Hi everyone,

Although I don't speak it, I am very interested in Esperanto and I'm currently completing my Dissertation on global languages. In particular, I'm looking at the difference between constructed languages and living national languages.

If any Esperanto speakers could spare 5 minutes to fill out this questionnaire, I'd be delighted. Your views would be very helpful indeed!

If you could reply with the answers that would be great, or alternatively, you could send them to me privately. Here is my email address: pepperj@aston.ac.uk

Thanks!

1. Why did you learn Esperanto?

2. Do you use it regularly?

3. How do you use Esperanto and with who?

4. Do you think there should be a global language that everyone speaks and understands?

5. Do you think it is better to create a common language than to use one that already exists?

6. Is English the best choice for a global language?

1) Still learning
2) Regularly yes, often no.
3) As a common language with those who do not speak English.
4) Yes
5) Better to use a simple language that everyone can learn more easily than other languages, and that already has an established widespread speaker base. So far Esperanto is the only one that meets that criterion.
6) Absolutely not. English is a beautiful, rich, complex, subtle language. But many native English speakers have trouble with spelling. For people who have English as a second language it is a minefield, just waiting for them to take a step wrong.

1. Why did you learn Esperanto?

For two reasons, principally. I learnt for my studies English (I’m French), Italian, Hebrew, Greek, Latin and some German. And, in no one I’m able to speak really… I would know at least one other language than French. Esperanto is simple, I can after 8 month of learning speak as in my best foreign language, English (whereas I learn English since 12 years!). But I’m seduce by the ideology behind Esperanto too.

2. Do you use it regularly?

As often as I can. On Internet, every week. I go every month in my local club to speak Esperanto with other « real » persons.

3. How do you use Esperanto and with who?

On Internet chiefly, but with other Esperantists of my local club.

4. Do you think there should be a global language that everyone speaks and understands?

Yes, it should be better.

5. Do you think it is better to create a common language than to use one that already exists?

Esperanto already exist ^^

6. Is English the best choice for a global language?

No. English is a beautiful language, but, I can say it because I’m myself a foreigner, very difficult, chiefly on pronunciation.

pepperj:

1. Why did you learn Esperanto?

2. Do you use it regularly?

3. How do you use Esperanto and with who?

4. Do you think there should be a global language that everyone speaks and understands?

5. Do you think it is better to create a common language than to use one that already exists?

6. Is English the best choice for a global language?

1. Because I love the idea of a universal second language.

2. In translation and in listening to music/the radio, but I don't speak it very often.

3. People on this forum and other internet locations. I translate video game scripts as a hobby.

4. I think there should be a universal second language (an important distinction for esperantists). All languages should be preserved and used amongst their people groups, but Esperanto aims to work between groups who otherwise could not communicate.

5. Of course, it's the only way to forge equality. In Esperanto, everyone is on equal ground because no one is born and raised in a purely Esperanto community. We are all students, wherever we are from.

6. No. English may be (in my opinion) one of the better natural languages for expression, but such complexity requires a lifetime of effort to learn everything.

1. Why did you learn Esperanto?
To see how it works and to find out if it can substitute English in its role of an international language.

2. Do you use it regularly?
I´m only a beginner so I try to learn something new every day. In that sense, yes, I do.

3. How do you use Esperanto and with who?
Apart from learning, I like watching youtube lectures in Esperanto. When I see a clever person speaking it, I go like: "Hell, yes!"
Thanks to lernu.net I´ve found a friend and now communicate with him via email. What else? I´m a teacher and one of my students is an Esperantist (far better than me) and if she needs to talk to me because of our course she does so in Esperanto.

4. Do you think there should be a global language that everyone speaks and understands?
Well, it would be lovely, but I think that such a goal is rather too ambitious. I´d be more than happy if something like that could be achieved within the EU. It´s a nuisance if the EU citizens don´t understand each other.

5. Do you think it is better to create a common language than to use one that already exists?
Again, technically why not? But Esperanto was created in the 19th century and it is still around in spite of the fact that even linguists look down at it and in spite of Stalin´s and Hitler´s effort to obliterate it. Why not using Esperanto then? In my opinion we can learn a thing or two on how international communication works if we study it more seriously.

6. Is English the best choice for a global language?[/quote]Definitely not. Look, I teach it. It means that my English should be flawless. Is it? I bet it´s not. Worse, you as a native speaker will be always able to tell and make a fool of me. It´s not fair, is it?
I know many people who dread the idea of having to address an audience in English. I know how much time they invest into their attempt to master it instead of doing their own research. If there is less time consuming alternative (Esperanto), why don´t we give it a serious try?

Good luck with your paper.

If I may, Jack, I'll make some general comments rather than giving my own personal answers.

4. The community is divided between those that think that Esperanto is the rational solution to Tower of Babel problem (but as a second language for all) and those who are in love with the language and not concerned with language politics at all.

