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.
Sandokan, the Tiger of Mompracem
This article by Alessandra Madella, which originally appeared on the Ĉina Radio Internacia website in January 2022, is republished here with the kind permission of its author. The Chinese year of the tiger gives us a chance to remember the tigerlike character of an adventure hero beloved of Italians and many others around the world, that is to say Sandokan, the handsome long-haired brave...
Sandokan, la Tigro de Mompraĉem
Ĉi tiu artikolo de Alessandra Madella, kiu unue aperis en la retejo de Ĉina Radio Internacia en januaro 2022, reaperas ĉi tie laŭ afabla permeso de la aŭtoro. En la jaro de la tigro laŭ la ĉina kalendaro, ni povas memori aventuran heroon je tigra karaktero tre amatan de italoj kaj multe da aliaj homoj tra la mondo. Temas pri la bela, long-hara, kuraĝa kaj grandanima pirato Sandokan, protagonisto...
Numismatics: an Esperanto cultural treasure trove no longer in the dark (3)
Numismatics involves much more than just collecting objects and describing them in a scientific fashion. Coins and medals are rightly considered actual artefacts, devised, created and manufactured by artists and medallists who were very often also skilled designers, sculptors etc. At the same time numismatic items illustrate and enrich the general history of human culture and of specific social...
Numismática: un tesoro cultural del esperanto que ya no está oculto (3)
La numismática implica mucho más que coleccionar objetos y describirlos de manera científica. Las monedas y medallas se consideran correctamente artefactos reales, ideados, creados y fabricados por artistas y medallistas que muy a menudo también eran diseñadores, escultores, etc. Al mismo tiempo, los elementos numismáticos ilustran y enriquecen la historia general de la cultura humana y de...
Numismatiko: ne plu kaŝita trezorujo de la Esperanto-kulturo (3)
Numismatiko estas multe pli ol nur kolektado kaj laŭscienca priskribado de objektoj. Moneroj kaj medaloj prave estu konsiderataj kiel veraj artefaktoj, elpensitaj, kreitaj kaj fabrikitaj de artistoj kaj medalistoj, kiuj tre ofte estis ankaŭ lertaj desegnistoj, skulptistoj ktp. Samtempe numismatikaĵoj ilustras kaj pliriĉigas la ĝeneralan historion de la homa kulturo kaj tiun de specifaj sociaj...
Conlang Excursions 6: Harmonic Variations
You may recall that a few instalments back, I outlined a fascinating artistic language called Elet Anta that has been all but forgotten since the death of its author. Now I’d like to present another similar curiosity, whose designer – under the pseudonym Galivad – says: “A lot of work went into creating this language, and I’d just like to share it, rather than leave it gathering dust in some old...
Planlingvaj ekskursoj 6: Harmoniaj variacioj
Vi eble memoras, ke antaŭ kelke da numeroj, mi skizis fascinan artan lingvon nomitan Elet Anta, kiu iĝis preskaŭ tute forgesita post la morto de sia aŭtoro. Nun mi volas prezenti alian similan kuriozaĵon, kies verkinto – uzante la kaŝnomon Galivad – diras: “Multe da laboro estis donita por krei ĉi tiun lingvon, kaj plaĉus al mi diskonigi ĝin, anstataŭ lasi ĝin subpolviĝi en malnovaj notlibroj.”...
CED turns 70 at the 44th Conference on Esperanto Studies
On a rainy day in London in 1952, after reading another newspaper article misrepresenting Esperanto as “the failed universal language that’s no longer spoken”, Ivo Lapenna stood up from his office chair, looked out the window and thought: “It’s time to create some sort of foundation or research centre to prove the value of Esperanto through serious academic research.” As the rain became heavier...
Bulletin · Bulteno
Short bilingual announcements of publications and projects
Mallongaj dulingvaj anoncoj pri eldonaĵoj kaj projektoj
Contribute an item · Kontribui eron
Singing, speech production, and the brain · Kantado, parolproduktado kaj la cerbo
Here is an interesting article about recent work led by Jianjing Kuang, a linguist at the University of Pennsylvania, to study how people create vowels when they sing. Jen interesa artikolo pri lastatempa laboro gvidata de Jianjing Kuang, lingvisto ĉe la Universitato...
From ideal to real · De idealismo al realismo
The non-profit organisation Global Voices recently published an article in Esperanto and seven other languages, entitled “Esperanto: De idealismo al realismo” (Esperanto: Can the language of idealism face reality?). La neprofitocela organizaĵo Global Voices (Tutmondaj...
