tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29369863.post1526136921835352004..comments2024-03-29T04:15:05.103-05:00Comments on Anthro-Ling: Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09019682991191598492noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29369863.post-10352243335340388042010-01-03T13:35:58.943-06:002010-01-03T13:35:58.943-06:00Mi estas tre kontenta ke vi parolas Esperanton!
S...Mi estas tre kontenta ke vi parolas Esperanton!<br /><br />Sadly, Arika Okrent is wrong when she says "It (=Esperanto)asks us to give up what distinguishes us from the rest of the world for something that makes everyone in the world the same." The exact opposite is true. Esperanto speakers have always promoted the learning of other language, and have always favoured retaining "what distinguishes us from the rest of the world". I'm an everyday speaker of Welsh, and I don't see Esperanto as a threat to that.Bill Chapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12810992711601197508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29369863.post-57348629050031553182010-01-03T11:18:12.383-06:002010-01-03T11:18:12.383-06:00Bill and Brian: As a fellow aficionado of Esperant...Bill and Brian: As a fellow aficionado of Esperanto myself (jes, mi parolas la internacian lingvon), I can certainly understand your enthusiasm for the language. You might both be interested in a book: "In the Land of Invented Languages" by Arika Okrent, in which she talks about many invented languages, including Esperanto and Klingon, all through history. This is what she has to say about the overall lack of enthusiasm for learning Esperanto: "[natural languages] are the repositories of our very identities. Compared with them, Esperanto is an insult. It asks us to turn away from what makes our languages personal and unique and choose one that is generic and universal. It asks us to give up what distinguishes us from the rest of the world for something that makes everyone in the world the same." (These are her words, remember, not mine. And despite this rather gloomy paragraph, she does give a nice description of the language.) I agree that Esperanto "stands ready for wider use" and, with its crystal clear grammar, would be great even as a tool to learning the fundamentals of language in general and as an intro to foreign language learning in general. Unfortunately, I think Esperanto is too politically charged, too much like a religion (people mention its being a 'movement'), to become a true international language. But Klingon and Na'vi, on the other hand, are just for entertainment and "fun" and have no underlying raison d'etre other than being an intellectual exercise for the linguists creating them and a fun pastime for its learners with no further ambitions. But thanks for the links (I always enjoy telling people about Esp. most of whom have never heard of it) and perhaps the Internet will again fan the flames of interest. (PS: I would not count on English remaining an 'international language' either. Given the current economy and state of affairs of the US, it may only be a matter of time until Mandarin Chinese or Hindi take up this role!)Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09019682991191598492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29369863.post-26988551740880419222010-01-02T02:49:59.277-06:002010-01-02T02:49:59.277-06:00I did enjoy the film,and the language contributed ...I did enjoy the film,and the language contributed to the feeling of authenticity.<br /><br />I do wish that some of the time, money and energy that has gone into Klingon and the Na'vi language had been invested into Esperanto, a language which which was created for such noble aims and which stands ready for wider use.Bill Chapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12810992711601197508noreply@blogger.com