Esperanto League for North America, Inc • Box 1129, El Cerrito, CA 94530 • (415) 653-0998 Issue 1,1990 WORLD LANGUAGE AND WORLD LANGUAGE PROBLEMS English Only Laws Is the English language so endangered only a law can save it? As 10 states consider controversial "official English" legislation, vigorous debate continues over whether such efforts encourage discrimination against immigrants. Bills range from symbolic declarations that English is the official language to more restrictive proposals granting, for example, the right of citizens to sue the government for not using English. Proponents say the goal is to halt the proliferation of state and federal governments use of foreign languages. But communities are polarized over whether such legislation im- pedes access to ballots, course and educational opportunities for those with a limited proficiency in English. "These amendments are dividing communities and capitaliz- ing on a rising trend of xenophobia. They send the wrong message to ethnic communities without helping them in any way," declares Mary Carol Combs, director of the English Plus Information Clearinghouse. The controversy isn't expected to diminish any time soon. Official English legislation is currently pending in Alabama, Connecticut, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wisconsin. (Re- printed with permission from Common Cause magazine, May/ June 1989) English-Only Law Thrown Out A federal judge threw out Arizona's voter-approved measure making English the state's official language, saying it violated the U.S. Constitution's First Admendment. {San Francisco Chron- icle, Wednesday, February 7, 1990) English-Only Declaration The Ontario city of Sault Ste. Marie has declared English its official language, a largely symbolic move that flies in the face of Canada's 21-yr-old bilingualism law. (Reuters: San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, February 2, 1990) Court Rules Aliens Entitled to Translation of Entire Hearing U.S. District Judge William P. Gray has ruled unconstitutional the practice of U.S. immigration courts of failing to provide for the interpretation of the entire proceeding into an alien's native language. Such failure to interpret everything, held the court, deprives the non-English speaking individuals involved of their rights to be present, to confront and cross-examine witnesses, and to representation by counsel. (Extracted from the Novem- ber 13th, 1989 issue of the Interpreter Releasesand submitted by ELNA member John T. Dale, Jr.) Moldavians Pushing for Reforms, Moscow (AP) Hundreds of thousands of people rallied in the republic of Moldavia on Sunday (August 27,1989) to demand adoption of Moldavian as the official language, organizers said. The TASS news agency said Moldavian President Mircha I. Snegur addressed the crowd and appealed for calm discussion of a law making Moldavian the official language, which will be considered by the republic's Supreme Soviet, or parliament on Tuesday (August 29, 1989). The rallies came amid a wave of strikes at more than 100 factories and offices in Russian- and Ukrainian-dominated cities protesting the proposed language law. The law would make Moldavian, a dialect of the language spoken in neighboring Romania, the official language. It would also restore the Latin alphabet that the Soviet dictator Josef Stalin replaced with Cyrillic when the Soviet Union forcibly took the land from Romania in 1940. (Excerpted from an article appearing in the Monday, August 28,1989 edition of The Daily Review) "Why Did South Africa Ban Television Until 1975?" Most available programs were in English—from Great Britain and the United States. South African leaders felt that cultural advantage to English speakers penalized those who spoke Afri- kaans, the language of the Dutch descendants. (The Grab Bag, The San Francisco Sunday Examiner &■ Chronicle, Sunday, December 31,1989) INTERNATIONAL ESPERANTO NEWS Science & Technology Conference to Occur in China The 3rd International Conference on Science and Technol- ogy will take place in Beijing May 25-30, 1990. The official languages will be Esperanto, Chinese and English. IIIHf IIIHf III*- One of the themes of this conference will be scientific and technological progress and world economic cooperation, in- cluding the role of Esperanto in Science and Technology. {Heroldo de Esperanto, October 6, 1989) Nobel Prize Winner Speaks Out on Esperanto Dr. Jan Tinbergen, winner of the first Nobel prize for eco- nomics in 1969, wrote a letter to the editor of EkonomiaBulteno pri Usono (Economic Bulletin of the United States), Dr. Thomas A. Goldman, in which he states "I wholly support all efforts to make Esperanto a subject of instruction in elementary or post- elementary schools and in other institutions". The EkonomiaBulteno pri Usonois a newsletter which presents up-to-date information about the evolution of U.S. economics, with clarifications and analysis. {Heroldo de Esperanto, October 6,1989) 10,000 Traveled by Esperanto in 1988 The Esperanto travel service "Esperantotur" (ET) now has 6 official offices and 50 full time employees in Poland. In 1988 "ET" arranged travels for some 10,000 people. However, this is just a fraction of the total number of people using Esperanto travel agencies. (Heroldo de Esperanto, October 6, 1989) New Tourism Center in the Ukraine The Bureau of International Youth Tourism, known as SPUTNIK and based in the Ukrainian city of Lvov, has founded an "Esperanto Center" with the aim of popularizing Esperanto and organizing internal and foreign tourism. {Heroldo de Esperanto, January 15, 1990) Radio Esperanto A table summarizing Esperanto broadcasts throughout the world for 1989 reveals a total of 5462 broadcasts totaling 2138 hours, for the most part on short wave. Stations broadcasting in Esperanto were from