Editing Esperanto

Esperanto is an [[international auxiliary language]] (IAL) developed by [[Ludwik Lazar Zamenhof]] in 1887 through the Unua Libro. It is the most popular IAL, with the estimated amount of speakers varying between 10,000 and 2,000,000 depending on the criteria of a speaker used. It is maintained by the Academy of Esperanto.

[[Image:Flag of Esperanto.svg|thumb|200px|Flag of the Esperanto movement.]]

==History==

In 1887, Zamenhof published the ''Unua Libro'', a founding book on. He published the ''Dua Libro'' the next year to make minor correction to Esperanto (ekzample: ''kian'' is replaced with ''kiam'').

An 1891 poem written by Zamenhof called "La Espero" (English: "The Hope") expresses some of the ideals envisioned by the language's creator, who emphasized his hope that by creating an easy to learn language which could be studied for international communication without supplanting anyone's native language, it would create more peace and understanding in the world. Since its writing, the poem has been performed to music among Esperanto speakers and generally been adopted as an anthem of Esperanto. Some of the aims expressed in the song include "On a neutral language basis, understanding one another, the peoples will make in agreement one great family circle" and "our diligent set of colleagues in peaceful labor will never tire until the beautiful dream of humanity for eternal blessing is realized." The song refers to the "peaceful warriors" who gather to labor under the "sacred sign of hope."<ref>[https://lyricstranslate.com/en/esperanto-hymn-la-espero-himno-esperanto-hymn-hope-hymn.html “National Anthems & Patriotic Songs - La Espero Lyrics + English Translation.”] Lyricstranslate.com. </ref>

Under pressure from Wilhelm Trompeter, Zamenhof created a Reformed Variant Esperanto of 1894; but it was heavily rejected by the Esperanto community, and Zamenhof himself came to hate attempt.

The ideals of Esperanto attracted interest from all over the political spectrum, particularly catching the interest of [[Pacifism|pacifists]] as well as some [[Nationalism|national liberation]] movements. Although [[idealism]] pervaded the original conception of Esperanto, many [[Left–right political spectrum|leftists]] were nonetheless attracted to the various goals of peace, internationalism, and neutrality that it represented, as well as in some cases the practicality of having an alternative means of international communication outside of national languages. For instance, in [[East Asia]], many Esperantists used Esperanto to bridge communication gaps between the [[Japanese language|Japanese]], [[Korean language|Korean]], and [[Chinese language|Chinese]] languages, particularly in the face of the imposition of [[Empire of Japan (1868–1947)|Japanese imperialism]].<ref name=":0" /> 

In [[Korea]], the organization Chosun Esperanto (Korean: 조선에스페란토) was formed in the 1920s. In 1924, Korean Esperantists made a declaration in the Chosun Ilbo newspaper, declaring "Opposing Japan's linguistic imperialism, each nation should use its own natural language, and humanity should use Esperanto in common."<ref>[http://www.sisa-news.com/news/article.html?no=135950 “100세 한국에스페란토 협회, 온라인으로 큰 행사 펼쳐.”] Sisa-News.com, 2020.10.06. [https://web.archive.org/web/20220702233707/http://www.sisa-news.com/news/article.html?no=135950 Archived] 2022-07-23.</ref> The [[Korean Artist Proletarian Federation]] (Esperanto: ''Korea Artisto Proleta Federacio'', abbreviated KAPF) was a [[Socialism|socialist]] literary organization that formed in 1925, and put forth "armed class consciousness" as its program, and had branches in [[Tokyo]], [[Pyongyang]], [[Suwon]], and [[Kaesong]].<ref name=":2">[https://hichy.tistory.com/entry/%EC%B9%B4%ED%94%84%EC%97%90%EC%8A%A4%ED%8E%98%EB%9E%80%ED%86%A0-Korea-Artista-Proleta-Federacio “카프(에스페란토: Korea Artista Proleta Federacio).”] 히키의 상상 공간. May 16, 2017.</ref> 

===Oppression===

The [[Kingdom of Hungary]] restricted Esperanto in 1920 due to it's local association with the [[Bolsheviks]] and to uphold [[bourgeois]] [[nationalism]].

