EM NEWSLETTER NEWS OF THE LANGUAGE PROBLEM AND ESPERANTO AS A SOLUTION January-February, 1984 Ralph Harry, Australian Ambassador, Emeritus, will be keynote speaker at the All-Pacific Lands Esperanto Convention, Portland, Oregon (see inside). "... I particularly like Esperanto, not least because it is the creation ultimately of one man, not a philologist, and is therefore something like a 'human language bereft of the inconveniences due to too many successive cooks' — which is as good a description of the ideal artificial language (in a particular sense) as I can give." —J. R. R. Tolkien (quoted from "A Secret Vice," in The Monsters and Other Essays, ed. Christopher Tolkien) INSIDE: THE OLYMPICS AND THE LANGUAGE PROBLEM SCIENTISTS AND THE LANGUAGE PROBLEM AMBASSADOR RALPH HARRY - Keynote Speaker PL and ELNA Conventions, Portland FRIENDSHIP WEEK PROCLAMATION LIBERA HOMO KAJ GEORGE ORWELL PROF. CHARTERS ANNOUNCES BOOKS FOR SFSU COURSES - 25 June-13 July RALPH HARRY, ESPERANTO, AND PACIFIC RIM COUNTRIES The Honorable Ralph Harry will address the Third Quadrennial Convention of Pacific Rim countries in Portland, Oregon next July on the theme, "Esperanto —A Common Language for the Multi- cultural Pacific Community." Mr. Harry, CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) is President of the Australian Esperanto Association. His diplomatic career included tours of duty in Switzerland and Singa- pore. He served as Australia's Ambassador to Brussels, Saigon, Bonn, and to the UN in New York. He participated in the Law of the Sea conferences, was Director of the Australian Institute for International Affairs, and was Visiting Professor on International Law at Tasmania University. His Esperanto translations include the UN Charter, the Cov- enant of the World Court, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He has written extensively on matters of inter- national law, and a novel, The Diplomat Who Laughed. For the Munich Olympics he wrote a conversational booklet for athletes, "Sainton, Amiko." Retiring from a distinguished career in international law, Mr. Harry has turned to working with the Australian Ministry of Education to upgrade the teaching of world affairs and Esperanto as a common language. We look forward to his sharing with us the details of his well-conceived proposal, which holds much promise for Australian education. ISRAELI LINGUISTS AND ESPERANTO The Jewish Language Review, published by the University of Haifa, features from time to time articles and features on Esperanto. Number Two contained an article in English on "The Supposed Yiddish Origin of the Esperanto morpheme edz." An editorial circular announces that a future issue will have an item in French under the title "A Contribution to the Study of Yiddish Influences on Esperanto." ESPERANTO AT THE MLA CENTENNIAL About 10,000 people attended the Centennial Convention of the Modern Language Association last December in New York City. Two meetings arranged by the Esperanto Studies Association of America were directed by Dr. Humphrey Tonkin, President of the State University College of Arts and Science at Potsdam, New Yotk. At the first session, dealing with the teaching of Esperanto in universities, Dr. Tonkin discussed "Restoring the Language Requirement: The Role of Esperanto." Prof. Eugene H. Thompson, Jr., a teacher of Esperanto as well as of French and Latin at Guilford (NC) College before his retirement, reported his own experiences and made suggestions based on them. At the second meeting, Dr. William Solzbacher, formerly with the Voice of America, discussed "Esperanto Literature Among the Literatures of the World," concentrating his attention on translated literature, while the second speaker, Prof. Julius Balbin of Essex County (NJ) College, discussed original literature, especially poetry. The audience at the two sessions was not large, but distinguished, and the discussion was lively. Those who participated included Dr. Einar Haugen, Professor Emeritus of Scandinavian Languages and Linguistics at Harvard University, member and former president of the organizing committee of the International Congresses of Linguis- tics; Alexander Kharkovsky, Science Editor of a Russian-language weekly in New York City; and Dr. Julius J. Manson. -reported by Wm. Solzbacher Through the pages of Heroldo, Ada Sikorska Fighiera keeps the world's Esperanto-speaking population informed about Esperanto activities everywhere. Amply illustrated with photos, these activities encompass the whole gamut of human interests. HEROLDO'S EDITOR TO TOUR U.S. Enroute to the Pacific Islands conclave in Portland and the Wotlc Esperanto Convention in Vancouver, Ada Fighiera will visit Sar Francisco for the festivities surrounding the 15 th annivetsary of th< Esperanto Workshops at San Francisco State University. Mrs. Fighiera is perhaps the best-known Esperanto journalist ir the world. Born Ada Sikorska in Poland, she spent her childhooc during World War II in the Soviet Union, Iran, Lebanon anc England, where she managed to finish high school. Returning to Poland in 1948, she studied philology at the University o Wroclaw, completing her studies at Warsaw University. Hei career began as literary editor for a book publisher. Julio Baghy one of the best-loved Esperanto