Esperantic Studies Foundation (ESF) was established in 1968 as a vehicle for promoting scholarly research and dialogue on issues concerned with world language problems and language policy and planning. It works to promote the understanding and implementation of linguistic justice in a multicultural world through three priority areas: Research, Conservation and Education, supported by a system of grants and awards. This blog, ESF Connected, showcases recent activities and achievements within ESF’s priority areas, and the work of ESF and others more generally.
Ilona Koutny: A Beacon in Esperanto Studies
Photo by Katalin Kováts, in Aalen (Germany) in 2018, when Ilona Koutny received the FAME award. On the occasion of the conclusion of the postgraduate Interlinguistic Studies at Adam Mickiewicz University (UAM) in Poznań, Poland, ESF congratulates and thanks Professor Ilona Koutny for her many years of valuable academic work in various fields and branches of Esperanto studies and...
Ilona Koutny: Gvidlumo en Esperanto-Studoj
Fotis: Katalin Kováts, en Aalen (Germanio) en 2018, kiam Ilona Koutny ricevis la FAME-premion. Okaze de la fino de la postdiplomaj Interlingvistikaj Studoj en la pola Universitato Adam Mickiewicz (UAM) en Poznano, ESF gratulas kaj dankas profesorinon Ilona Koutny pro ŝia multjara valora universitata agado en pluraj terenoj kaj branĉoj de esperantologio kaj interlingvistiko. La...
Reviving History: Reconstructing Esperanto Newspaper Excerpts from the Hachette Collection (1898-1915)
The main goal of the CLARIAH-AT project Esperanto Newspaper Excerpts was to create complete texts for newspaper articles from the Hachette collection. This collection contains articles about Esperanto from the period 1898 until 1915, which are being held at the Department of Planned Languages and Esperanto Museum of the Austrian National Library (ONB). In this blog post we want to present...
Revivigi Historion: Rekonstruado de Esperanto-Gazetaj Fragmentoj el la Kolekto Hachette (1898-1915)
La ĉefa celo de la projekto CLARIAH-AT Esperanto-gazeteltondaĵoj estis krei kompletajn tekstojn por gazetartikoloj el la Kolekto Hachette. Tiu kolekto enhavas artikolojn pri Esperanto el la periodo de 1898 ĝis 1915, kiujn konservas la Kolekto por Planlingvoj kaj la Esperantomuzeo de la Aŭstria Nacia Biblioteko (ONB). En tiu blogaĵo ni volas prezenti la deirpunkton, progreson kaj rezultojn de la...
Warsaw, 1959: Richard Nixon, a globetrotter, and a communist walk into an Esperanto Congress
The above image: Joseph Scherer in the first part of his world tour (from the UMass Amherst archive) On the 16th of October, 1959, Mark Starr (the director of the New York-based Esperanto Information Center) enthusiastically wrote, in a letter to George Falgier (then delegate for education of the Universal Esperanto Association): The director of the USIA [United States Information Agency],...
Varsovio, 1959: Richard Nixon, globvojaĝanto, kaj komunisto eniras Esperanto-Kongresejon
La supra bildo: Joseph Scherer en la unua parto de sia mondvojaĝo (el la arkivo de UMass Amherst) La 16-a de Oktobro, 1959, Mark Starr, la direktoro de la Esperanto Information Center, bazita en Novjorko, vigle skribis en letero al George Falgier, tiutempe delegito pri edukado de la Universala Esperanto-Asocio: The director of the USIA [United States Information Agency], George V. Allen, was so...
Ralph L. Harry: A Legacy of Diplomacy, Human Rights, and Linguistic Equality at the United Nations
H.E. Ralph Lindsay Harry, C.B. E. (1917—2002) Australian Delegate to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations UEA Honorary Patron Committee Member (1967) Honora Patrona Komitato (1967) A Tribute With the Universal Esperanto Association (UEA)’s celebration of 75 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the lifelong work...
Ralph L. Harry: Postlasaĵo de Diplomatio, Homaj Rajtoj, kaj Lingva Egaleco ĉe la Unuiĝintaj Nacioj
H.E. Ralph Lindsay Harry, C.B.E. (1917—2002) Aŭstralia Delegito al la Unuiĝintaj Nacioj kaj Komisiono de Homaj Rajtoj Konstanta Reprezentanto de Aŭstralio al la Unuiĝintaj Nacioj Membro de la Universala Esperanto-Asocio (UEA) Honora Patrona Komitato (1967) Omaĝo Okaze de la festado, fare de UEA, de 75 jaroj de la Universala Deklaracio de Homaj Rajtoj, la dumviva laboro de Ralph L. Harry meritas...