Esperanto was oppressed by fascists ([[Nazi Germany]]<ref>[https://invenio.bundesarchiv.de/invenio/direktlink/cb4ef98e-0e0a-4fc6-bb11-af8e86a9baaa/ The decree of 6 June 1936, signed on Himmler’s behalf by Dr. Werner Best, Heydrich’s deputy: Bundesarchiv, R 58/7421, fol. 204–5.]</ref>  in Europe and [[Empire of Japan|Imperial Japan]] in Asia) during the 1930s, due to [[reactionary]] nationalism and it's association with [[communism]], [[anti-imperialism]], and [[national liberation]]; The Nazis also oppressed Esperanto due to [[Antisemitism]].

Bourgeois media and historians (prominently [[Liberalism|liberal]] Ulrich Lins) claim that the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (1922–1991)|USSR]] oppressed Esperanto.<ref>{{Citation|title=Dangerous Language|trans-title=La Danĝera Lingvo|trans-lang=Esperanto|isbn=978-1-352-00019-1|year=2017}}</ref> However, there is not much evidence to support this claim, and the minority of Esperantists that were persecuted were often persecuted for being [[Trotskyism|trotskyists]], and class enemies of the Soviet Union.

===Socialism and Communism===

====USSR====

Soviet Esperantists in the [[Red Army]] fought in the anti-fascist war against [[Nazi Germany]].<ref>{{Citation|title=Soviet Esperantists, which battled against the Nazis in the second world war|trans-title=Esperantistoj de Sovetunio, kiuj batalis kontraŭ nazioj en la 2-a mondmilito|trans-lang=Esperanto|title-url=https://reu.ru/prenu/ili_batalis_kontrau_nazioj_en_la_2a_mondmilito.pdf|year=2022|author=Anatolo Sidorov|publisher=Russian Esperantist Union}}</ref>

====China====

{{quote|If Esperanto is taken as a form and enshrined in the way of true internationalism and the way of true revolution, then Esperanto can be learned and should be learned.<ref>{{Web citation|title=Esperanto, China’s Surprisingly Prominent Linguistic Subculture is Slowly Dying Out|url=https://glocal.soas.ac.uk/chinese-esperanto/}}</ref>|[[Mao Zedong]]|Letter|Yan'an Esperanto Association, 1939}}

Esperanto is supported by the [[Communist Party of China]] and the Chinese people. They supported it in the [[Sino-Japanese War]] and [[Chinese Civil War]] movement. ''El Popola Ĉinio'', a state official Esperanto journal, was established in 1951. [[China Radio International]] supported Esperanto starting from 1964.<ref>{{Web citation|url=https://esperanto.cri.cn/1/2004/12/08/Zt21@18131.htm|title=China Radio International}}</ref>

The 89th Universal Congress of Esperanto happened in [[Beijing]], China in 2004. The 71st congress was held in Beijing in 1986.

One can take a virtual tour of the Esperanto Museum (Esperanto: ''Esperanto Muzeo''; Chinese: 世界语博物馆) of [[Zaozhuang College]], located in [[Zaozhuang City]], [[Shandong Province]], via 720yun.com,<ref>[https://www.720yun.com/t/c18jvzyavy8?scene_id=20209431 世界语博物馆VR全景. VR Panorama of Esperanto Museum.] 720yun.com.</ref> as well as visit their website to see news and descriptions of the museum's collections and activities.<ref>[http://e-muzeo.uzz.edu.cn/ Esperanto Muzeo]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230403082633/http://e-muzeo.uzz.edu.cn/?WebShieldDRSessionVerify=TD0ZEtlrpd90KXVULeyZ Archived] 2023-04-03.</ref> 