poets, was her Esperanto teacher. Romance blossomed in 1959 when Gian Carlo Fighiera o Torino, Italy, came to Warsaw as the Executive Secretary of th< 44th World Esperanto Congress, where he met Ada Sikorska, thet a reporter for Warsaw Radio. In the spring of 1960 they wete married in Brussels and she became editor of Heroldo. Mr. Fighier; is Deputy General Secretary of the Universal Federation of Ttave Agents Associations. INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION DAY The International Education Day (Tago de la Lernejo) seminar wil be a featute of the 69th World Esperanto Convention at Vancouve this summer. Baldur Ragnarsson of Iceland will present Duncai Charters, who will be in direct charge of the event. Charters wil make the keynote address at the seminar, which he is designing fo the benefit of Esperanto instructors and course leaders. Dr. Charters will present a small segment of the TV Method coutse which he is using at San Francisco State this summer. It wil demonstrate a number of foreign-language instruction techniques direct, silent, translation, etc. Anyone wanting to participate in the EDUCATION DA1! seminar at Vancouver, or in the panel discussion which Dr. Charter will lead, should contact him now. Between March 20 and June 4 he will receive his mail at: Estudio Internacional Sampere, Castelli 50, Madrid 1, Spain. SUMMER ESPERANTO WORKSHOPS (25 June -13 July) AT SAN FRANCISCO STATE ENTER THEIR FIFTEENTH YEAR Introducing the Visiting Instructors 5 _!___- -ft"" r— 1 \ j 1 1 . -t'^-;: ,P 1 ■ i Dr. Duncan Charters, Associate Professor of Foreign Languages and Department Coordinator for Spanish and Secondary Education programs, Principia College, Elsah, Illinois. His education in- cludes a B.A. (Hons.) and M.A. from Cambridge University, England in Modern and Medieval languages, as well as the A.M. and Ph.D. degrees in Hispanic Language and Literature from Indiana University. Teaching and supervising experience in lan- guage, literature and teaching methods at Indiana University, Wabash College, The Experiment in International Living, and Humbolt State University prior to appointment at Principia College in 1974. Active in the Esperanto movement in England, including editing youth magazine Kial Ne?\ teaching, develop- ment of materials, teacher-training at several U.S. colleges and universities; winner of the international oratory contest at the World Congress in Vienna, 1970; assistant to William Auld in the founding years of the SFSU summer Esperanto program; director of the Esperanto program at the University of Portland prior to the 1972 World Congress. Publications in Esperanto include professional papers, a booklet for teachers, teaching materials, tapes and two records. Currently President, American Association of Teachers of Esperanto. Dr. John Wells, Associate Professor in Phonetics, University College, London. Education includes degrees in Classics, Cam- bridge University and in General Linguistics and Phonetics, Uni- versity of London. Since graduating, on faculty of University College (University of London), specializing in Phonetics; he also teaches courses on phonology, on varieties of English (including in particular West Indian English) and on the linguistic structure of Welsh. He has served BBC Radio and TV as adviser and lecturer. He is author of Accents of English (Cambridge University Press, 3 volumes plus cassette, 1982). Learned Esperanto as a schoolboy. A frequent lecturer at Esperanto seminars in Europe and at the International University; lectures during the World Esperanto Conventions each summer. He is in demand as an instructor of advanced Esperanto in Great Britain. His Concise Esperanto and English Dictionary was published in 1969, and his Lingvistikaj Aspektoj de Esperanto in 1978. He was main author of the basic course Jen Nia Mondo (1974) and the follow-up Jen Nia Mondo 2 (1979). He has been a member of the Academy of Esperanto since 1970 and is Chairman of the London Esperanto Club. Nikola Rasiĉ, 1980 graduate of University of Zagreb, where he currently teaches sociology and general linguistics. Fluent in Serbocroatian, English, Albanian, Macedonian and Esperanto; lesser skills in Italian, Spanish, Russian, with some reading knowledge of Slavic languages and German. A ten-year member of the Yugoslavian and international youth organizations, he has held offices in both. He is an exponent of the "Zagreb method" of Esperanto instruction highly favored by Claude Piron and others. Has published many translations from Croatian and Macedonian poets, principally in the anthologies Poemaro, Por la Makedona Lingvo, Kroata Poezio, and the soon-to-appear Blankaj Auroroj. BOOKS TO BE USED IN SFSU SUMMER COURSES Basic Course —An Introduction to Esperanto will use learning materials developed by Dr. Charters, the Wells two-way dictionary ($6.95) and Praktika Bildvortaro ($6.25). Intermediate Course — Getting Along in the Esperanto- Speaking World will require: Paŝoj al Plena Posedo ($8.25) Virino ce la Landlimo ($3.50) Step by Step in Esperanto ($6.95 —ELNA members $6.00) Plena Vortaro ($10.95 —ELNA members $8.95) Advanced Course — Esperanto and Its Linguistic Structure: Lingvistikaj Aspektoj de Esperanto — Wells ($5.50) Plena Vortaro or Plena llustrita Vortaro Note: