Esperanto - some questions

A few months ago I commented on a series of articles on Esperanto that was published in a Mexican paper. The author explained the history of Esperanto and its importance for the past, present and future. My first comment concerned the idea of a world language. Today I have some thoughts and questions that concern communication in general .

Communication is not only about words. A person can understand the single words and the rules according to which they are put together, but sometimes this can still mean, the person does not understand the message. We all know about things like humour or irony, where we say one thing and mean another. This becomes even more complicated when you consider cultural differences.  In one country it may be custom  to use  words like "dear/dearest"  frequently and they mean just normal appreciation. In Germany, however, "liebste/liebster" is used only in very close relationships . So, how do Esperantists bridge differences like these ... do two people really mean the same when they say "Kara..." ? 

Another example is literature. Literary texts express to a great extend the personality of the writer, which is formed by his/her cultural background. It is very difficult to translate idioms , proverbs and even metaphors into another language, as they are based on the historal, social and religious background of the country in question. I find it hard to imagine that Esperanto literature really works without being influenced by the cultural background of the writer. On the other hand, maybe the Esperanto community  will develop a cultural background of its own ... or does it already exist ?

As the language of a country is part of its culture, I like studying languages, even if I won't be as fluent in most languages as I am in English. But I get a glimpse of the culture this way.

All this does not mean that I want to belittle the idea of a language that provides an easy- to- learn means of communication. I have read some criticism of Esperanto which I don't want to go into here, as my own observation is that Esperantists are peaceful people interested in the world, its human beings and their culture.The Internet provides new opportunities for this - and who knows, Zamenhof's vision might become true one day.

The author finishes his articles with some personal remarks describing his own benefits from being an Esperantist. Of course, they are the same that I have from being a Jackie Chan fan (finding friends and learning about the world) - common goals and visions connect people across all borders !

I refer to :
Guillermo Macías y Díaz Infante: Pasado, presente y futuro del Esperanto (Primera de cuatro partes), in: La Jornada Aguascalientes, 2nd September, 2010, p. 6  (written in Spanish and Esperanto, part two to four on following Wednesdays)

Esperanto

The other day I read an article  on Esperanto. This first part of four dealt mainly with the idea that Esperanto is a suitable means of worldwide communication  due to its ability to express even complex and litarary contents and the fact that it is easy to learn.

This made me think about English, which is considered "the" world language. I teach English, I converse in English with most of my international friends and I love this language.  Of course, English is also a rich language, one that can express a lot of thoughts, emotions and facts (like all languages that are spoken by thinking human beings).  I realized that "English" (like all languages) has so many facets. For me it is not the language of the US political, economic and military leaders, for me it is first of all the language of literature that I love very much. The language of Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Paul Auster. The language of books like "To Killl a Mockingbird", or the language of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest." The language that created immortal lines in "Romeo and Juliet" or "Hamlet".

English got this image of "world language" not because it is spoken by so many people. If that was the criterion, we would all be learning Chinese or Spanish. It is true that English grammar is easier to memorize than French or Spanish verb  forms, but the details of expressing things can be just as complicated and delicate. English is a flexible language, one that has absorbed words from a lot of languages, and it is a language that is used and adapted to individual needs in its local varieties.

But the main reason why English is considered a  "world language" is one of power, history and politics. The British Empire also spread its language (made easy by the facts  I mentioned above) and today the USA are the remaining superpower... American politics, economy and culture rule and so does the language.

And when I got to this point, I thought that a "world language" that has nothing to do with power and oppression, but was created as a means of peace could maybe really help us. I should find out more about Esperanto ...

The article mentioned at the beginning is:
Guillermo Macías y Díaz Infante: Pasado, presente y futuro del Esperanto (Primera de cuatro partes), in: La Jornada Aguascalientes, 2nd September, 2010, p. 6  (written in Spanish and Esperanto)