In 2022, Zaozhuang College hosted the Esperanto International Proficiency Test based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (Esperanto: ''Komuna Eŭropa Referenckadro'', KER) on November 26. Since 2013, Zaozhuang College has undertaken 5 Esperanto international proficiency exams. A total of 3 teachers in the school have passed the B1 and 3 passed the B2 proficiency exams.<ref>[http://e-muzeo.uzz.edu.cn/shown.asp?id=671 2022年世界语国际水平考试在枣庄学院举行.] [https://web.archive.org/web/20230403082930/http://e-muzeo.uzz.edu.cn/shown.asp?id=671&WebShieldDRSessionVerify=qbOx8Zj0cl2ws32Y6Gk5 Archived] 2023-04-03.</ref>

===== Verda Majo =====
During the 1930s, an [[Anti-fascism|anti-fascist]], [[Feminism|feminist]] [[Japan|Japanese]] Esperantist originally named Hasegawa Teru, who went by the Esperanto name [[Verda Majo]] ("Green May"), left Japan and went to China, and ended up taking part in helping the Chinese resistance against the [[Empire of Japan (1868–1947)|Japanese Empire]].<ref>[https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BB%BF%E5%B7%9D%E8%8B%B1%E5%AD%90/9472788 “绿川英子_百度百科.”] 百度百科. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230402185310/https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BB%BF%E5%B7%9D%E8%8B%B1%E5%AD%90/9472788 Archive].</ref><ref>[https://www.baike.com/wikiid/1219825415803732660?view_id=3kh1q57hps2000 “绿川英子 - 快懂百科.”] Baike.com.</ref>

While in Japan, Majo had become acquainted with Esperantist circles. There was a close symbiosis at the time between a part of the Japanese Esperanto-movement and the movement for proletarian literature. In 1932 she was briefly taken into custody, being suspected of having "leftist sympathies", and was thereupon expelled from college. Thus, she returned to [[Tokyo]], where she started to learn typewriting and fully committed herself to propagating proletarian Esperantist literature, especially amongst women.<ref name=":0">Gotelind Müller (2013). [http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/15424/1/Hasegawa%20englisch.pdf "Hasegawa Teru Alias Verda Majo (1912-1947): A Japanese woman esperantist in the Chinese anti-Japanese war of resistance"] (PDF). University of Heidelberg.</ref>

Via these activities she came into contact with the editor of the Chinese Esperanto magazine La Mondo (The World) in Shanghai at that time, which was looking among the Japanese Esperantists for someone to write an article about the situation of Japanese women. Majo published an article in the March/April issue 1935 focusing on the Japanese Women’s Movement and the question of labour and the suppression of the women's movement by Japanese [[fascism]]. 

Eventually, Majo went to China after marrying a Chinese Esperantist. While in China she worked with other Chinese Esperantists, and eventually she became a Japanese language broadcaster with the Central Radio Station, broadcasting programs aimed at dividing the Japanese army. In July 1940, the Anti-war Revolution League of Japanese in China was founded and Majo was elected as one of its leaders. Majo died of an illness on January 10, 1947 at the age of 35. [[Zhou Enlai]] once said of Majo that she was "a sincere comrade-in-arms of the Chinese people."<ref>[http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/149180.htm “Verda Majo – a Sincere Friend Dedicated to China.”] 2023. China.org.cn. [https://web.archive.org/web/20211007194659/http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/149180.htm Archived] 2021-10-07.</ref><ref name=":0" />

====Vietnam====

[[Ho Chi Minh]] learned Esperanto in 1915 and supported Esperanto during the [[Vietnamese Liberation War]].<ref name=:1>{{Web citation|url=http://esperanto.cri.cn/1/2006/12/27/1@51427.htm|title=Ho Chi Minh kaj Esperanto|date=2006-12-27T14:53:21Z+08:00|newspaper=[[China Radio International]]}}</ref> He suggested to the director of [[Voice of Vietnam]] to utilize Esperanto in the Declaration of Independence. He allowed the translation of his written diary ''Tagkajero en Prizono.''<ref name=:1 />

Voice of Vietnam supported Esperanto from september 1945 until december 1946, when French colonialists invaded Vietnam.<ref>{{Web citation|url=http://esperanto.cri.cn/1/2006/12/27/1@51427.htm|title=Ho Chi Minh kaj Esperanto|date=2006-12-27T14:53:21Z+08:00|newspaper=[[China Radio International]]|quote=La ĉiutaga radio-elsendo en Esperanto daŭris de septembro 1945 ĝis la eksplodo de la agresmilito fare de la francaj koloniistoj en Vjetnamio en decembro 1946.}}</ref>

The 97th Universal Congress of Esperanto occurred in [[Hanoi]], Vietnam in 2012.

