A UPDATE Esperanto League for North America, Inc. • Box 1129, El Cerrito, CA 94530 • (510) 653-0998 Ĵ Issue 4, 1992 WORLD LANGUAGES & WORLD LANGUAGE PROBLEMS UN LANGUAGE PROBLEM-CAN ESPERANTOHELP? The UN has six official languages: Arabic, Chi- nese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. The Secretariat uses two working languages, English and French. In addition, German is used unofficially. Many more languages are waiting to be recognized as working languages. The costs of translation and interpretation are extremely high and account for 30% of the UN's budget. The Deputy Director General of UNESCO commented as early as 1967 that: "For us to publish one page of any document in four lan- guages costs $87: it has been pointed out that an Indian can live on that sum for a whole year. In 1967 we published 16,000 such pages/The UN now publishes more documents that ever before, and six languages are now used. This creates another problem: the UN wants to treat all languages equally but is unable to do so, for economic and practical reasons. There are two possible solutions: to use more languages and increase costs or to use only one and de- crease costs. Many liiink that English will become the only language used internationally (and at the UN) since it already dominates many aspects of com- munication. However, not everybody will accept such a role for English, and only a few are able to speak it. correctly. Is there another possibility, a neutral language or a language made expressly for international use? As readers of ELNA Update know, Esperanto is just such a language. A truly international language must be international in form, in social foundation and in role. Esperanto meets all these criteria. Its structure and vocabulary are international; itis neutral, flexible, supranational, simple and clear; it belongs to a truly interna- tional community. No national language is inter- national in these three aspects. Economically, it is very attractive to use a single language in discussions and documents. By using Esperanto, UN members could concen- trate on what is being said, understanding the speaker without any intermediary. In 1950 and 1964, petitions in favor of Esperanto were sub- mitted to the UN, and in 1954 and 1960 UNESCO passed resolutions recognizing the utility of Es- peranto. The World Esperanto Association (UEA) main- tains a UN office in New York and provides information about Esperanto to UN members and organizations. (From Dialog, Dec. 1992) INTERNATIONAL NEWS ESPERANTO ESPERANTO AND YOUTH As leadership in Washington passes to a new generation, we thought this was a good time to see what the younger generation contributes to the Esperanto movement. The international organization for young Espe- rantists is the World Esperanto Youth Organiza- tion (TEJO), which shares the same headquar- ters as UEA in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. What does TEJO do? It essentially does the same things as most youth organizations: organizes meetings, discusses, brings young people to- gether, publishes magazines and so on, and creates the framework for young Esperantists to realize their ideas. Then what is the difference between TEJO and other youth organizations? The language! All TEJO activists and activities use Esperanto for communication, written and spoken. All youth members of UEA automatically be- come members of TEJO. They receive the bi- monthly magazine, Kontakto, which has articles of interest to young people. Because the editors know that many of the magazine's readers are new to Esperanto and may have studied it for just a short time, articles are rated as being on one of four levels of difficulty, the lowest being for those who have learned just a few hundred Esperanto words, and the highest for those who are fluent or near-fluent in Esperanto. A short vocabulary of potentially troublesome words ac- companies each article.TEJO members also receive the quarterly magazine TEJO-Tutmonde, which tells about the activities of national Espe- ranto youth organizations around the world. TEJO also organizes international meetings for young Esperantists. The most popular of these is the annual International Esperanto Youth Congress, which is held in a different city each year. In 1992 the convention was held in Montreal from Aug. 2 to Aug. 9. In spite of visa problems, the congress was truly international, bringing together participants from Japan, Brazil, Russia, the U.S., and many other countries. The con- gress* theme was Leisure Time: Does modem life give man more time for recreation, or does inter- national competition require man to study more and more? However, these questions did not stop the participants from playing typical Quebec games, and exploring the city by bike. The program also dealt with other subjects: discussions on Voluntary Service, "Monda Kunagado" (the Esperanto-UNESCO association), and the differences between the