Supplemental materials will be available during the courses. TRAVEL NOTES Important warning to Esperantists attending the Universala Kongreso in Vancouver: Canadian rules have changed with regard to proof of citizenship required for entry by U.S. citizens. You will now need either a valid U.S. Passport, or a certified birth certificate or certified voter registration, either of the latter two accompanied by other identification with your picture, such as a valid driver's license. Previously only a driver's license was required. Be sure to be prepared, as it will avoid delay and embarrassment at the border. Vizitu Usononon kun Eksterlandaj Esperantistoj: San Francisco, Yosemite, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Phoenix, Oceanside (near San Diego), Santa Barbara (near LA), San Francisco. $1175. A few more U.S. Esperantists are needed to fill out the group. This is a good chance to get to know foreign Esperantists in an intimate atmosphere, and practice your language skills. July 29 - August 11. Speciala Ekskurso ■ Alaska cruise through Inside Passage from Vancouver to Skagway, then tour Anchorage, Valdez, Prince William Sound, Columbia Glacier, Denali National Park, Fairbanks. July 28 -August 7 - from $2050 including all or most of airfare from your home city to Vancouver and return. Don't delay - call or write for details now. Esperanto Travel Service c/o Howard Travel, 578 Grand Avenue, Oakland CA 94618. (415) 836-1710. — Lusi Harmon, ELNA Komisiito pri Vojaĝaferoj. ESPERANTO IN THE NEWS RAIN is a magazine that publishes information which can help people lead more simple and satisfying lives, make their communi- ties and regions more economically self-reliant, and build a society that is durable, just, and ecologically sound. In its Jan.-Feb. '84 issue is a very good description of Esperanto and ELNA's services, along with a compendium of organizations which further RAIN's objectives. These include The School for International Training (Brattleboro), Educators for Social Responsibility, Friends World College (Huntington NY), and World Policy Institute (New York NY). COLLINSVILLE (IL) JOURNAL (Dec. 4, 1983) carried a front- page interview with Ronald Glossop, So. Illinois University- Edwardsville, by staffer Susan Miller about Prof. Glossop's second book, Confronting War: An Examination of Humanity's Most Pressing Problem, published in September. At SIUE, he teaches courses on ethics, philosophy of religion, "The Problem of War and Peace," "Global Problems and Human Survival," and Esperanto. We hope to see Prof. Glossop at SFSU this summer. "Esperanto at Harvard?" was the title of an article by Roy McCoy appearing in the HARVARD CRIMSON (Feb. 13, 1984). Students, it was argued, "can campaign for the acceptance of Esperanto as a legitimate means of satisfying the language require- ment," and "could go on ... to conduct international language into the curriculum proper — where it belongs (and is now found in universities elsewhere in the world)—on solid academic and humanist grounds." TRAVEL HOLIDAY (Feb. '84) in its Potpourri of Travel Tips announced: "In November we told you about a series of pictograms that ease the traveler's way . . . Indeed any mode of communication that eases the way for travelers is fine with us. And we even agree that Esperanto estas la moderna, belsona lingvo de amikeco kaj turismo (Esperanto is the modern, beautiful sounding language of friend- ship and tourism)." The TH announcement of the Free Postal Course brought a modest flood of requests to the ELNA office, (a Jaquline Reynolds-Cathy Schulze collaboration) Minnesotans are hearing about the International Language from Letters to the Editor by postal student Tom Johnson. TIMES JOURNAL (Albany-El Cerrito CA, Jan. 4, 1984). "Esperanto, Not Love, Is International Language" was the title of a full-page interview with William Harmon, U.S. Chief Delegate of the Universal Esperanto Association, by staffer Jim Grodnik. BUSINESS NEWS (Macomb IL, Jan. 11) carried an article with recommendations for study of Esperanto by Dr. Richard Mullins. TRI CITY HERALD (Lewiston WA, Dec. 20, 1984) carried a full-page interview by reporter Mary Jane Lewis with Ellen Eddy, ELNA Executive Board member. Vancouver gets into the act! VANCOUVER SUN (Oct. 29, 1983) carried a full-page interview with Prof. Brian Kaneen of Simon Fraser University, by writer Marke Andrews. On Oct. 17 the Sun carried an item, "The Secret's Out: This Language Easy," declaring, "We are nearing the end of what must be one of the best kept secrets of the century: 1983 is World Communication Year. We who are interested in world communication have been trying to do our bit by learning Esperanto, which is becoming more popular in Europe, Japan, and China and is making inroads here in Canada and the U.S. The World Conference of Esperantists will be held here in Vancouver next summer." ALL ABOUT CLASSES University of California—San Diego now offers a course of Esperanto studies in each semester. Designed for independent study, the student can earn up to 8 credit units and thereby fulfill the foreign language requirement. This course is an outgrowth of the former 3-credit courses arranged by Drs. Ralph Lewin and David K. Jordan. SEATTLE, WA-Esperanto classes are currently