Re: Academic/scientific journals in Esperanto?

From: Todd (todd.moody_at_gmail.com)
Date: 02/05/05 

Date: 4 Feb 2005 19:36:12 -0800

Christopher Culver wrote:
> It doesn't seem to protect French very well. Try speaking French at
an
> Esperanto congress and see how quickly you are scolded.

This is a non sequitur. The fact that Esperanto congresses exist in
large part to promote Esperanto and to give Esperanto speakers from
around the world an opportunity to speak Esperanto with each other and
to listen to speakers in Esperanto has nothing at all to do with
whether Esperanto can protect French or any other language from
extinction. Esperanto congresses are mainly celebrations of Esperanto.

You know, I don't entirely disagree with your remarks about the cultish
nature of a segment of the Esperanto community. As you know, that
cultish element has been there from the beginning, starting with
Zamenhof himself, and it has always been a point of controversy
*within* the Esperanto community, as well as a target for its critics.
The fact that Esperanto has a "hymn" is a sure sign of it. Louis de
Beaufront, for example, struggled against this tendency, exemplified by
the hymn, the "interna ideo", Zamenhof's (ultimately failed) attempt to
link Esperanto to "homaranismo." This element lives on, of course, but
has also been continuously opposed by other elements within the
"movement," such as "Rauxmismo," etc.

The rise and fall of languages are driven by powerful political,
cultural, and economic forces. Those forces are what threaten some
languages with extinction. Esperanto threatens no language because it
is driven by no such forces; it has remained marginal since its
creation and is likely, in my view, to remain that way. Yes, it is a
"logical" solution to many problems of international communication, but
that only goes to show how little logic has to say about such matters.

We could discuss what might be the fate of minority languages in the
event of the "verda venk'", but for that discussion to have a point
we'd have to be willing to accept the premise that the "verda venk'" is
a foreseeable reality? Do you accept that premise? I don't. For that
matter, I think "strong multilingualism" as a strategy for the
conservation of languages is as much a pipe dream as the "verda venk'."
 Who are the people likely to believe that strong multilingualism is
the way to go? -- Intellectuals, idealists, and speakers of minority
languages. Does this sound familiar? Do you think you could sell
strong multilingualism in the native English-speaking world any more
easily than you could sell Esperanto? I very much doubt it. Retired
Illinois senator Paul Simon wrote _The Tongue-Tied American_ over 20
years ago, and it fell on deaf ears then. I doubt it would get a
better reception today.

The Esperanto community, like other cultures, is divided. You have
what we may call the cultists, who still believe in such things as the
"interna ideo," the "verda venk'," "sennacieco," and so on. And you
have those who are in it for more personal reasons. A great many
people stay involved in Esperanto simply because it's fun, interesting,
and rewarding. I count myself in that category. Many (not all) find
the language pleasing to speak and read, and they just enjoy using it.
I think it's interesting and noteworthy that from the very beginning
Esperanto attracted some individuals with genuine literary talent, who
found it worthwhile to test the resources of the language for creative
expression (yes, it attracted hacks too, but that's neither interesting
nor noteworthy). I don't think it would be accurate to call all or
even most of these figures cultists.

I think there are some who, if they didn't learn Esperanto, wouldn't be
likely to study any other foreign language either. These people cannot
be counted as diverted multilingualists. There seem to be plenty of
Esperanto speakers who also know at least one other foreign language.
It's pretty common, in Esperanto socializing, to ask and be asked what
languages one speaks. The majority of Esperantists I've met fall into
this category. But there may well be those who *would* study other
languages if they did not get involved in Esperanto instead. These are
the diverted multilingualists. I don't think there's any good way of
estimating their numbers, but my hunch is that they are few. For what
it's worth...I studied French before I learned Esperanto, and I studied
Spanish after learning it. I was impressed with the fact that after
less than a year of Esperanto study, my ability to communicate in
Esperanto greatly surpassed my ability to communicate in French. And
my mastery of Spanish has not yet reached the level of my French, but I
keep working at it! I am quite certain that if I hadn't learned
Esperanto, I'd still be working on my French and Spanish.

I've experienced the frustration of wanting to practice my French but
having francophones switch to English when they hear my
accent--especially in Montreal. But if I were looking for an
opportunity to practice my French and Spanish, an Esperanto congress is
the last venue I would consider. I think it's a mistake, however, to
blame that on cultishness.

Todd Moody

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