[Editor’s Note: This is the 14th in a series of blogs that examine how education developed throughout history until the present. Links to previous blogs are included at the bottom of the post.] Jan Amos Comenius was a Protestant bishop who lived from 1592-1670 and who reformed the educational system at the time. He came … Continue reading “A History of Education: European Influences on the American Educational System (Jan Amos Comenius)”
Tag: Latin
A History of Education: The Renaissance
[Editor’s Note: This is the 12th in a series of blogs that examine how education developed throughout history until the present.] The Middle Ages, also called the “Dark Ages,” took place between the fall of ancient Rome in 476 CE and the beginning of the 14th century. It was a time filled with war, pestilence, … Continue reading “A History of Education: The Renaissance”
A History of Education: The Islamic World: The Golden Age
[Editor’s Note: This is the 11th in a series of blogs that examine how education developed throughout history until the present. Links to previous blogs are included at the bottom of the post.] Around the 6th century CE, Europe entered the Dark Ages, which lasted from around 500 until about 1300. During this time, intellectual … Continue reading “A History of Education: The Islamic World: The Golden Age”
The History of Writing and Reading – Part 24: Featural Scripts (part 2 of 3)
[Editor’s note: This is the twenty-fifth of an ongoing series that examines the rise of writing – and therefore reading – around the world. We will be looking at the major developments and forces that shaped the written languages we use today. Links to all the previous posts are listed at the end of this … Continue reading “The History of Writing and Reading – Part 24: Featural Scripts (part 2 of 3)”
The sound of Esperanto
Zamenhof’s initial work on Esperanto, the “Unua Libro,” or “First Book,” was published in 1887. It contained 920 roots from which tens of thousands of words could be formed, along with the Fundamental Grammar, or “Fundamenta Gramatiko,” which listed 16 basic grammatical rules. Zamenhof renounced all rights to Esperanto and encouraged comments and suggestions on the development of the language. In 1905, the first Universal Esperanto Congress (La Unua Universala Esperanto Kongreso) was held at Boulogne-sur-Mer. Six hundred eighty-eight people showed up to discuss their new language in their new language, and at least one convention has been held every year since then, with the exception of the cumulative 10 years of the two World Wars. Conventions remain the major feature of the Esperanto speakers’ social calendar. [3]
Today Esperanto is the most widely used international auxiliary language and is particularly popular in Eastern Europe, China, and Brazil. There are approximately 1,000 native speakers, while 10,000 people can speak it fluently, 100,000 can use it actively, and about 10 million have studied it to some extent. Esperanto literature includes books, magazines, and poetry, with some originally written in Esperanto while others were translated into Esperanto from other languages. Some radio stations broadcast Esperanto news bulletins, and there have been at least four full-length feature films in the language, including the 1966 horror flick “Incubus” starring William Shatner. While definitely an active language, it never caught on to the extent that Zamenhof hoped.
What does Esperanto as a written language look like? Here’s one example:
Ĉiuj homoj naskiĝas liberaj kaj egalaj en digno kaj rajtoj. Ili posedas racion kaj konsciencon, kaj devus konduti unu la alian en spirito en frateco.
Translation
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
Next up: Featural Scripts, Part 2
Citations:
[1] Zender, Marc. (2013). “Writing and Civilization: From Ancient Worlds to Modernity.” The Great Courses Lecture DT2241.
[2] Dean, Sam. (May 29, 2015). How an artificial language from 1887 is finding new life online. Theverge.com. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2015/5/29/8672371/learn-esperanto-language-duolingo-app-origin-history
[3] Ager, Simon. (2018). “Esperanto.” Omniglot.com. Retrieved from https://www.omniglot.com/writing/esperanto.htm
To read Part 1 (Sumerians), click here.
To read Part 2 (Egyptian hieroglyphs), click here.
To read Part 3A (Indo-European languages part 1), click here.
To read Part 3B (Indo-European languages part 2), click here.
To read Part 4 (Rosetta Stone), click here.
To read Part 5 (Chinese writing), click here.
To read Part 6 (Japanese writing), click here.
To read Part 7 (Olmecs), click here.
To read Part 8 (Mayans), click here.
To read Part 9 (Aztecs/Nahuatl), click here.
To read Part 10 (Etruscans), click here.
To read Part 11 (Meroïtic), click here.
To read Part 12 (Runes and Futhark), click here.
To read Part 13 (Musical Notation), click here.
To read Part 14 (Printing, Part 1), click here.
To read Part 15 (Printing, Part 2), click here.
To read Part 16 (Printing, Part 3), click here.
To read Part 17 (Origins of English, Part 1), click here.
To read Part 18 (Origins of English, Part 2), click here.
To read Part 19 (Origins of English part 3), click here.
To read Part 20 (Origins of English, Part 4), click here.
To read Part 21 (Printing and the Digital Age), click here.
To read Part 22 (Music’s Later Developments), click here.
To read Part 23 (Featural Scripts, Part 1), click here.
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The History of Writing and Reading – Part 18: The Origins and Development of English (Part 2 of 4)
[Editor’s note: This is the nineteenth of an ongoing series that examines the rise of writing – and therefore reading – around the world. We will be looking at the major developments and forces that shaped the written languages we use today. Links to all the previous posts are listed at the end of this … Continue reading “The History of Writing and Reading – Part 18: The Origins and Development of English (Part 2 of 4)”
The History of Writing and Reading – Part 17: The Origins and Development of English (Part 1 of 4)
[Editor’s note: This is the eighteenth of an ongoing series that examines the rise of writing – and therefore reading – around the world. We will be looking at the major developments and forces that shaped the written languages we use today. Links to all the previous posts are listed at the end of this … Continue reading “The History of Writing and Reading – Part 17: The Origins and Development of English (Part 1 of 4)”
The History of Writing and Reading – Part 16: Printing and its Effect on the World (Part 3 of 3)
[Editor’s note: This is the seventeenth of an ongoing series that examines the rise of writing – and therefore reading – around the world. It is also the third of a three-part discussion of the rise of printing and its effect on various civilizations. Links to all the previous posts are listed at the end … Continue reading “The History of Writing and Reading – Part 16: Printing and its Effect on the World (Part 3 of 3)”
The History of Writing and Reading – Part 10: Etruscan, an Undecipherable Language
[Editor’s note: This is the eleventh of an ongoing series that examines the rise of writing – and therefore reading – around the world. We will be looking at the major developments and forces that shaped the written languages we use today. Links to all the previous posts are listed at the end of this … Continue reading “The History of Writing and Reading – Part 10: Etruscan, an Undecipherable Language”
The History of Writing and Reading – Part 3B: The Rise of Indo-European Languages (Part 2 of 2)
[Editor’s note: This is the fourth of an ongoing series that examines the rise of writing – and therefore reading – around the world. It is also the second part in our discussion of Indo-European languages. Links to all the previous posts in this series are listed at the end of this one.] Last time, … Continue reading “The History of Writing and Reading – Part 3B: The Rise of Indo-European Languages (Part 2 of 2)”