Austria, Brazil, China, Hungary, Italy, Yugoslavia, Cuba, Poland, USSR, Switzerland, and the Vatican. {Esperanto, Dec. 1989, as reported in The Australian Esperan- tist, Jan/Feb. 1990) Top of the Tops The Czechoslavakian rock band TEAM, a group of young Esperanrists, are Top of the Pops. Their latest record has sold 170,000 copies in a short time and an Esperanto cassette of their many hits will soon be available on the international market. They are heard and seen regularly on Czechoslovakian television and radio. {The Worker Esperantist, Jan/Feb. 1990) rfilUlNAL ESPERANTO NEWS New Benefit for New Members To help new members of ELNA become more familiar with their organization and some of the ins-and-outs of Esperanto, ELNA recently published the first edition of the Handbook for New Members of ELNA. The "Handbook" cannot be bought, but is sent free of charge to all new members of ELNA and has useful information such as: • Suggestions on learning Esperanto • How to Correspond • Traveling with Esperanto • Useful Terms • Useful Addresses ELNA Convention & Summer Courses Set The annual ELNA convention has been set to occur in Mexico City July 7-12, 1990. This year's San Francisco State University Summer Intensive Esperanto Courses will take place from June 18 to July 6. For more than 20 years students from all parts of the country and the world will come to learn or improve their Esperanto. NEW BENEFIT FOR MEMBERS OF ELNA! Handbook for new members of elna This 30-page booklet introduces the new ELNA member to the structure of ELNA and various aspects of the Esperanto move- ment, both in the United States and abroad. Not for sale, but sent free-of-charge to new members. 1 1 ( 1 * : i JOIN ELNA TODAY to receive your copy! •■i- - ;; '""^20'- j DEK009 Dek Fabeloj by Charlotte Kohrs 8? Dorothy Kruger ♦ Collection often skits ♦ Ideal for group reading or home study ♦ Based on popular fables $5.00 (non-members)/ $4.75 (members) ;:i;:;;^;!;:—:;;; ritual A' ;!>•_ . NIP002 Ni Farolu Esperanton Kune by Charlotte Kohrs ♦ 16 lessons ♦ Includes dialogues ♦ Perfect for beginners $5.00 (non-members)/ $4.75 (members) ESP016 Esperanto Pronunciation Cassette Tape This cassette by J.C. Wells, author of one of the most popular Eo-Engfrsh/English-Eo disction- aries, is an excellent model of good Esperanto pronunciation. Available from the Book Service. $5.00 (non-members)/ $4.75 (members) w 1990 Book Catalog! This attractive 46-page catalog details nearly every item available from the Book Service. Liberally illustrated and with material conveniently grouped by category, the 1990 ELNA Book Service Catalog makes ordering books, tapes, and other Esperanto-related merchandise easier than ever. Non-members can order the catalog for a modest price. 1990 Catalog Non-members' price: $2.00 ELNA ORDER FORM For Office Use Only ■/w :#;. tnvolc»#- AnBatg SHIP TO: Name:------- Address: — City: ---------- Zip:------------- DATE: State: □I I am a current calendar year member of ELNA & therefore using Members' discounted prices* MERCHANDISE Code # Oty, Qesc ■..-• :n Unit Price Total Price CAT001 1990 Full Catalog $2.00 $2.00 ELNA Membership MERCHANDISE SUBTOTAL SHIPPING/HANDLING (10% of price; $1.25 min.; In USA only, $6.50 max.) SALES TAX (California residents only) total: Most orders shipped same day by fourth class book rate. Please allow sufficient delivery time. Please make all checks payable to ELNA and send to: ELNA, P.O. Box 1129, El Cerrito, CA 94530. (415) 653-0998. Esperanto League for North America, Inc. P.O. Box 1129 El Cerrito, CA 94530 Usono/USA in this issue*»* ♦ English-Only Laws ♦ Court Rules in Translation ♦ Moldavians Fttsh for Reforms ♦ LLriA Convention & SFSU ELNA Membership Benefits The satisfaction of contributing materially to the propagation of Esperanto in the U.S.A. A bi-monthly newsletter keeping you up to date on issues of importance to Esperantists The quarterly ELNA Update with information on the world language problem and Esperanto as its solution The ELNA Book and Tape Service catalogs and the ELNA Membership List ♦ Discounts on most items carried by the ELNA Book and Tape Services Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Berkeley, CA Permit No. 330 ♦!♦ Non-Member "Mend of Esperanto" A "Friend of Esperanto" is not a dues-paying member of ELNA, and therefore, not eligible for the regular membership benefits. Instead, a "Friend" offers encouragement to the Espe- ranto movement by providing financial support. A "Friend" receives: Four issues of the ELNA Update via first-class mail. The ELNA Update keeps you abreast of the world language problem and Esperanto as its solution. A free copy of the year's ELNA Book Service Catalog ELNA MEMBERSHIP FORM Please show the type of membership or support by an X in the appropriate brackets. All memberships are on a calendar year basis, January 1 - December 31. For items marked (*), we must have your birthdate. NOTE: Your address and telephone number will be published in the yearly membership list unless you indicate otherwise here: [ ] address [ ] phone Name:________________________________________________ Address:______________________________________________ City/State/Zip:_______________________________________ Phone: Birthdate: Amateur Radio Call: 1990 ELNA Membership Categories [ ] Individual................................$25.00 [ ] Sustaining...............................$50.00 [ ] Life (*)..................................$500.00 [ ] Youth ("Under 27).................$12.50 [ ]65+(*) ...................................$15.00 [ ] Family.....................................$37.50 Other Forms of Support [ ] Friend of Esperanto...................$7.50 (non-member) [ ] Donation..........................._________ Return this form with payment to: ELNA Box 1129, EI Cerrito, CA 94530 Telephone: (415) 153-0998