Posted by Lex
Ever since Zein posted a comment under the “Purism or Pluralism?” article from a ways back, I’ve been examining some of Esperanto’s “competitors.” I use the word “competitor” lightly, because it’s unfair to say that a language with essentially the same goals as Esperanto should be placed in an adversarial context. Perhaps we could refer to them as alternatives? Regardless, a fairly new and interesting auxiliary language has come into being within the last year, called Ardano.
I’m not entirely sure what to make of Ardano yet. From what I’ve seen there’s only a single book in existence about it. However, you can find free lessons in it online. There’s a popup-laden Ardano website here, where you can find lessons, a listing for Ardano under Yahoo Groups, and a Google Site that contains information and links about it.
While I doubt a mere mention of Ardano would be enough to persuade any devoted Esperantist to jump ship entirely, I do think Ardano may be worth a look. Nobody says you must forget Esperanto in order to study Ardano, after all! Comment if you have anything you’d like to say about it.
Posted by Lex
An interesting synonym for the English verb “to tempt” is the word “tantalize.” It can mean “to tease,” but it also connotes some temptation - “tantalizing” refers to something that arouses want, mostly due to that something’s unattainable nature. The word itself comes from the name of the Greek trickster-hero Tantalus, whose skills in deception led the gods to punish him. The legends place him in Tantarus, a region of the underworld reserved for evil-doers; in his particular portion, Tantalus is placed in water that recedes from him when he attempts to drink it, and underneath a fruit tree whose branches dangle ever higher when he tries to procure some of its fruit.
My point is that “tantalize” is one of the cooler English verbs. You can use it as a way to remember the Esperanto word for “tempt.” In Esperanto, we use tenti as “to tempt,” or “to entice.” Phonetically, it’s similar to the name of Tantalus. So, if the lack of an immediate cognate trips you up, think of synonyms for “to tempt.” You’ll remember in no time!
La kuko cxokolada tentas min. - The chocolate cake tempts me.
Posted by Lex
Do you speak Esperanto, but have some qualms about teaching it in schools? No? Well, I figured. Esperantists recognize the potential benefits of teaching Esperanto, but some people are a bit skeptical about the whole thing. I suppose I can understand the initial reluctance. Language is a deeply personal matter, and closely tied to one’s cultural identity. (Nevermind that the United States does not yet have an official national language!)
If, however, you’re a proponent of Esperanto teaching, I have a few links that you might find interesting. The first is an opinion paper from the Education Resources Information Center. It argues for all the usual benefits, but makes for a good brush-up. You can also find its PDF version, though the site links to it, as well. Secondly, Esperanto USA has yet another great blog entry that argues for the current US administration to take another look at Esperanto. Lastly, a movement on Change.org pushes for the teaching of Esperanto in public schools.
Educate yourself, and educate others! Gxis!
Posted by Lex
I’d wager that most Esperantists know of Inkubo. Unfortunately, other Esperanto films don’t as readily come to mind. In my search for Esperanto films, I’ve come across a more recent short film that looks like it could be interesting: Ne Plu Pikniko.
Given that its title translates to “No More Picnic,” I’m not inclined to think it’s a particularly upbeat movie. It follows the “adventures” of a woman who plunges chaotically through a corporate nightmare, encountering all sorts of soul-breaking revelations and mind-wrenching thought processes. It’s been labeled an “art film,” so I wouldn’t recommend it for casual viewing. However, if you want a film to provoke your thoughts, or to add another curiosity to your DVD collection, Ne Plu Pikniko may well be worth a look.
You can buy the film here, or read a press release for it here.
Posted by Lex
Since I’m usually averse to Internet translations, I’ve been somewhat reluctant to mention a tool called Traduku. If you’ve ever had experience with Babelfish, it functions much like the (in)famous web translator. Insert some text, or a URL, into the appropriate field, click a button for the desired language, and check the results. The page where it translates for you has a neat feature where you can run your mouse over the given text for a list of synonyms or other possible translations.
After playing with a few sentences, I’m not entirely disappointed with Traduku. Like all translation tools, however, I strongly caution you to proofread what it gives you…Who knows what its algorithm might be giving you! Here are a few sample translations of sentences I tried, so you can judge for yourself. Of course, a firsthand check might be the best course of action!
“I doubt that this works.” - “Mi dubas ke ĉi tiu labor.” (Probably should be “laboras,” or “laborus.”)