taught by Dr. Sidney Gilbert and Keith Bledsoe. RICHLAND, WA-Ellen Eddy continues to teach Esperanto. Ellen has had some success in teaching Esperanto to Boy Scouts. LOS ANGELES — Spring classes are being held at Mankind Center. MASSACHUSETTS — Esperanto displays at various libraries in the Boston area are developing demand for classes. The Cambridge Center for Adult Education repeats its fall Esperanto class starting March 29. MINNESOTA—Tom Johnson of Esko is offering evening classes at Washington Jr. High. MISSOURI—Tom Reed has arranged for a repeat of the June Esperanto Workshop at Northeast Missouri State University, Kirksville, to be taught by Nan Karel, a former Esperanto student at San Francisco State University. SAN FRANCISCO - Gigi Harabagiu is teaching a large class at San Francisco Main Library. NEW YORK-Assistant Principal Vincent Bono is teaching Esperanto to a fourth-grade class at Brooklyn's P.S. 186K. Bono previously won an Exxon award for his innovative Esperanto cur- riculum at Shallow Middle School. DENISON UNIVERSITY, Granville, Ohio - Roger Blaine taught Esperanto to 8 students during January. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Seiichi Eto of Tokyo writes that he has founded a Verducci Society in Japan for all the Japanese Esperantists who are alumni of the courses at San Francisco State University. Verducci Hall is the residence at SFSU where many longlasting friendships have begun. Disregard of the Obvious William J. Stanley AIA of Buellton CA writes: "Many years ago, when I was a student in Architecture, there was a publication called Pencil Points which was a favorite with students, in part because of a feature called "The Disregard of the Obvious.' Now it seems to me that the lack of attention, by those in authority, to the subject of a common language, would have made an appropriate subject for that long-ago tongue-in-cheek feature. Our apparent preoccupation with more conspicuous problems, to the exclusion of this important matter, is like being 'too busy to hire help.' Isn't it obvious that literal 'understanding' of the other people here on 'space-ship earth' must precede understanding in any broader sense? And though it may seem a small matter, relatively, to some, still is it not true that 'the longest journey must begin with a single step'?" Mingchi Chien of Shanghai, who studied Esperanto at San Fran- cisco State in the summers of 1982 and 1983, writes that, in addition to English, she is teaching two Esperanto classes at East China Normal University. She is also assisting another teacher with 61 Esperanto students in a class offered by the Shanghai Esperanto League. Another instructor from Shanghai is applying for admission to Esperanto studies at SFSU for summer 1984. LOCAL CLUB NEWS oertct OF THE MATOH DlANNE FEIN5TEIN Welcome to our newest club! ESPERANTO SOCIETY OF MICHIGAN issued its first News- letter and called its first meeting in January. "La Motoroj" are Sharon Lakosky and helpers Jim Campbell and Phil Driscoll. Both Sharon and Jim received their basic Esperanto training at San Francisco State University. Boston, MA —An attractive Esperanto display has moved from Codman Square Public Library to the Adams Street branch. It will spend February at Lower Mills Library. Chicago—Janet Bixby was heard in an hour interview about Esperanto by shortwave radio station Radio Earth located in Evans- ton IL. The program was aired Jan. 26 between 10 and 11 p.m. at 6.185 frequency. The station broadcasts music, interviews, and anything of interest to an international audience. Los Angeles — EALA's January program featured a talk by Prof. Zhou Huanchang ("Licius") of Beijing. Licius is a visiting scholar at UCLA for the current year. Rolf Lowenbein, a retired engineer from Frankfurt, Germany was guest speaker at the February meeting. For many years Mr. Lowenbein has made the use and teaching of Braille his avocation. He is an experienced teacher of the system. He led a discussion of the use of Esperanto by the blind. Peggy Zarchy and Bill Glenny made slide reports on the Esperanto festivities in Budapest, Prague, and Vienna last summer. Northfield Falls, VT- Robert W. Allen is collaborating with other Esperantists in the area in translating into Esperanto the booklet What About the Children? which concerns the threat of nuclear war. Providence, RJ — An Associated Press article on September 28 about Esperanto dealt with its value as a communications tool. Inclusion of the address of the Esperanto Society of New England brought a sizeable influx of inquiries. Columbus, Ohio —Local Esperantists staffed a table at the UN Day festivities. Sixty-nine people indicated an interest in the free postal course. Gallup, New Mexico —Roan Stone, honorary member of ELNA, showed slides on the World Esperanto Convention in Budapest to the Chamber of Commerce, to the community college in Grants, and in November showed the program to the local AARP club. Scituate, MA - Gilbert and Malcolm Wilder have made flags fcr ELNA and the Esperanto Society of New England. Watch out, Betsy Ross! Since studying Esperanto at San Francisco State last summer, the Wilders have directed a number of locals into the postal course. More Zamenhof Day Celebrations DALLAS Esperanto Society held its party