ELNA UPDATE Qua- srly Newsletter publisher b; the Esperanto Leagse for North America P.O. Box 1129 • El Cerrito CA 94530 * USA__________________________ 1/1985 ISSN pending UN, UNESCO & USA This coming June 26th will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations. While nobody will claim that the UN is a perfect organization, its very existence is a legitimate ground for hope. As we approach the birthday celebrations, ELNA is working to increase awareness of the relationship between the International Language and international organizations. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) passed a resolution in 1985 which "takes note of the achievements through the international language Esperanto in the field of international intellectual exchange and mutual understanding of the peoples of the world, and recognizes that these results agree with the aims and ideals of UNESCO... Recalling that Esperanto has made ... considerable progress as a means for the advancement of mutual understanding of peoples and cultures of different coun- tries, penetrating into most regions of the world and most human activities, Recognizing the great potential of Espe- ranto for international understanding, and the communication among people of different nationalities, [this resolution] invites the Member States ... to promote the introduction of a study program on the language prob- lem and Esperanto in their schools and higher educational institutions." Unfortunately, the United States withdrew from UNESCO in 1984, so we cannot officially report on the excellent progress in Esperanto education here in the USA. Perhaps it is time for an end of the US boycott of UNESCO. Please consider writing to your government representatives about re-establishing relations with UNESCO. The final paragraph of this resolution "recommends to the international non- governmental organizations... to consider the possibility of the use of Esperanto as a means for the spreading of all kinds of information among their members, in- cluding information on the work of UNESCO." How many of you readers belong to international organi- zations which could benefit from this recommendation from the cultural branch of the UN? INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP WEEK The mayors of Chicago, Illinois and Harlingen, Texas (and possibly other cities) issued official proclamations recog- nizing International Friendship Week during February 19- 25. The text of the Chicago proclamation included the following: WHEREAS, International Friendship Week, which was initiated by Esperanto groups, will be celebrated simultaneously in doz- ens of countries worldwide; and WHEREAS, Esperanto promotes worldwide friendship through the use of common words in European languages, and is the best-documented, most promising attempt at forming a universal language acceptable to people of different cultures and back- ground; and WHEREAS, Esperanto also serves as a preparatory course for foreign languages because of its systematic, streamlined grammar; and WHEREAS, the Esperanto Society of Chica- go has recently hosted Esperantists from Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Hungary, Iran, Japan, Russia and Uzbekistan, and is in contact with Esperantists in Kiev, Ukraine, which is a sister city of Chicago; and WHEREAS, the Esperanto Society of Chica- go translated a chemistry textbook and is sending it to youth groups in the Third World; and WHEREAS, the UNESCO project FUNDAPAX aims to link Esperanto class- rooms in multiple countries by computer, fax, telephone and mail.... NOW, THEREFORE, I, RICHARD M. DALEY, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF CHI- CAGO, do hereby proclaim February 19- 25, 1995, to be INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP WEEK IN CHICAGO, in honor of Esperanto's 108th anniversary, [signed] Richard M. Daley WHOLE EARTH DAY Whole Earth Day has been celebrated on April 22 for the last 25 years. The Esperanto Society of Sacramento has sponsored and staffed a booth at the Davis Whole Earth Fair for the past several years. Please be on the lookout for opportunities to promote Esperanto as a Whole Earth Language! The concept of Whole Earth Day has spread thoughout the world, so that this festival of ecology and peace has become known as Earth Day International, and has a new focus of creating cross-cultural co-operation. Esperanto can serve as a perfect tool in this forum! LANGUAGE AND THE LAW OFFICIAL-ENGLISH UNCONSTITUTIONAL Arizona's "official English" law was ruled unconstitutional by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which stated that "free speech includes choice of language." States can encourage use of a common language, but not by outlaw- ing other