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.
Conlang Excursions 7: Esperanto in a parallel universe
Just a few steps away in the infinite multiverse, a version of you is reading this in Volapük. Volapük was the first international language to achieve any noticeable success. A German Catholic priest called Johann Martin Schleyer (rhymes with “higher”) devised it on a sleepless night in 1879, attributing the idea to divine inspiration. He published the following year. According to Charles E....
Planlingvaj ekskursoj 7: Esperanto en paralela universo
Nur kelketajn paŝojn for en la senlima multuniverso, varianto de vi legas ĉi tion en Volapuko. El la internaciaj lingvoj Volapuko estis la unua, kiu atingis ian rimarkeblan sukceson. Germana katolika pastro nomita Johann Martin Schleyer (“Ŝlajer”) elpensis ĝin en sendorma nokto en 1879, atribuante la ideon al dia inspiro. Li publikigis en la posta jaro. Laŭ la Man-libro de Volapuko de Charles E....
The Esperanto World Congress that almost did not happen: Barcelona, 1909
Since their origins, Esperanto World Congresses have been more than a celebration. They are living proof of Esperanto’s success and popularity. The benefits congresses bring to the movement are beyond question and have been thoroughly discussed within both Esperantism and academia. Yet there is more to them. Like Eurovision or the Olympic Games, the World Congresses offer the hosting nation a...
El Congreso Mundial de Esperanto que casi no sucede: Barcelona, 1909
Desde sus orígenes, los Congresos Mundiales de Esperanto han sido más que una celebración. Son la prueba viviente del éxito y la popularidad del Esperanto. Los beneficios que los congresos aportan al movimiento están fuera de toda duda y han sido discutidos a fondo tanto en el esperantismo como en la academia. Sin embargo, es mucho más que eso. Al igual que Eurovisión o los Juegos Olímpicos, los...
La Universala Kongreso de Esperanto, kiu preskaŭ ne okazis: Barcelono, 1909
Jam de siaj originoj la Universalaj Kongresoj de Esperanto estas pli ol festo. Ili estas vivanta pruvo pri la sukceso kaj populareco de Esperanto. La avantaĝoj portataj de la kongresoj al la movado estas nekontesteblaj kaj oni ĝisfunde diskutis ilin en Esperantujo same kiel en universitatoj. Ili tamen enhavas pli. Kiel Eŭrovido aŭ la Olimpiaj Ludoj, la Universalaj Kongresoj proponas al la...
Early Esperantists in Bohemia: Josef Grňa and Jakub Arbes
Pardubice. Kutná Hora. Svitavy. Jevíčko. Hradec Králové. Smíchov. Have you ever heard of any of these places? Worry not, me neither – at least not until recently. Let us start with and in Smíchov. In 2020, the ESF generously funded my project “Local Internationalist? Bohemia and Central European Esperantists between the local, national and global (1880s-1920)”. In late August that year, I...
Fruaj esperantistoj en Bohemujo: Josef Grňa kaj Jakub Arbes
Pardubice. Kutná Hora. Svitavy. Jevíčko. Hradec Králové. Smíchov. Ĉu vi iam ajn aŭdis tiujn loknomojn? Ne zorgu, ankaŭ mi ne – krom nur lastatempe. Ni komencu per kaj en Smíchov. En 2020 ESF malavare subvenciis mian projekton “Ĉu loka internaciisto? Bohemujo kaj centr-eŭropaj esperantistoj inter la loka, nacia kaj tutmonda niveloj (1880-aj – 1920)”. En la malfrua parto de la tiujara aŭgusto mi...
From Esperanto to Dothraki: a book review (2)
Piperski, Aleksandr: Конструирование языков: от эсперанто до дотракийского ‘Constructing Languages: from Esperanto to Dothraki’. Moscow, Alypina Non-Fikšn 2017, 224 paĝoj. ISBN 978-5-91671-1. This is the second part of a lengthy article by Stanislav Košecký (Slovakia). We published the introduction in August. The book is split into six chapters. The first is entitled An unattainable ideal, and...
Bulletin · Bulteno
Short bilingual announcements of publications and projects
Mallongaj dulingvaj anoncoj pri eldonaĵoj kaj projektoj
Contribute an item · Kontribui eron
AI raises questions about innate grammar · AI starigas demandojn pri denaska gramatiko
For years, many linguists have believed that learning language is impossible without a built-in grammar template. But new AI models such as GPT-3 prove otherwise, demonstrating that the ability to produce grammatical language can be learned from linguistic experience...
