Esperanto League for North America, Inc • Box 1129, El Cerrito, CA 94530 • (415) 653-0998 Issue 4,1990 WORLD LANGUAGE, Wif§LD LANGUAGE PROBLEMS Linguistic Lazarus: Cornish Language Back From the Dead The Cornish — against all odds — have brought their language back from the dead. And they are fighting with one another about it tooth and nail. That there's anything to fight about is something of a lin- guistic miracle. Only one other lost tongue has been successfully revived to everyday use — Hebrew — and it has the full weight of the state of Israel behind it. Cornish isn't in the same league. Though the numbers are growing, only a few thousand have studied Cornish, of whom maybe 150 are completely fluent. (Excerpted from THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, May 16, 1990) World Languages There are 2,000 languages in the world spoken by at least 1 million people (Esperanto is one of them!). But at the United Nations, translation is provided in just six languages: Arabic, English, French, German, Russian and Spanish. (SANFRAN- CISCO CHRONICLE, World Insider by Edward Epstein, June 27,1990) Societal Collapse According to an article by Georgie Anne Geyer, language is a source of many problems in the world. Geyer says, "Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia are trying desperately to recapture their historic cultural souls. Canada may well be about to break up because of the French language problem in Quebec. Lebanon has become not a country but a word and a warning, meaning the purgatory hellish political, social and linguistic collapse". "Any serious analyst can see that the greatest threat to culture and civilization today is not nuclear war but societal breakdown caused by obdurate division of class, race, culture and — the most poisonous and symbolic of all — language". (THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH, May 29, 1990) Speak English Please! North American tourists traveling to England may assume that they are in relatively familiar territory and can expect few communication problems. After all, they do speak English. But the bold soul who rents a car and ventures out on English roads soon discovers a road sign language as baffling as Sanskrit or Korean. The translation problem is so real that the Royal Automobile Club offers a British-American glossary for motorists: Dual carriageway (divided highway); roundabout (traffic circle); left coming (traffic merging from the left); way out (exit); flyover (overpass); loose chippings (fallen rocks); crown strollers (road hogs); road diversion (detour); lay by (place to pull off the road); verges (road shoulders). Then there's the sign that orders, "Keep nearside lane." That means stay to the very left. And, in England, you must stay left to be right! (HAVE A GOOD DAT, 1989) Broken English: Helpful Signs Need Help Anyone who has tried to speak a foreign language without really understanding it knows what humiliation is. And anyone who has tried, on Christmas Eve, to follow the assembly instructions for toys manufactured in exotic lands, knows what frustration is. Stanley Stallcup has sent along a collection of public notices posted in various countries and in varying coincidence with English. In a Bucharest, Romania, hotel lobby: The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will he unbearable. In a Belgrade, Yugoslavia, hotel elevator: To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. In a Japanese hotel: Tou are in- vited to take advantage of the chambermaid. In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery: Tou are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists and writers are buried daily except Thursday. In the window of a Swedish furrier: Fur coats made for ladies from their own skin. In a Norwegian cocktail lounge: Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar. At a Budapest zoo: Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty. In the office of a Rome doctor: Specialist in women and other diseases. (Cox News Service, WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, August 11, 1990) iinf iiiibV iiiib^ INTORNATIONAL ESPERANTO NEWS NUlpNAL NEWS First African Esperanto Conference The first Esperanto Conference in Africa will take place this coming December in Lome, the capital of Togo. The confer- ence is being hosted by the Togo Union for Esperanto (Unuio Togolanda por Esperanto), with other nearby Esperanto groups welcoming planned Esperanto excursions. (ESPERANTO, June 1990) Vietnam Launches New Esperanto Periodical The "Vjetnama Ilustrita Revuo" Vjetnamio (VIR) officially released its first edition in the international language Esperanto with the goal of contributing to the development of the national and international Esperanto-movement. VIR is a unique quar- terly review of modern Vietnam with a history dating back to 1954 and is published in 10 languages. For more information, write in Esperanto to: D-ro Le Nhiem, 3 Nguyen Tat Thanh, Q4, Ho Chi Minh-City, Vietnam. A Sample copy may be obtained for $2.00. (ESPERANTO, June 1990) 30,000 People Studied Esperanto in 1989 According to Oskar Princz of UEA, 30,000 people took part in Esperanto courses and 20,000 people participated in Espe- ranto conventions and meetings throughout the world in 1989. In addition, there are now about 2,000 Esperanto clubs in the world. (ESPERANTO, May 1990) Esperanto Flower On the lighter side, Dutch Gardens of New Jersey is marketing its #87 Esperanto Viridiflora Tulip. For more information, write to the company at P.O. Box 200, Adelphia, NJ 07710 (Reported to ELNA Update by Rob Hardy) ELNA Posts Record Gains For the first time ever the National Esperanto organization has a membership of over 1000 members. The charts shown below, presented to the Annual ELNA conference in Mexico City this summer, graphically present the continual