at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio—Preston Center with an Esperanto Sing-Along. SAN FRANCISCO area Esperantists celebrated with a banquet in San Mateo. President Don Harlow traced the history of SFERO, honoring founding members. Bill Harmon gave a progress report on the Steve Allen Esperanto documentary and Lucy Harmon talked about travel plans for the Pacific Lands Convention in Portland, Oregon and the World Esperanto Convention in Vancouver next July. Cathy Schulze gave an update on plans and personnel for festivities at the Fifteenth Anniversary of the Esperanto courses at San Francisco State University. WHEREAS, Saa Francisco is host to mloos of persons fpomali over the world; WHEREAS, By virtue of its location, San Francisco receives thousands of visitors daily and desires to ever uphold its reputation as a friendly city; and WHEREAS, San Francisco is very much awaire of language diversity and the importance and need for mderstanding across international frontiers; and WHEREAS, Out of this need for a common means of comnunication among international visitors, grew a "second tongue" formally known as Esperanto; and WHEREAS, San Francisco State University has pioneered in the teaching of this international language, enhancing the prestige of San Francisco as a city willing to meet its foreign visitors half way linguistically; now THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT I, Dianne Feinstein, Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco, do hereby proclaim the week of February 19-25, 1984 as INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP WEEK IN SAN FRANCISCO, «Ming with a world-wide caapaign sponsored by the Universal Esperanto Association whose purpose is to bridge the gap of eommuiucatiofl and uDderstaading afiong all people. IN WITNESS WHEREOF. I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of Uie Cily^nd County of San Franelseo to he affixad this first day of January, nineteen houidrpd and eighty-four. !Ms^£—" m Members of the San Diego Club were guests at the home of Prof. David Jordan on the occasion of a visit by Ye Junjian, a pioneer of the Chinese Esperanto movement. He also wrote under the pseudonym Cicio, under which he wrote the collection Forgesitaj Homoj (1937) about the plight of the Chinese poor. Ye regaled club members for an hour about the history of the Esperanto movement in China. TWO ACADEMICS WITH DIFFERING POINTS OF VIEW ON A SOLUTION TO THE LANGUAGE PROBLEM Editorial: International Scientific Communication— A Stepwise Solution George A. Maul, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis- tration, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (from Marine Geodesy, 1983 Number 1-4) Since this issue of Marine Geodesy is devoted to the work contributed at the IUGG's General Meeting of the International Association of Geodesy in Tokyo, Japan, during May 1982, it seems propitious to examine the very purpose of such meetings and this journal itself, namely, scientific communication. Many journals consider them- selves to be "international" in character, and a glance at the countries represented on the editorial review board of Marine Geodesy shows this to be true of this journal, too. You will note, however, that all the articles are published in one language, even though eight countries and five languages comprise the editorial board's background. Some internationalists apply the term "lan- guage discrimination" to circumstances whereby one language, English in this case, so dominates communication and exchange that ideas expressed in other languages are suppressed or hindered in their timeliness. Discrimination against good ideas is, of course, the antithesis of scientific journals, but in fact it is inherent in the choice of the language used. For example, last year I was given an article to review for this journal, written in English, but not by a native of an English-speaking country. Considerable time was spent in trying to understand the author's work through the haze of linguistic insufficiency. After having tried to correct the English, I was hopelessly frustrated and ultimately recommended resubmission for another review after rewriting by a more proficient author or editor. To my knowledge the paper was never resubmitted nor was it published in any English-language journal. Like it or not, we are guilty of language discrimination whenever a communications barrier favoring a particular national language is constructed. Written language communication, however, is only part of this discrimination; oral communication is equally as important. Many science professionals acquire a reading knowledge of one or more foreign languages, but how many are able to claim competence in any of the other three steps to bilingualism: writing, listening, and speaking? Therefore, while some may argue that English is in fact the international language of science, in actuality it is only written English, at best, that is predominant, and spoken English is even less prevalent. The attitude that one tongue, especially if it is one's native tongue, is the most important indicates a kind of "linguistic imperialism" and is unworthy of those who claim to be objective scientists. During the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project