tongues. Arizona's constitutional amendment ordering the state and local governments to conduct all business in English interferes with the ability of non- English-speaking citizens to communicate with their government, the panel said. (Associated Press Dec. 17, 1994) LANGUAGE RIGHTS BEHIND BARS U.S. Courts of Appeals also have recently upheld the rights of prison inmates to send and receive correspon- dence in languages other than English, and to pray aloud in languages other than English. ESPERANTO AS PRODUCT NAME Two different and unrelated companies have decided to name their translation software in honor of the Interna- tional Language. A New Jersey company called Square One produces a software package called Esperanto, which is "a cross- platform electronic mail application designed to front-end existing host-based electronic mail systems." Esperanto therefore allows a single account to be used by both Macintosh and Windows applications in a user-friendly neutral environment. NIT Business Computing Systems of San Diego CA produces "Esperanto Chinese Translation System" which translates between Chinese and English. So both products invoke the aspect of Esperanto as a tool to promote understanding between different language- systems, although neither actually utilizes Esperanto! JAPANGLISH (JAPAN IMPORTS ENGLISH WORDS) A century after a famous Japanese scholar proposed that the country drop Japanese and switch to English, it sometimes seems that he got his way. "lots of Japanese are interested in new sounds, so they find foreign words very fresh and interesting, said Maki Nishinomiya, the chief editor of a popular dictionary of foreign words used in Japanese. Thus the newspapers these days are full of references to heaa nuudo, derived from "hair nude." The term, which refers to photos which show pubic hair, is in the news because the police have arrested a magazine publisher for printing particularly graphic heaa nuudo photos. Another hot phrase is raifu rain (lifeline), referring to utilities like electricity and gas service. The term had been used only occasionally in Japan until the recent devastat- ing earthquake in Kobe; then suddenly it was all over the airwaves. Even Prime Minister Murayama pointed to the restoration of the raifu rain in defending his ridashippu (leadership). Likewise, the Japanese use sekkusu when discussing sex, and if they have trouble achieving sekkusu tashi (sex ecstasy), they can consult a sekkusu pato (sex expert). A young woman who wears daringly tight clothes is descibed as a bodi-kon gam (body-conscious gal). Even in Japan, Sony markets the Walkman, not the Amku Hito (the equivalent in Japanese). All languages borrow foreign words, of course; but Japanese has gone further than most. A Cabinet Minister, Arinori Mori, provoked a controversy in the 1870's when he suggested that Japan abandon Japanese and adopt English. What would he think of today's trend? (New York Times Feb. 21, 1995) HAWAIIAN UPDATE Faithful readers will remember an article in ELNA UPDATE 1994 #3 called "Hawaiian Language Rescued!" which reported the success of Hawaiian-language schools. The project continues to bear fruit. Now you can learn the Hawaiian language by watching TV. Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate and the Hawaiian State Department of Education are collaborating to present Hawaiian language lessons on Oceanic Cable 26. The series will consist of short vignettes, grammatical structure, vocabulary and pronunciation drills suitable for everyday family situations. An interactive Hotline will also be available during the program to allow viewers to call in questions for immediate feedback. "It is our hope that the viewers will recognize that the Hawaiian language can live forever through any and all of our activities," said Ekela Kaniaupio-Crozier, a Hawaiian studies resource specialist at Kamehameha. (Honolulu Advertiser Feb. 25, 1995) NEW FROM THE BOOK SERVICE BRAZILA ANTOLOGIO POEZIA. Tr. Francisco Valdomiro LORENZ. Poems of 120 Brazilian poets, translated by one of the greatest Esperanto transla- tors. 1994, 452p. 205x140. Paper. Brazil. BRA002 $24.50/$23.25 ĈINA CERAMIKO, ZHAO Hongshen. Tr. WANG Chonfang. This volume deals with the history, science and aesthetics of Chinese ceramics. Illustrat- ed. 1994, 238p. 185x120. Paper. China. ISBN 7-5052- 0087-9 CIN010 $6.00/$5.70 DEK SES URBOJ DE ĈINIO. This travel guide in- troduces the reader to many cities off the normal tourist trail. Illustrated. 1984, 176p. 185x120. Paper. China. DEK003 $3.00/$2.85 DOMAĈO, LA, Petro ANSELMO. Exciting crime novel in perfect Esperanto. 1989, cassette + 24p. booklet (ISBN 3-922570-57-7). 210x145. Germany DOM001 $13.25/$12.60 EKZAKTO DE L'OMBRO, L', Gellu NAUM. Tr. Sasha VLAD. Surrealist poetry from a major Ro- manian author. 