Bulletin · Bulteno
Short bilingual announcements of publications and projects
Mallongaj dulingvaj anoncoj pri eldonaĵoj kaj projektoj
Contribute an item · Kontribui eron
ChatGPT: Advantages and Dangers of Artificial Intelligence – La Aplikaĵo ChatGPT: Avantaĝoj kaj Danĝeroj de Artefarita Inteligenteco en la Socio
The Costa Rican Spanish-language online newspaper Delfino.cr published an article by Professors Jorge Antonio Leoni de León (Computational Linguistics) and Edgar Casasola Murillo (Computer Sciences), both from the University of Costa Rica, in which they discuss the...
How language evolved in Africa · Kiel lingvo evoluis en Afriko
When did humans first begin to speak, which speech sounds were uttered first, and when did language evolve from those humble beginnings? George Poulos, interviewed here, has spent most of his academic career researching the phonetic and linguistic structures of...
The BBC on Interlingua · BBC pri Interlingua
The BBC published a video in Spanish about the constructed language Interlingua on its YouTube channel on 26 January 2023. Journalist Laura García talks concisely and positively about the history and grammar of Interlingua. Linguist Professor Carlos Valcárcel Riveiro...
Algorithmic detection of Alzheimer’s by analysis of speech · Algoritma detektado de la alchejmera malsano per parolanalizo
The artificial intelligence algorithms behind the chatbot ChatGPT may one day be able to help doctors detect the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Recent research has demonstrated that OpenAI's GPT-3 program can identify clues from spontaneous speech that are 80%...
The universal sound of swearing · La universala sono de sakrado
Swear words across different languages tend to lack certain sounds such as L, R and W, suggests new research. These sounds may appear less offensive to listeners. Sakrovortoj en diversaj lingvoj emas malhavi iujn sonojn kiel L, R kaj Ŭ, laŭ sugesto de nova esploro....
The future of linguistic diversity · La estonteco de lingva diverseco
Language diversity is under threat. While each language is subject to specific social, demographic and political pressures, there may also be common threatening processes. This article in Nature uses an analysis of 6,511 spoken languages with 51 predictor variables...
Master’s programme in Poznań · Magistra programo en Poznano
November 2022 saw the start of the 2-year Master’s programme in interlinguistics as a specialist field of linguistics and information management at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. The roadmap for these unique studies includes subjects from linguistics...
Belarta rikolto 2022
From November the World Esperanto Association (UEA)’s bookshop has been offering the book “Belarta rikolto 2022” (Harvest of Fine Arts 2022), containing the prize-winning works from UEA’s 73rd Fine Arts Contest, as announced this year during the 107th World Congress...
Why does language diversity matter? · Kial gravas lingva diverseco?
This recent article in The New Indian Express summarises the history of India as a linguistically plural nation: “Language is one issue for governments, quite another for the people. Governments look at language as a burden on the exchequer, a potential trigger for...
Introductory book on language politics · Enkonduka libro pri lingvopolitiko
Published very early this year is the book Epistemological and Theoretical Foundations in Language Policy and Planning by Michele Gazzola, Federico Gobbo, David Cassels Johnson and Jorge Antonio Leoni de León. It is a short introductory book on language politics for...
The 2nd Conference of the Academy · La 2-a Konferenco de la Akademio
Zamenhof Day, 14 December, was originally Esperanto Book Day, and it was the date chosen by the Esperanto Academy for its second conference and the announcement of its laureate for the year. Ten members of the Academy spoke via Zoom about ten aspects of Esperanto that...
International Conference on Psychology, Language and Teaching · Internacia Konferenco pri Psikologio, Lingvo kaj Instruado
The International Conference on Psychology, Language and Teaching (ICPLT-2023) will be held in Istanbul, Turkey from 20 to 21 January 2023. Sponsored by the International Institute of Engineers and Researchers (IIER), it aims to be one of the leading international...
Power, lust and zinc · Povo, volupto kaj zinko
From 4 to 12 December 2021 the Dutch city of Maastricht hosted an exhibition entitled Macht, Wellust en Zink (“Power, Lust and Zinc”), which used historical documents and modern installations to recount the history of the industrial landscape and of Neutral Moresnet....
The power of language planning · La potenco de lingvoplanado
An article entitled “Before there was Language Policy, there was Language Planning”, posted in September last year, discusses the goals and consequences of language planning. Artikolo sub la titolo “Antaŭ ol ekzistis lingvopolitiko, ekzistis lingvoplanado”, afiŝita en...
Linguistics and fake news · Lingvistiko kaj falsaj novaĵoj?
A team of linguists at the University of Oslo is working with computer scientists and artificial intelligence researchers to see whether there are linguistic differences between real and fake news texts in Norwegian, English and Russian. Their goal is to improve...
“Baby talk” similar across many languages · Albeba parolado similas en multaj lingvoj
A recent study has revealed that baby talk, also known as infant-directed speech, displays similar properties across 36 languages. Caregivers generally talk to very young children in a high-pitched, slow-paced, animated manner. Lastatempa esploro malkovris, ke albeba...
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