the language problem was solved by astronauts always speaking in Russian and cosmo- nauts always speaking in English. That was an equitable solution in that neither group had the linguistic advantage of speaking in their native tongue, but one that works only when two languages are involved. A German acquaintance of mine remarked that he always conducts business with his French colleague in English so that neither is at an advantage, although both are trilingual in French, English, and German. Again an equitable solution for Europeans, but not a general one. In the United Nations, as many as seven languages are used, which cost in 1976 $100,000,000 for translation services; in the European Economic Community, fully 2 5 percent of their staff personnel are involved in language services. Not only are translation services expensive, but they are also inefficient, and oral language barriers have caused some (not hilarious) situations that have hampered scientific exchange and personal friendship. 6 There are no magical solutions to the language problem, and any attempt to solve it will take time. After all, it has been more than two centuries since the introduction of S.I. metric units and there is at least one large country still resisting conversion for a variety of more or less inconsequential reasons. Nevertheless, "discrimination" and "imperialism" are the words of politicians, not scientists, and if the scientific community is to make any social statement, it must be the ability to rise above linguistic prejudice and optimize free exchange of ideas. This can best be done by adopting a "con- structed language" free of national or political connections. Constructed languages are attempts to regularize written and oral communication. Many choices are available, some of which are: Esperanto, Eurolengo, Interlingua, Loglan, and Occidental. All are based to some degree on the Indo-European family of languages, but only one has succeeded after almost a century of practice, growth, and refinement: Esperanto. Esperanto was invented in the late nineteenth century by a Polish oculist named Ludovic L. Zamenhof, who spent over a decade perfecting its construction. Zamenhof always thought of Esperanto as an auxiliary language, never intending that it replace the wonderfully rich cultural heritage of national languages, and desiring only that it provide a common means of communication. Esperanto is a grammatically regular, verbally expressive, pho- netically written language used in over 80 countries and perhaps by as many as one million people, some of whom can be regarded as native speakers. There are as many people literate in Esperanto as there are in some Indo-European national languages. Typically, it takes one-fourth to one-fifth as much time to become proficient in Esperanto as to learn a European language; although persons of African and Asian linguistic groups have more difficulty learning it than Europeans, they learn it much faster than they learn European languages. Indeed, it is the Chinese who have one of the most active communities of Esperantists, who have regular short-wave radio broadcasts, and who publish a glossy illustrated monthly magazine that is widely read outside China. Esperanto is broadcast from many other countries, has many publications in the arts and sciences, and has an international coordinating group called the World Esperanto Association located at Nieuwe Binnenweg 176, Rotterdam 3002, Netherlands. Many supporters of Esperanto are almost zealous in their cause, but after having surveyed about one hundred citations in preparing this editorial, I have become convinced that vigorous activity- surrounds its proponents. Many textbooks, dictionaries, and teaching/learning materials are available, and there is a concerted effort on computer processing and speech synthesis of Esperanto. Scientists from many disciplines have thus recognized the viability of Esperanto as a communications medium and have recommended its requirement in Ph.D. programs and, as a start, for titles and abstracts in journals. Marine Geodesy, as a start, should plan to initiate a policy of translating and publishing titles and abstracts in Esperanto as well as a national language, and set in motion a programmed change in this and other journals toward true inter- nationalism in marine science. History has taught us that dreams of a lingua franca brought about by cultural dominance, such as Latin in the Roman Empire or Archaic Chinese during the Classical Period, always fail. The only just and economical solution is predicated on a willingness to give up political and national linguistic self-interest for the common good and adopt a proven compromise. Arguments for patience while awaiting yet another linguistic development, perhaps more equitably based on non-European languages, may indeed promote an improvement over Esperanto, but would it be a truly significant improvement? I suspect that waiting would result only in the reinvention of the wheel without leading to improved communications. This journal's preeminence as a medium of such communication depends on our position of leader- ship, and we cannot afford to abrogate the responsibility or neglect the challenge. 