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It's the 1930's

ca, kivuye

Ubutumwa 33

ururimi: English

sudanglo (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 28 Rusama 2014 08:52:46

High unemployment, economies in crisis, real incomes falling or stagnating, voters swing to the right - it's the 1930's.

Some say the 1930's was the heyday of Esperanto.

Is the current climate favourable again to Esperanto? Is it the case that when we more zealously guard are different identities, the more attractive the idea of an interlanguage for communicating with foreigners becomes.

morfran (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 29 Rusama 2014 11:30:12

I read that the heyday was in the 1920s, when the League of Nations included Esperanto in its educational curricula.

The 30s were a mixed bag for Esperanto — it was officially supported in some countries, persecuted in others.

The zeitgeist of the 30s might have been friendly to Esperanto insofar as it was friendly to other optimistic and universalist “we can change the world through reason” late bloomers of the Enlightenment — notably fascism and communism — but the world became cynical about such things after WWII. And for the most part continues to be so.

But economic conditions per se don’t seem to have played much of a role in Esperanto’s popularity, so the world’s current economic woes are unlikely be any more fertile ground for Esperanto than the world’s previous economic woes since the Great Depression.

kaŝperanto (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 29 Rusama 2014 15:24:54

This is an interesting line of thought, but the technology and culture we have now are so different that it is impossible to compare IMHO. There may be a case that the "enlightened" thinking that led to communist/fascist ideas might see a resurgence in a more severe recession/depression. People could return to these idealist projects, and Esperanto might be one of them. Who knows.

Oijos (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 30 Rusama 2014 16:48:38

What? The world as a world is better off economically than anytime in its history! Or are you talking (like always) Eurocentrically? Esperanto is intended to be an auxlang for the whole world, if the eurozone is suffering it shouldn't matter much if you check population statistics.

Oijos (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 30 Rusama 2014 17:04:53

Is the current climate favourable again to Esperanto?
My view is that the current climate for Esperanto is most unfavourable ever, because with every passing day more and more people CAN communicate with each other using a certain natlang which has spread more than any other language in human history. The growing power of English and concurrent decline of Esperanto's movement are related in my opinion. At least that is what I have observed in Finland. For many older Esperantist here Esperanto is their only foreign language.

Esperanto needs some kind of miracle(s) now to get interest and even famousness back. Some billionaire's money, for example.

efilzeo (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 30 Rusama 2014 17:23:22

i think we have to wait until the fall of the usa's times of influence to see some changes... unfortunately the current competitors for that role seem highly dangerous.

sudanglo (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 31 Rusama 2014 10:01:47

Esperanto is intended to be an auxlang for the whole world
Part of the problem with Esperanto lies with the Esperantists themselves.

They haven't decided for what problem exactly Esperanto is the solution.

AllenHartwell (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 31 Rusama 2014 13:38:33

The language problem. Esperanto is meant to give a linguistic common ground for every human regardless of their native language or nationality. It's a halfway point for everyone to meet each other so there's none of the inequality between a native English speaker and a native Spanish speaker having to converse in English.

RiotNrrd (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 31 Rusama 2014 16:24:23

AllenHartwell:... so there's none of the inequality between a native English speaker and a native Spanish speaker having to converse in English.
But most native English speakers don't actually think that's much of a problem. Which is a big problem for Esperanto.

Oijos (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 31 Rusama 2014 17:11:45

sudanglo:
Esperanto is intended to be an auxlang for the whole world
Part of the problem with Esperanto lies with the Esperantists themselves.

They haven't decided for what problem exactly Esperanto is the solution.
Isn't I just stating the Zamenhofian and most common target?

Don't you have any other to say to my answer? Your economic comparison to 1930's is delusional.

To whom Esperanto is in your mind the proposed auxlang? Are you a supporter of the idea of regional auxlangs for different regions of the world?

And with alta nivelo you should be able to write your openings in the Esperanto section.

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