growth of membership and decline of member attri- tion rate over the previous three years. Growth of Membership ° Attrition Rate (%) A growing membership in ELNA is necessary to further expand services already in place, and to provide the necessary capital for development of new programs. New Flyers from ELNA For a copy of ELNA's latest flyers, Esperanto: The Idea Be- hind the Language and Getting Involved with Esperanto, send a number 10 self-addressed stamped envelope to : ELNA, P.O. Box 1129, El Cerrito, CA 94610 2nd Edition of Richardson Book The ELNA Central Office just received the second edition of the book, Esperanto - Learning and Using the International Language by David Richardson. Known as the "Richardson Book", this title has quickly moved into the best seller position in the ELNA Book Service by selling more than 3,000 copies in about 1.5 years. GRAVA ANONCO! New Director for ELNA's Central Office Sought The current Director of the Central Office, Mark Stephens, has an- nounced his intention to leave his position immediately. Any U.S. Esperantists interested in becoming the new Director should inform ELNA as soon as possible. The successful candidate would need to begin training immediately and commit to stay at least two years. ELNA's Central Office is located in the San Francisco region of California. The Director is responsible for its day-to-day operation, which includes supervising one full-time assistant and one part-time bookkeeper, membership development, maintenance of the informa- tional activity of the League, handling correspondence, as well as various other aspects of general office routine. Experience with computers and bookkeeping are highly desirable. The possession of an automobile, though not required, would be -helpful. Ability to use Esperanto and English is necessary.— Those interested should write IN ESPERANTO, detailing their skills, job history, involvement in the Esperanto movement, and general background to: William R. Harmon 1016 King Drive El Cerrito, CA 94530 (415)524-8261 All correspondence will be kept confidential. Recommended for Beginners Esperanto Dictionary, by J. Wells. Excellent 2-way first dictionary; companion to Tench Yourself Esperanto. This extensive dictionary from one of Esperanto's finest scholars has long been popular in En- glish-speaking countries. Includesnntroduction to gram- mar. Highly recommended for both beginners and advanced students. 491p., paper. WELOOI................$9.95 ($9.00 for members) Esperanto—Learning and Using the International Language, by D. Richardson.___________________ ELNA's contribution to the Esperanto Centennial. Con- tains history of the Esperanto movement and its current status, ten chapters devoted to learning Esperanto, and ample reading material to improve your comprehension. Excellent index makes research easy and Esperanto to English dictionary makes this self-contained book an excel- lent choice for English speakers. 384 p., bound. Illus- trated. ESP046.............$14.95 ($14.20 for members) ELNA ORDER FORM For Office Use Only A/R*- fnvoĵo0#: X/ft:»ah SHIP TO: Name:------ Address: — City: --------- Zip:----------- DATE: State: ["J ! am a current calendar year member of ELNA & therefore using Members' discounted prices* MERCHANDISE Code # City. Descripti n . ... ' Unit Price Total Price 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/IJSA In this issue... ♦ Director for ELNA CO. Sought ♦ Cornish: Back from the Dead ♦ English as She Is Spoke ♦ ELNA Posts Record Oains Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Berkeley, CA Permit No. 330 Learn Esperanto in the convenience of your own home through ELNA's self-paced Home Study Program! Each level of the Home Study Program is self-contained, all you need is a tape recorder and your spare time. In addition, your course will be guided by a qualified instructor of Esperanto, giving you the personal attention you need. The just released Level One and Level Two of the program are designed to emphasize building conversational skills with a focus on everyday expressions. Why wait? Start now on the road to truly person-to-person communication through the international language Esperanto by enrolling today! LEVEL ONE — Using the textbook and cassette tape for the popular Jm Nia-Mondo 1 radio course, this 12 lesson course will quickly guide you to mastery of basic Esperanto. COURSE MATERIALS: Jen Nia Mondo 1 book (66 pages), Jen Nia Mondo 1 audio cassette, and workbook. Course Number 101..........$35.00* LEVEL TWO —As a continuation of Level One, this 13 lesson course focuses on a more detailed analysis of Esperanto as a language in its own right. This course is recommended to the serious student as a follow up to 101 above. COURSE MATERIALS: Jen Nia Mondo 2 book (89 pages), Jen Nia Mondo 2 audio cassette, and workbook. Course Number 201..........$40.00* * Note: LEVELS THREE and FOUR arc scheduled for release in late 1990 or early 1991 and will be announced when available. g^--------------------------------------------------------------- ELNA CORRESPONDENCE COURSE REGISTRATION FORM Return this form with check or money order payable to ELNA to: ELNA, P.O. Box 1129, El Cerrito, CA 94530-1129 Name: ____________________________________________ Date:____________________________ Address:________________________________________________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip-Code:___________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone #:_____________________________ Please enroll me in the correspondence course indicated below. I am enclosing $_______check or money order made payable to ELNA. [ ] 101-LEVEL ONE..... $35.00* [ ] 201-LEVEL TWO.....$40.00** * & * * : If you already have the book and tape set for Jen Nia Mondo 1 or 2, you may subtract $12.00 from the price of the appropriate course level.