1970 - 1984 FIFTEEN YEARS OF COLLABORATION SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY AND THE ESPERANTO LEAGUE FOR NORTH AMERICA Already the centennial of the international language has touched off plans for festivities all over the world in 1987. Special homage will be paid to L L Zamenhof, M.D. who, in the Warsaw of 1887, made a free gift of his language to all the world's peoples. From modest beginnings, Esperanto has evolved into a healthy young language, nurtured by the millions who have used it down through the years. A thoroughly modern lingua franca, it is used by thousands in international seminars and conventions of all kinds throughout the civilized world. To enable the United States to share a more active role in the Esperanto movement, in 1969 Cathy Schulze turned to Minerva Massen who was teaching Esperanto to her fifth-grade class. Mrs. Massen sought the advice of Congressman Tom Lantos (then professor of political science at San Francisco State University). There followed an interview with Dr. Lloyd O'Connor, Director of Summer Sessions and Dr. Richard L. Trapp, Dean of the Classics Department at SFSU with William and Catherine Schulze representing ELNA. Fifty-two people attended the first Esperanto Workshops offered at SFSU in July of 1970. Only two levels, basic and advanced, were offered. William Auld, noted Esperanto poet and essayist of Scotland was the first teacher, assisted by Duncan Charters. A middle course was added in 1971. We owe a great debt to William Auld and Duncan Charters for establishing the precedent for excellence in course content and instruction. What follows is a photographic history of fifteen years of pioneering Esperanto instruction on a level which serves modern needs. Special issue of ELNA NEWSLETTER (ISSN 0030 5056) - Spring, 1984 4. Dr. David K. Jordan (Univ. of California- San Diego) instructor 1978 5. Jonathan Cole (UC-SD) - instructor 1978 1. Richard L. Trapp 2. Lloyd O'Connor and Cathy Schulze Dr. Trapp and the late Dr. O'Connor administered the Esperanto courses beginning in 1970. 3. William Auld (Scotland) 1970-1977, visits San Mateo CA summer school with Tatsuo Hugimoto (Japan) who taught with him in 1975. 6. Prof. Probal Dasgupta (Deccan College, Pune, India) assisted Dr. Jordan 1979 11-'ill 11 Dr. Grant Goodall (Univ. of California-San Diego) assisted Prof. James Cool 1980 and Dr. Claude Piron 1981. (Daniel T. Burke assisted for one week.) ' 8. Prof. James Cool (Wilmington, OH College) and Charles R.L. Power taught 1982 class. Dr. Cool taught the SFSU courses 4 years. 9. Yoshimi Umeda (Tokyo) and Dr. Claude Piron (Geneva University, Switzerland) ■ 1983. 10. Dr. Duncan Charters (Principia College, Illinois) 1984 12. Nikola Rasic (Zagreb University) 1984 The Administrative Team at SFSU who make it all work 13. Prof. James Kohn with Yoshimi Umeda and Claude Piron ■h~_ "flK^ * n ^z *" j,*2£r' *. " *dk ' i m ■i *&l sAb^^tL B 1 ■LHL I ■Up»"3*- :;lj|Sl|i 1 •-■= < 14. Ms Jo Volkert, Director Summer Sessions, inspects El Japana Literaturo with Piron and Umeda MWMMHMWMMHMWHMMWwp I mm ĝjjK §k 1m^ * Xj8t^^llli§ir"-, tjifesg, ĴStf^-lit - m ■ 11. Dr. John Wells (University College, London) 1984 15. Ms Arline Van Ness, Director of Housing at SFSU (Photos by Vallon-Wheeler) ■■p . ■■ ■ ■ ^«gggg^^m Almost without exception, everyone finishing the FREE POSTAL COURSE has echoed the words of actor David McCallum (Esperanto-Feb. 1967). In answer to the question, "If you could change anything in the world situation, what would you change?" he replied: "I would insist and strongly recommend that Esperanto be taught to every child in the world so that in one generation we would succeed in having complete understanding." ALUMNI OF THE SFSU ESPERANTO COURSES are especially invited to participate in the 1984 program to enjoy— *** the greatly expanded lively courses *** the 15th anniversary festivities *** the caravan to the 32nd ELNA Convention and the 3rd Convention of Pacific Rim Countries, Portland, Oregon and the 69th Universal Esperanto Convention, Vancouver, B.C. 1984 SUMMER CALENDAR 25 June 13 July San Francisco State University Esperanto Workshops 14-19 July 3rd All-Pacific Lands and 32nd ELNA Conventions, University of Portland, Portland, Oregon 21 - 28 July 69th World Esperanto Convention, University of B.C., Vancouver, B.C. To meet the growing demand for expert Esperanto teachers and translators, the Universal Esperanto Association (Rotterdam) encourages methods courses such as are offered at San Francisco State University. To spur public interest in a global second language, the Esperanto League for North America has engaged Steve Allen and William R. Harmon for a half-hour TV Esperanto documentary. Directed and edited by Judy Montell with script by Helen Hughes, the film will be made available to Cable and Educational TV stations nationwide in Canada and the United States during 1984. A resultant demand for expert teachers is anticipated and is being met by San Francisco State University's Esperanto program. ESPERANTO LEAGUE FOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. P.O. Box 1129 El Cerrito CA 94530 (415) 653-0998 FOR INFORMATION ON SFSU COURSES: Cathy Schulze 410 Darrell Road Hillsborough CA 94010 (415) 342-1796 Some Additional Reading Anonymous, 1979. The Use of the International Language Esper- anto as a Partial Solution to Language Problems in International Nongovernmental Organizations: Some Recommendations. Esperanto Documents, Number 16A: 1 - 10. Cresswell, J., and J. Hartley. 