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Esperanto

Learn English meaning of 'Esperanto'

Date: Feb 08 2017

Themes: Hobbies, How To, School

Grammar: Comparative Adjective Phrases

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Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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Why are you learning English? Why don’t people in England, Canada, Australia, and the US learn your tongue? Here’s an idea: Why don’t we all learn a new and different language together? In 1887, a Polish eye doctor thought this was a good idea. He wanted the world to be able to communicate in a language that didn’t belong to any country. This doctor invented a new artificial language and named it Esperanto.

Esperanto is an easy language to master. There are only 16 grammar rules and there are no irregular verbs. So, is Esperanto catching on? Maybe, slowly. It is spoken all around the world. Some people even learn it in childhood, like famous businessman George Soros. But other people are skeptical. English, for example, is already spoken by so many people. Does the world really need another language to connect people.

Andy has good reasons for learning Esperanto. Listen to this English lesson as he explains his reasons to Marni.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Andy_H

Marni

Andy_H: Hey, Marni. Kiel vi fartas?

Marni: Uh, excuse me?

Andy_H: I just said How are you? in Esperanto.

Marni: Oh, my gosh. Esperanto, seriously?

Andy_H: Yes, Esperanto, possibly the best language that’s ever been invented.

Marni: I don’t know, I’m a little skeptical on that. It’s, like, an artificial language, right? Some Polish eye doctor invented it?

Andy_H: Yeah. It’s been used to connect just about every single tongue in the world so that all people can communicate. This is a language that will make everyone feel welcome. It’s something that brings everyone to the table.

Marni: How come, though, it’s not very popular? I mean, I don’t really hear anybody speaking Esperanto. I don’t know anybody who’s studied it.

Andy_H: It’s because it’s still catching on, but it took a long time for people to start using light bulbs, too. Here’s the thing. Esperanto is a really smart idea because it takes from a lot of cognates, which are words that share sounds and identities in other languages, and it brings them all together. Like, the word for one… un. How many languages have that sound to mean one. And there are no irregular verbs. The thing is, this language is kind of perfect.

Marni: OK, irregular verbs are the least of my concerns. Yet another language that I need to try to master.

Andy_H: I’ll put it this way. Having taught English, it’s a much harder language to learn compared to something as simple as Esperanto.

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Discussion

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Saluton! That means hello in Esperanto, which is a tongue that Andy thinks is really cool. When he tries to communicate in Esperanto with Marni, she’s skeptical about this artificial language. Marni knows that the language was invented a long time ago by a Polish eye doctor, but she doesn’t hear anyone speaking Esperanto now.

Andy isn’t worried. He is sure that Esperanto is catching on. What’s not to love about it? It’s easy to master since it has no irregular verbs. Plus, it has so many cognates that learners probably already know many words in the language. Esperanto can connect all of us, Andy thinks, if we just give it a chance.

Which languages do you want to master? Do you know a language that someone invented?

Comments

valen98_c

Colombia

I am a native spanish speaker and I am in my journey to master my english skills. In regard to the conversation about Esperanto I do not believe this tongue is catching on, so I disagree with Andy.

Marcionilo

Brazil

I agree with Andy. Study Esperanto is really easy and you have so many good thing to enjoy in its comunity. Perhaps this language is catching on, we already have musics, literature, and a vaste cultural things to dilight in Esperanto.

gallagher7

Brazil

this language will probably be a special resource for communication in a close future.But there must be some devices to keep spreading this new kind of language all over the world,such as schools bound to the teaching of it.

mahtab49

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

There are some artificial languages between persians that are used for secret talking!

Zargari is one of them!

But it is persian with a rule like replacing or adding a letter to every word a part of every word 😀

mahtab49

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I remember when I and my brother were teenagers we tried to learn Espranto!

Why? I dont exactly know but it was for fun I think so!

I think that Polish eye doctor made a new language with less difficulties that we find in some languages that have many rules that are not very necessary!!

Some languages like Arabic or German have very complicated grammer rules and it made them hard to learn!

Really why?

I think nowadays we, people ,need to communicate more than old times so it was great if language was not a border between us!

I think it is the only choice I have now to master English to communicate with others!

But the idea of having one simple and common language between all people around the world is significant!!👌

julito1

Argentina

Like it or not the English language is as a rule globally spoken and for non-native people a way to communicate around the world. I would like to master English and I don´t quite agree with Andy that Esperanto is catching on.