5. Those who are concerned with language politics think that a language designed for purpose is a better solution than the imposition of any national language. [The question is flawed because Esperanto already exists (no point in re-inventing the wheel) and after 125 years of development stands ready for use]

6. Any 'natural' language contains a whole hodge-podge of historical baggage which means that the adult learner can only come to the point of being comfortable with it after substantial investment of time and money. So it isn't just English which is unsuitable. There is also the problem of the learner constantly being in a one-down position with regard the native speaker. Esperanto puts people on an equal footing

1. Why did you learn Esperanto?

Because I was reading about it on Wikipedia, read the whole description of the grammar, and then thought to myself, “Well, now that I know the whole grammar, why don't I just learn to use it?” I was expecting it to be a rather dull, if ‘easy’ language. I was wrong—I realized that, on the contrary, it's very colourful and expressive! (I was right about its being easy, and I think it's helped me with learning other languages—and in understanding linguistic concepts—as well.)

2. Do you use it regularly?

It depends. Sometimes I'll go for a while without using it, but then I'll miss it and start reading and writing in it again. Since I teach Esperanto at my college, that keeps me going with it regularly during the academic year.

3. How do you use Esperanto and with who?

As I just mentioned, I teach it at my college. I've written in my private journal in it before (maybe I should start doing that again). I own some books in Esperanto (including Biblio and Winnie la Pu, both of which I've read from recently). I participate on the Lernu forums from time to time; when I started learning, I read and participated very often. A couple of times, I've watched a movie in it.

Do you think there should be a global language that everyone speaks and understands?

Sure. I don't think it will ever happen (call me a pessimist!), but I think it's a good goal and respect those who work towards it. I'm not even sure that it would happen, due to language evolution and all that, but I definitely wouldn't call it a foregone conclusion. ¶ Among Esperantists, there are generally two kinds of activists: the Finvenkistoj, which is those who believe in the ‘Final Victory’ (of Esperanto as a universal second language), and the Raŭmistoj, who believe that Esperanto is already useful and, frankly, don't mind that it's not (yet) a universal second language. I tend to fall into the latter camp: I think it's great for what it does in bridging the language barrier on a personal scale, without its being spoken by a huge number of people.

5. Do you think it is better to create a common language than to use one that already exists?

Well, before Esperanto, I'd say one needed to be made. After Esperanto, I think we've got a good one to use!

6. Is English the best choice for a global language?

No, there's lots of problems with it in that regard. Don't get me wrong, I like English, but it doesn't have the flexibility and neutrality that a language like Esperanto has—two important characteristics of a good candidate for global language. I don't mind that it serves a purpose in today's world, but it certainly doesn't do the job perfectly. And as someone else mentioned, English isn't uniquely bad, or uniquely good. It's basically just like any other natural language in this regard.

1. Why did you learn Esperanto?
I figured if I couldn't learn Esperanto, I couldn't learn any language

2. Do you use it regularly?
Everyday, with friends and a few family members

3. How do you use Esperanto and with who?
With friends above all, I use it like I would English, except I'm speaking Esperanto. I enjoy the fact that I can speak in another language.

4. Do you think there should be a global language that everyone speaks and understands?
Yes

5. Do you think it is better to create a common language than to use one that already exists?
Yes

6. Is English the best choice for a global language?
No, English is too complex in every aspect. I as a native speaker at the age of 26 still need a spell checker, but after three years studying Esperanto, I don't require a spell checker, because it is spelt like it sounds.

1. Why did you learn Esperanto?
Was drawn to the idea of it, but started to learn it having taught ESL for several years and seeing firsthand what English as a global language actually means; i.e. that it is lopsided in favour of us native speakers.

2. Do you use it regularly?
Yep

3. How do you use Esperanto and with who?
With other people at meetings, conventions; via skype, reading it, writing it. I've given a few presentations, too.

4. Do you think there should be a global language that everyone speaks and understands?
Given the uneven spread of education in the world, 'everyone', meaning 6 billion plus is unlikely. But if you mean 'everyone' as in everyone who is reasonably well educated and often has contact with other cultures and nationalities, then yes, why not.

5. Do you think it is better to create a common language than to use one that already exists?
Seeing the result today of 125 years of Esperanto, the most successful constructed language the bunch, the idea that anyone would do another one now and it become more successful than Esperanto is unlikely. So I'd go with one that already exists. Lojban II, of course. Or Esperanto.

6. Is English the best choice for a global language?
If you, as a native speaker of English, have ever spoken it with an average person who is not a native speaker, you will see how unequal, lopsided and second-rate the conversation is. It is of course excellent to talk to someone who has made the effort to speak to you, but it is not the same as speaking to someone who is a native speaker. If that learner has has spent say, 2000 hours studying it - about 4-5 hours a day for 2 years - you will know that it is still a lopsided conversation. Europeans seem to have a better hang of it than east Asians, but it's still lopsided except in rare cases. It is said that about 10000 hours are needed for the level of fluency that you and I attained simply by enjoying a wonderful childhood with our friends. Many or most adults do not have the lxury of all those extra hours. English would be the best choice if all the other countries would dump their native languages and take up English. Voila, a world of native speakers! That seems pretty unlikely, though some smaller countries have toyed with the idea of having it as a second official language, and some companies have an English-in-the-office policy. Esperanto seems a bit more reasonable a proposition, though is not exactly hitting the ground running.

Well, you are certainly getting a global response to your questionnaire.

But don't be misled by the high standard of English in the contributions here from other countries. The Esperantists are an unusual lot and you will find in their ranks an unusual proportion of polyglots and competent linguists.

The reality of the level of English among adult foreign learners is quite different, as can be confirmed by anyone who teaches English as a foreign language. I know of what I speak.