Marjorie Boulton: Unu animo homa
A two-volume collection of the complete poetic works of Marjorie Boulton has been published by Esperanto Association of Britain. Over 1200 pages long, Unu animo homa, a title taken from her poem “Aliĝilo”, contains all of her books of poetry, starting with her debut...
Call for IKU talks in Turin · IKU-prelegoj petataj por Torino
The 108th World Esperanto Congress in Turin will include the 76th session of the International Congress University (IKU). UEA asks that proposals for IKU talks be submitted by 31 January 2023. In connection with the IKU the International Academy of Sciences (AIS) will...
The future of linguistic diversity · La estontecto de lingva diverseco
A study in the magazine Nature finds that contact with other languages is not a driver of language loss, but that formal education and a greater density of roads can be. Studo en la anglalingva revuo Naturo trovas, ke kontakto kun aliaj lingvoj ne kaŭzas lingvoperdon,...
Changing the definition of love · Ŝanĝi la difinon de amo
The definition of the word láska “love” in the Dictionary of the Contemporary Slovak Language no longer mentions opposite sexes, thus reflecting reality. This article talks about why the change took place in the week after a terrorist attack on Bratislava’s Zámocká...
On site and remote, serious and friendly · Surloke kaj distance, serioze kaj amike
Here is a report on the interlinguistics session held this September, partly at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland and partly online. Jen raporto pri la interlingvistika sesio okazinta parte en la Universitato Adam Mickiewicz en Poznano (Pollando) kaj...
Public-Speaking Competition · Oratora Konkurso
As part of Esperanto’s 3rd Virtual Congress there will be a Public-Speaking Competition, open to congress members of up to 35 years of age. Participants will speak in Esperanto for a maximum of ten minutes on one of the following topics: “When an Indigenous language...
3rd Virtual Congress and Retoso · 3-a Virtuala Kongreso kaj Retoso
Suggest items for Esperanto’s 3rd Virtual Congress (VK), to be held from 24 to 27 November 2022 alongside Retoso, the online event of the World Esperanto Youth Organization (TEJO). Proposals for talks, panels, debates, author appearances, artistic and cultural...
Thinking with your hands · Pensado per la manoj
Demonstration of embodied cognition mechanisms in the brain could have implications for artificial intelligence. In a recent study, scientists observed how the brain responds to words representing objects that can be manipulated by hand, when a participant's hands...
AI learns human language patterns · AI lernas homlingvajn strukturojn
On its own, a new machine-learning model can discover linguistic rules that often match up with those created by human experts. Human languages are notoriously complex, and linguists have long thought it would be impossible to teach a machine how to analyze speech...
Watch Your Language · Atentu vian lingvon
A recent article by Steven Mintz, professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin, examines how language became a key cultural, ideological and political battleground: “Of all the traditional humanities disciplines, only one has consistently grown:...
Shakespeare myths · Ŝekspiraj mitoj
A short online article discusses five myths about Shakespeare’s contribution to the English language. Mallonga anglalingva artikolo diskutas kvin mitojn pri la kontribuoj de Ŝekspiro al tiu lingvo.
Babies and contrastive sounds · Beboj kaj kontrastaj sonoj
A recent study sheds light on how babies learn to distinguish contrastive sounds (big, pig) in their own language while rapidly losing the ability to distinguish the contrastive sounds of other languages. Building on their previous research, the authors suggest that...
Conference on education, literature and language · Konferenco pri edukado, literaturo kaj lingvo
The London Institute of Skills Development is hosting the Applied Research International Conference on Education, Literature and Language at Cambridge University, UK from November 3rd to 5th this year. This is an opportunity for academics, practitioners, consultants,...
New book on Esperanto morphology · Nova libro pri Esperanta morfologio
During this summer’s 56th Baltic Esperanto Days gathering in Klaipėda, Ryszard Rokicki presented his new book Enkonduko en la morfologion de Esperanto (Introduction to the morphology of Esperanto). Rokicki has spent nearly 50 years working on Esperantology. En la 56aj...
International Conference of Applied Linguistics · Internacia Konferenco de Aplikata Lingvoscienco
The Philology Faculty of Vilnius University, Department of Lithuanian Studies, the Lithuanian Association of Applied Linguistics (LITAKA) and the Institute of the Lithuanian Language are currently holding the Sixth International Conference of Applied Linguistics on...
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