1968. Esperanto. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 205 p. Issani, C. 1981. The Struggle for Linguistic Hegemony 1780- 1980. American Scholar, 50: 382-387. Lewin, R. A., and D. K. Jordan. 1981. The Predominance of English and the Potential use of Esperanto for Abstracts of Scientific Articles. Science and Scientists: Essays by Biochemists, Biologists and Chemists. Japan Scientific Societies Press, Tokyo, p. 433-441. Sherwood, B. A. 1979. Universal Language Requirement. Physics Today, July, p. 9. Language and Science Policies of New Nations Robert Kaplan, President, National Association for Foreign Student Affairs (from Science, 2 September 1983) In this second half of the 20th century, a large number of the new nations that have emerged from the shadow of colonialism are facing serious language problems. Many of these problems stem from the multilingual character of the diverse populations that have been collected into single nations. Others are due to inadequate appreciation of the national and international uses of language. Normally, two kinds of languages are available to new govern- ments: indigenous languages, which are usually spoken by small popularions or by those who are geographically restricted, and languages of wider communication, spoken by large populations around the world. If the nation chooses an indigenous tongue, it is common to select the one spoken by its largest population. Such a choice may create serious internal problems because the remaining populations may resist the imposition of another group's language. More trying, however, is the fact that the indigenous language may not allow easy access to science and technology. It may lack the necessary technical vocabulary, and translation may be difficult. This, in turn, may create the special problem of trying to modernize the language itself. If the new nation chooses a language of wider communication, it is easiest to choose the old colonial language, since some of the population already speak it, but such a choice may have negative connotations. Or a nation may choose a language for cultural or religious solidarity (for instance, Arabic), but such a choice may work against aspirations for modernization. In general, a nation selects a language of wider communication to have access to science and technology and thus to modernization and a higher standard of living. However, world languages that provide such access consti- tute a limited set: English, French, German, and Russian. In order to cope with the problem, a number of nations have adopted systems inwhich a child upon entering school is taught in his indigenous language and learns a regional language at the elementary level, a national language at the secondary level, and a world language at the tertiary level. Such approaches are demand- ing on the student and the educational system, which must provide teachers and materials in all languages involved. These demands are very costly and may restrain the intricately layered educational program necessary for nurturing a self-sustaining science. The problem is made more complicated by modern systems of information storage and retrieval. Most of the information already stored is in English. English speakers are the largest contributors to and users of these systems, and they are also the system managers. There is therefore a bias toward English that works against non- native speakers of the language. Although some of this bias is overcome by the substitution of mathematical language, some still remains by virtue of language-specific semantic categories and the fact that the original text is probably in English. It seems reasonable to assert, however difficult it may be to accept, that knowledge of a world language, especially English, is essential to the welfare of the new nations. Any other course is tantamount to restricting their capability for modernization. New nations must find a balance between the cultivation of indigenous culture-rich language and the need for a world language. Japan meets this need with elaborate translation services, and Saudi Arabia has undertaken to train a large scientific and technical manpower pool in English. And other strategies can be adopted. The fact remains that many developing nations do not have the resources to invest in proper language strategies, and many have made language decisions often based on political criteria. As dependence on developed nations and their information systems grows, the language problems of new nations are intensified. Time is running out, but it is still possible to examine linguistic alternatives and develop better language policies for national needs. L^ngtrag©Pp#M©tiis Planning iu,X>-<. ..X*~" Richard E. Wood, Editor An international, interdisciplinary journal devoted, through research, theory, policy and technique, to the solution of language-based problems Published by the University of Texas Press in cooperation with the Center for Research on International Language Problems Journals Department University of Texas Press Box 7819 Austin, Texas 78712 MTES. IaatvU