1995, 21p. 215x135. Paper. USA. ISBN 1-882251-11-3 EKZ001 $3.00/$2.85 ENCIKLOPEDIETO DE ĈINIO, LI Qiang & ZHANG Meizhi. Tr. FAN Yizhu. Can you believe this? An encyclopedia for eight bucks! Learn fasci- nating fun facts about this awakening dragon. Illus- trated. 1994, 320p. 200x140. Paper. China. ISBN 7- 5052-0086-0 ENC002 $8.00/$7.60 INTERNACIA VORTARO DE MIKROBA GENETI- KO, Ralph A. LEWIN. This book proves that Espe- ranto's technical vocabulary is rich enough to do any- thing! Trilingual (Chinese, Esperanto, English) dictionary with explanations in Esperanto and Chi- nese. 1994, 117p. 185x130. Paper. China. ISBN 7- 5052-0184-0 INT002 $12.00/$11.40 40 VIDINDAJ LOKOJ EN ĈINIO. Tr. Censinio. Great resource for the globe-trotting traveler and fine spark for the imagination for the armchair traveler. 111. LU Dacheng. 1984, 269p. 185x120. Paper. China. KVA004 $3.95/$3.75 LI KAJ NI, Reinhard HAUPENTHAL, ed. A collec- tion of essays on various topics gathered as a fest- libro in honour of Gaston Waringhien. 1985, 520p. 215x150. Paper. Belgium. ISBN 90 6336 034 7 LIK001 $29.25/$27.80 NI KAJ ĜI, Gaston WARINGHIEN. A collection of original Esperanto essays about religion and art. The above volume is named as a pun on this title. 1972, 346p. 215x155. Paper. Spain. ISBN 84-400-5989-2 NIK001 $30.50/$28.95 NIGRA INSULO, LA, Herge. Tr. Jopetro DANVY. Tin-Tin in trouble? As always! Tin-Tin in kilts? Gotta see it to believe it! Comix aren't just for kids! 1987, 62p. 295x220. Bound. France-Belgium. ISBN 2- 907120-01-8 NIG004 $11.75/$11.15 ŜANCO POR FELIĈO, Phil BOSMANS. Tr. Lydia KERRE1VLANS. Whether this is poetry or psycholo- gy, this little book proposes a real "Chance for Happiness." Illustrated. 1988, 96p. 210x125. Paper. ISBN 3-451-21387-7 SAN006 $14.50/$13.75 VIKTIMOJ, Julio BAGHY. This is the first novel in Esperanto whose action comes not from the author's imagination, but from life itself. The author's experi- ences as a prisoner of war in Siberia inspired the events in this novel. Sixth edition 1991, 207p. 205x145. Paper. Hungary. VIK001 $19.25/$18.30 VOJAĜO TRA ĈINIO. Yet another Chinese travel guide ~ this has the best pictures! In fact, this is a photo album with explanations, rather than an illustrated travelogue. 1986, 136p. 216x185. Paper. China. VOJ004 $10.00/$9.50 11995 ELNA F300K SERVICE CATALOG! This 25-page catalog details every item available from the ELNA Book Service. The Book Service catalog is sent to members and "Friends of Esperanto" at no cost. Non-members should send $2.00 to ELNA Book Service. Those pur- chasing the catalog will receive a coupon worth $2.00 off their next order. Esperanto League for North America P.O. Box 1129 El Cerrito CA 94530 Tel. (510)653-0998; Fax: (510)653-1468 e-mail: elna@netcom.com Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Berkeley CA Permit No. 330 In this issue... ♦ UN, UNESCO & USA ♦ International Friendship Week 4 Language and the Law $ Esperanto as Product Name 4 New Books ELNA Membership Benefits • A bi-monthly newsletter keeping you up to date on issues of importance to Esperantists • The ELNA Book and Tape Service catalogs and the ELNA Membership List • Discounts on most items carried by the ELNA Book and Tape Services • The quarterly ELNA Update with information on the world language problem and Esperanto as a possible solution • The satisfaction of contributing materially to the propagation of Esperanto in the U.S.A. Non-Member "Friend 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 Esperanto movement by providing financial support. A "Friend" receives: Four issues of the ELNA Update via first-class mail. ELNA Update keeps you abreast of the world language problem and Esperanto as a possible solution The ELNA Book and Tape Service catalogs 1995 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 1st - December 31st. For items marked (*) we must have your birthdate. NOTE: Your address, telephone and fax numbers and computer network address will be published in the yearly membership list unless you indicate otherwise here: Do NOT publish: O address Ophone number Ofax number O network address Name:___________________ Address:_________________ City/State/Zip:____________ Phone Number:___________ Computer Network Address: Amateur Radio Call:_______ Birthdate: Fax Number: Membership Categories [ ] Individual............. $30.00 [ ] Family ............... $45.00 [ ] Sustaining............. $60.00 [ ] Life (*) .............. $600.00 [ ] Youth ("Under 27)....... $15-00 [ ] Limited Income......... $15.00 Other Forms of Support [ ] Friend of Esperanto......$10.00 [ ] Donation..............$_____ Return this form with payment to: Esperanto League for North America P.O. Box 1129, El Cerrito CA 94530