Linguistic predictions during comprehension · Lingvaj prognozoj dum komprenado
Theorists propose that the brain constantly generates implicit predictions that guide information processing. During language comprehension, such predictions have indeed been observed, but it remains disputed under which conditions and at which processing level these...
The language that doesn’t use “no” · La lingvo, kiu ne uzas “ne”
Nepal’s Kusunda language has no known origin and a number of quirks, like no words for “yes” or “no”. It also has only one fluent speaker left, something linguists are racing to change. La kusunda lingvo en Nepalo havas nekonatan devenon kaj kelke da kuriozaĵoj,...
Linguistics and the Austronesian expansion · Lingvoscienco kaj la aŭstronezia ekspansio
The study of Indigenous languages spoken in maritime South-East Asia today has shed new light on the beginnings of the Austronesian expansion. This was the last major migration of people spreading out across the Pacific Ocean from eastern Taiwan and, ultimately,...
Non-speech vocal cues · Neparolaj voĉsignaloj
New research finds that specific parts of the brain recognize complex cues in human vocal sounds that do not involve speech, such as crying, coughing or gasping. Insights into the organization of the brain voice-recognition system will enable researchers to better...
Latin, Linguistics, Friendship and Poetry · Latino, lingvoscienco, amikeco kaj poezio
Here is an interview, entitled “Latin and Linguistics As the Gateway to Friendship and Poetry About Palestine”, with Kevin Hadduck, author of “Beloved Brother, Beloved Sister. Poems for Palestine” (2019). “Beautifully illustrated, this book is highly recommended for...
Edukado.net in Montreal · Edukado.net en Montrealo
Earlier this month, Edukado.net actively contributed to the World Esperanto Congress in Montreal. Here is a report on what took place, with photos. Pli frue en la nuna monato Edukado.net aktive kontribuis al la programoj de la montreala UK. Jen raporto pri la agado,...
Universal language network in the brain · Universala lingvoreto en la cerbo
In a large-scale functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, neuroscientists from MIT and Harvard University evaluated the claim of language universality with respect to core features of the brain's neural architecture. En ampleksa studo per funkcia magneta...
To be or not to be? · Ĉu esti aŭ ne esti?
A short article by Yutian Li, a student at the Beijing Royal School, entitled “The Vitality of Esperanto: To be or Not to be?”, provides a broad overview of Esperanto and may be of interest. Mallonga artikolo de Yutian Li, studento ĉe la Pekina Reĝa Lernejo, sub la...
Future of Languages conference · Konferenco Estonteco de Lingvoj
The international Future of Languages conference will be held at the University of Iceland in Reykjavík on 8 and 9 June 2023. The program will consist of theoretical and practical presentations as language teachers join forces to learn from each others’ experiences...
Esperanto in revolutionary Russia · Esperanto en la revolucia Rusio
A review by Alison Long has recently been published of Brigid O’Keeffe’s book Esperanto and languages of internationalism in revolutionary Russia. Lastatempe aperis recenzo verkita de Alison Long pri la libro de Brigid O’Keeffe Esperanto and languages of...
World Humanitarian Day · Monda Humanitara Tago
Today is World Humanitarian Day, and the non-profit organization Translators without Borders wants to honour humanitarians everywhere by sharing its community’s voices. Hodiaŭ estas la Monda Humanitara Tago, kaj la ne-profitocela organizaĵo Tradukistoj Sen Landlimoj...
A brief history of Esperanto · Mallonga historio de Esperanto
Here is a useful article by Joshua Holzer, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Westminster College, Missouri, entitled “A brief history of Esperanto, the 135-year-old language of peace hated by Hitler and Stalin alike”. Jen utila anglalingva artikolo de Joshua...
Zamenhof comic strip · Bildstrio pri Zamenhof
Jean-Pierre Cavelan has started a comic strip in French and Esperanto about the life of L. L. Zamenhof. All Esperanto speakers are invited to assist the work with criticisms, corrections, suggestions, (en/dis)couragement, etc. Jean-Pierre Cavelan komencis...
Esperanto, The Aggressor Language
The book Readings in Language Studies, Volume 7: Intersections of Peace and Language, published in 2019, has a final chapter by Timothy Reagan on “Esperanto, The Aggressor Language”, a US Army handbook from the early 1960s. La libro Readings in Language Studies,...
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