudanglo (Montri la profilon) 2011-oktobro-10 21:20:53

It's not a trick question, Ceiger - the answer is The Da Vinci Code.

The purpose of such a question would be to explore the General Public's idea of the extent to which a broad range of translated literature exists in Esperanto.

Their answers may or may not be revealing.

However, I doubt that anybody would suppose the correct answer to be 'none of them'. More likely they would answer 'all of them' - but you never know.

ceigered (Montri la profilon) 2011-oktobro-10 23:22:04

sudanglo:However, I doubt that anybody would suppose the correct answer to be 'none of them'. More likely they would answer 'all of them' - but you never know.
Well, I guess the nature of the question would lead them to believe that something had been translated even if they hadn't thought so before, otherwise it's a strange question to ask... Unless we Esperantists are really just pulling everyone's leg.

But that seems like a good sort of question, if a lower-mid-range Esperantist like me had trouble answering without study. Makes'em wonder how deep the rabbit hole really goes if they didn't already know how much had been translated...

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