====Cuba====

[[Fidel Castro]] supported Esperantists in the 1990 UEA Congress to [[Havana]], [[Cuba]].<ref>{{YouTube citation|channel=Emilio Cid|url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=drl2jh8UGk0|title=Fidel Castro & Esperanto|date=2009-01-18}}</ref> 

The 95th Universal Esperanto Congress was held in Havana, Cuba in 2010.

The broadcast of [[Radio Havana Cuba]], which is meant to spread information about the [[Cuban Revolution|Cuban revolution]] to an international audience, is available in Esperanto, including audio broadcasts as well as written articles on their website. The Esperanto name of it is ''Radio Havano Kubo''.<ref>[https://www.radiohc.cu/eo/quienes-somos “Frontpaĝo| Radio Havano Kubo|Internacia Radiostacio.”] Radiohc.cu. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230307071312/https://www.radiohc.cu/eo/quienes-somos Archived] 2023-03-07.</ref> It also has an Esperanto language YouTube channel.<ref>@CanalEsperantoCuba. [https://www.youtube.com/@CanalEsperantoCuba/about “Canal Esperanto.”] ''YouTube''.</ref>

In 2016, a 30-minute documentary called "Across the Florida Straits" (Esperanto: ''Trans La Florida Markolo'') was produced. It follows the first legal visit of U.S. Esperantists to Cuba after 54 years of prohibition, where they meet up at a congress of the Cuban Esperanto Association and share their experiences.<ref>Viajante Inteligente. 2016. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UP9xNdkDsE “Esperanto Film: Trans La Florida Markolo.”] ''YouTube''. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230317191316/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UP9xNdkDsE Archived] 2023-03-17.</ref><ref>[https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1GU4y147BB/ "Trans La Florida Markolo (Esperanto) 跨越佛罗里达海峡（世界语.)"] Bilibili.com.</ref>

====Yugoslavia====

[[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Socialist Yugoslavia]] held the 38th World Esperanto Congress in 1953 at [[Zagreb]].

[[Josip Broz Tito]] had mentioned in 1953, that he learned and supported Esperanto while in a prison.<ref>{{Citation|author=Isaj Dratwer|trans-title=Pri Internacia Lingvo dum Jarcentoj|trans-lang=Esperanto|title=About International Language during Centuries|city=Tel Avivo|year=1970 & 1977|page=215}}</ref><ref>{{Web citation|title=&#91;From Esperanto: Our Treasure: Josip Broz Tito&#93;|author=Zlatko Tišljar|url=https://sezonoj.ru/2013/08/tito/|newspaper=Ondo de Esperanto|date=2013-08-31}}</ref> He said that Esperanto was an easy language to learn.