“Do you mind if I test?” - “Ĉu vi permes-as, ke mi ..u testas?” (Interesting hyphenation there.)
“Splendid.” - “Grandioza.” (One-word translations seem more reliable.)
Posted by Lex
Esperanto strikes me as an inherently literary language. I find that I learn the most about it by reading. Of course, I am a student of literature, so forgive me if this clouds my judgment! In any case, since your local library probably lacks solid Esperanto reads, you might need to drop a few dolaroj in order to procure yourself a book. Once again, the Internet comes to our aid!
I’ve had the most luck with Amazon.com in my online shopping experiences. Since they purvey goods from all over the world, the website is a good repository for Esperanto books, especially since you can buy them used. I recommend searching for “Esperanto books” in the little search bar at the top. However, if you’re feeling less adventurous, two conscientious users have assembled lists of worthwhile books. One is by someone named akompano. While I haven’t heard of him or her, that person has heard of Halldor Laxness, so I’m a fan! The other list is compiled by the talented Tim Westover, author of the short story collection Marvirinstrato. The man knows his stuff.
Bonan sxancon, and happy reading!
Posted by Lex
In hopes of procuring some good Halloween reading for the lot of you, I went on a search for an Esperanto copy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula online. I wasn’t successful…Perhaps a translation of the classic Victorian horror is order? However, I did stumble across a curious Esperanto document that nobody would have expected to appear on Project Gutenberg - U.S. President Barack Obama’s inaugural address!
I remember witnessing the speech on television, and admiring its message and presentation. From what I can tell, the Esperanto translation has tried to preserve the mood of the speech. It also reads like a transcript, and so it indicates via stage directions where there were breaks for audience applause. Give it a read - if only to know that people are still actively translating into Esperanto for the present day!
Posted by Lex
Perhaps this might bother some of the blog’s readers who hail from the United States, but I’m a diehard New England Patriots fan when it comes to American football. Today my favorite team played against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but for some reason, the game took place in Wembley Stadium - in London, England! I was surprised to see them there, but it was easy to see the merits of playing a game overseas. It’s almost as though the sports team, when in another country, acts as an ambassador. In that regard, sports seem to me like one of those instances where politics can be set aside, and people can join together for some good-natured competition. (Think of how almost every country in the world enjoys soccer, for example.)
Since sports have the ability to break down political and cultural barriers, I thought today that Esperanto could be right at home with them. There are already bilingual announcers for games in which the competitors (and thus their home audiences) speak different languages. However, this might exclude viewers from countries not directly involved with the game at hand, because they do not speak the language announced. Esperanto, if used for sportscasting, could help assuage this problem.
Of course, there’s something to be said of the symbolism of using Esperanto for sportscasting. Esperanto is supposed to help unite the world; sports have come about as close to doing so as anything seen thus far. Combining the two would speak volumes, no?
Posted by Lex
The end of October approaches, and so too does Halloween! As your talk turns to topics of ghouls and ghosts, you might want to have some Esperanto words up your sleeve to dazzle your friends. Here’s a list of some of the more common Halloween frights you could encounter at the close of the month…Hopefully as nothing worse than a costume! As always, additions and suggestions are more than welcome.
Vampire - vampiro
Ghost - fantomo (also, “fantomi” means “to haunt”)
Werewolf - homlupo (think of Old English - “were” means “man”)
Curse - malbeno (noun of “malbeni“)
Zombie - zombio
Grave/Tomb - tombo
Skeleton - ostaro (”-aro” de “ostoj“)
Witch - sorcxistino (Wizard = “sorcxisto“)
Posted by Lex
While ELNA, the Esperanto League of North America, is one of my favorite Web destinations, sometimes other places are well worth the visit. As a practicing Esperantist, it would help you to check out the resources that similar organizations in other countries put forth. One of my preferred venues is the Esperanto Association of Ireland. Its website boasts a decent repository of articles, links, and news. I highly recommend a visit, if only to learn of yet another Esperanto resource that the Internet has to offer!
In the meantime, here’s another Esperanto blog well worth a look: La Blogo de Paula. It’s entirely in Esperanto, and as such, may not be appropriate for an absolute beginner. However, it’s a great way to practice your Esperanto reading skills, and seems to feature new content on a regular basis (admittedly, more regularly than some self-referential blogs!).
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