==== Korea ====
A group of literary artists for socialist revolution formed in 1925, called by the Esperanto name Korea Artista Proleta Federacio (KAPF).<ref name=":3">[https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0052252 “조선프롤레타리아예술동맹(朝鮮─藝術同盟).”] ("Korea Proletarian Arts Alliance.") Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Aks.ac.kr. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230403045441/https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0052252 Archived] 2023-04-03.</ref><ref name=":2" /> Artists from KAPF created literary works containing patriotism and optimism for the future in Korean society, and developed folk dances and folk songs containing national forms. Lim Hwa and Kim Nam-cheon of KAPF insisted on "Bolshevikization of the art movement" and reorganized KAPF for the purpose of "eradicating [[Petty bourgeoisie|petty-bourgeois]] bias", a direction taken by KAPF in 1930. KAPF members began facing arrest by Japanese imperialist authorities for their activities in 1931. In the face of this, some of them continued their activities underground for the following years, while others split ideologically from KAPF.<ref name=":3" /> The General Federation of North Korean Literature and Arts (Korean: 북조선문학예술총동맹), which was formed in October 1946, was led by people from KAPF. Ahn Mak-i, one of the leading theorists of KAPF, served as the vice-chairman of the North Korean Federation of Literature and Arts. Han Seol-ya, also involved with KAPF, served as the Minister of Education and Culture in the Cabinet and vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly.<ref>[https://615tv.net/20 <nowiki>“[북한은 왜?] 해방 이후 북한에서 친일파를 어떻게 청산했는가? ④.”</nowiki>] ("[In North Korea, Why...?] How did the pro-Japanese factions in North Korea be eliminated after liberation? ④") 주권방송. February 25, 2021. [https://web.archive.org/web/20221002032452/https://615tv.net/20 Archived] 2022-10-01.</ref>

===== Chinese Esperantist caravans to DPRK =====
Since 2018, a group of Esperanto speakers from China has made visits to [[Democratic People's Republic of Korea|DPRK]], referred to as ''Esperanto-karavanoj'' ("Esperanto caravans"). Their first visit occurred from June 4 to June 7, 2018, with 18 members in the caravan. The second occurred soon after, from June 29 to July 2 of 2018.<ref>[https://revuoesperanto.org/norda_koreio “Novaj Esperantistoj Naskiĝas En Norda Koreio | Revuo Esperanto.”] Revuoesperanto.org. [https://web.archive.org/web/20220916075247/https://revuoesperanto.org/norda_koreio Archived] 2022-09-16.</ref> The third such caravan visited from August 20-24 of 2019, consisting of 13 Esperantists from China.<ref>[https://uea.facila.org/artikoloj/kongresoj-kaj-kunvenoj/tria-karavano-de-esperanto-al-norda-koreio/ “Tria Karavano de Esperanto al Norda Koreio.”] Uea.facila. uea.facila. Facilaj Artikoloj en Esperanto. September 28, 2019. [https://web.archive.org/web/20221125134134/https://uea.facila.org/artikoloj/kongresoj-kaj-kunvenoj/tria-karavano-de-esperanto-al-norda-koreio/ Archived] 2022-11-25.</ref>

== Criticism ==
Since its inception, the language of Esperanto itself as well as the related Esperanto movement have undergone various criticisms. The primary criticisms of Esperanto are the primarily [[Europe|European]] origin of its vocabulary, [[Patriarchy|patriarchal]] gender conventions in certain word roots, and idealism and [[dogmatism]] in the Esperanto movement. Much of the criticism of Esperanto is in light of Esperanto's original intended function as an international auxiliary language. A significant portion of Esperanto speakers today do not consider themselves ideologically devoted to this original goal nor consider themselves part of the original movement for its popularization, and may also be critics of the original movement.<ref>[https://eo.globalvoices.org/2022/08/13307/ “Esperanto: De Idealismo al Realismo.”] Global Voices En Esperanto. August 14, 2022. [https://web.archive.org/web/20221024194924/https://eo.globalvoices.org/2022/08/13307/ Archived] 2022-10-24.</ref> Meanwhile, certain other criticisms of Esperanto, its history, and its community of speakers are made both from inside and outside of the community, regardless of Esperanto's intended use as an IAL.

=== Eurocentric vocabulary ===
This criticism is based on the fact that the overwhelming majority of word roots in Esperanto are derived from European languages. As Esperanto was originally intended for worldwide international communication on a neutral and fair basis, this is seen to be contrary to the original aims of Esperanto by making it more difficult for native speakers of non-European languages to learn Esperanto as quickly as those who already speak European languages which share more roots with Esperanto. 

A related criticism is that many of the phonemes and consonant clusters of Esperanto are difficult for speakers of some languages to pronounce. Since early on in the creation of the language, Esperantists have tended to encourage speakers to maintain their native accent, altering it only to the extent needed to be generally understood and upholding a fairly wide range of acceptable variations in pronunciation. However, this does not completely eliminate pronunciation difficulties for some speakers.

=== Gendered vocabulary ===
This criticism is based mainly in the fact that certain words in Esperanto are considered to be masculine by default, and only inflected into an explicitly feminine or gender neutral form by the use of affixes. The majority of such words are among the family terms of Esperanto, such as root words like "father" (''patr''&#39;) and "brother" (''frat''&#39;) serving as root forms, while additions are needed to transform them into meaning the feminine "mother" and "sister." (The prefix ''ge-'' can be used '''in a plural word''' to specify both genders.) However, there are also words considered to be female-default such as: ''damo,'' ''matrono,'' ''primadono,'' ''furio,'' ''amazono,'' ''gorgono,'' ''nimfo,'' ''sukubo,'' ''megero,'' ''almeo,'' ''putino,'' ''meretrico,'' ''hetajro,'' ''gejŝo,'' etc. which do not receive the same complaint.

This issue has been frustrating to Esperanto speakers, who voice a range of opinions on the subject: junctioning the gendered roots to the male default radicals and using the familial radicals genderlessly; including the proposal of official reforms to the language, the de facto colloquial adoption of more gender-neutral language changes; and the insistence on keeping the language as-is. 

* An official solution commonly used is to junction a word with the male and female root words (Esperanto: ''vir''&#39; and ''in''&#39; respectively) to specify the gender and to genderlessly use the root word. This approach was adopted by Zamenhof when specifying sex for Animals.
* In general, the root forms of these words are considered to be masculine but also often are used as a gender-neutral form without using affixes to explicitly indicate the neutrality.
* Additionally, an unofficial affix (Esperanto: ''-iĉ-''), modeled on the feminine root word (Esperanto: ''in''&#39;), has come into somewhat common use among certain speakers which is used to make a word explicitly masculine, with the implication that the root word itself is neutral; though in practice it is seen as redundant by some Esperantists as the root word ''vir'' can be junctioned to accomplish the same task as ''iĉ''.

==== Pronouns ====
A related criticism is about the gendered pronouns of Esperanto. Esperanto includes "he", "she", and "it" for its singular pronouns. While the word "it" in Esperanto officially carries no specific dehumanizing stigma and may be used for humans, many speakers feel reluctant to use it as a gender neutral pronoun for human beings due to taboos of doing so in their own native languages, and have therefore sought to create alternatives. The most common gender neutral pronoun in Esperanto is "ri", considered to be controversial by some due to being an unofficial term, but nonetheless widely understood by Esperanto speakers, as it was proposed in the 1970s and has gained popularity since that time.<ref>[http://www.gazetoteko.com/ske/ske00.pdf "Sekso kaj Egaleco."] (PDF). October 1979. [https://web.archive.org/web/20220104135313/http://www.gazetoteko.com/ske/ske00.pdf Archived] 2022-01-04.</ref><ref>Kramer, Markos. [https://lingvakritiko.com/2014/10/16/esperanto-kaj-sekso/ “Esperanto Kaj Sekso – Lingva Kritiko.”] Lingvakritiko.com. 2014. [https://web.archive.org/web/20221211044915/https://lingvakritiko.com/2014/10/16/esperanto-kaj-sekso/ Archived] 2022-12-11.</ref> Other common solutions to this issue are the use of the word "this" or "that" (Esperanto: ''tiu'' and ''tiu ĉi'') when referring to individuals in the third person, or the use of the word "ŝli" which is similar conceptually to using "s/he" in English as it combines the masculine and feminine pronouns.

=== Idealism ===

=== Dogmatism ===

=== Other criticism ===

==Further Reading==

===Language===

* {{Citation|title=Fundamento de Esperanto|title-url=https://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org/fundamento/index.html|author=L. L. Zamenhof|publisher=Hachette|year=1905}}

==See also==
* [[Ido]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Esperanto]]