French spoken in Quebec and in France. Other meetings and conventions, from semi- nars to informal get-togethers, are held by Espe- ranto youth organizations throughout the year. Until recently, young American Esperantist had no organization of their own. But now the American Esperanto youth organization, mori- bund for several years, has been revived under a new name. The United States Esperanto Youth group (USEJ) is affiliated with ELNA. All youth members of ELNA automatically belong to it. The first issue of the club's bulletin, ktpi, will soon be sent to members along with a letter from the organization's president, Joseph Truong. (Youth members of ELNA who want to offer their help to USEJ should write to Truong at 624 2nd St. Lancaster, PA 17603). Young Esperantists use the language in other ways as well. TEJO publishes Pasporta Servo (Passport Service), which lists the names of Esperanto speakers throughout the world who will provide fellow Esperantists with lodging in their homes overnight or for a few days, usually for free. The service is especially popular with young people. Young people are also active as Esperanto musicians. Many cassettes and CDs of Espe- ranto folk and rock music are now available. There is so much activity on the Esperanto rock music scene that a magazine for Esperanto rock fans, Role' Gazet', began publication two years ago. Of course young people contribute to the Espe- ranto movement in other ways as well: as mem- bers of local clubs, Esperanto teachers, writers for Esperanto magazines, as novelists and poets, etc. (From Dialog, Dec. 1992) NATIONAL ESPERANTO NEWS CALENDAR QFgEVENJJ^^ June 28-July 16. San Francisco State University's 24th annual Summer Esperanto Workshop, San Francisco, CA. Four levels of classes, from beginning to advanced. Weekend activities. Some stipends available.To receive information on stipends, lodging, class content, etc., contact: Cathy Schulze, 410 Darrell Rd., Hillsborough, CA 94010, (415) 342-1796. To receive a flyer on this year's courses, write to ELNA, P.O. Box 1129, El Cerrito, CA 94530. July 12-17. University of Hartford, West Hart- ford, CT. Esperanto classes. No other informa- tion is available at this time. July 17-20. 41st annual ELNA convention. Will be held on the campus of the University of Hartford, beginning right after the Esperanto classes end (see item above). An application form will be sent to all ELNA members in February; others should write or call ELNA for more infor- mation. Contact ELNA, P.O. Box 1129, El Cerrito, CA 94530, (510) 653-0998. July 24-31. Valencia, Spain. Esperanto World Congress. Aug. 7-14. Vraca, Bulgaria. International Es- peranto Youth Congress. BACK IN PRINT! STEP BY STEP IN ESPERANTO has just been reprinted by the Esperanto League for North America. Unavailable for several years, this classic text has been a favorite of two generations of Esperanto students. Not only does Step by Step provide the most in-depth treatment of Esperanto grammar available in a textbook for English-speakers, but it does so with a wry sense of humor that makes learning fun. After fimsrdng this book you will have a thorough knowledge of Esperanto. Features include: * Hardbound; 280 pages; complete index. * Point by point treatment of every feature of Esperanto grammar. * Numerous reading selections and exercises to reinforce what you've just learned. Step by Step in Esperanto is equally useful for classes or self-study. Also makes a great reference grammar. Step by Step is available for only $12.95 ($12.30 for ELNA members). 10% discount for orders of three or more copies. Order today! STEP BY STEP IN ESPERANTO ORDER FORM SHIP TO: ADDRESS: CITY:____ ZIP:______ STATE:. SfflPPING & rlANDLLNG: (For 4th class postage: 10% of price; $1.50 min.; in U.S. only, $7.00 max.) (For UPS: 15% of price; $2.00 min.; $9.00 max.) j 1 I am a current calendar year member of ELNA & therefore using Member's price STEP BY STEP IN ESPERANTO Qty. Unit Price Total Price Total price of books: $ Shipping & handling: $ Sales tax (California residents only): $ TOTAL ENCLOSED: $ Please allow sufficient delivery time. Make all checks payable to ELNA. MAIL TO: ELNA, P.O. Box 1129, El Cerrito CA 94530 Esperanto League for North America P.O. Box 1129 El Cerrito, CA 94530 USA In this Issue... ♦ The United Nations ♦ Youth ♦ Calendar Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Berkeley, CA Permit No. 330 ELNA Membership Benefits ♦ A bi-rnonthly newsletter keeping you up to date on issues of importance to Esperan- tists. ♦ 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 informa- tion on the world language problem and Esperanto as its 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-pay- ing member of ELNA and therefore not eligible for the regular membership ben- efits. Instead, a "Friend" offers encourage- ment to the Esperanto movement by pro- riding 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 Espe- ranto as its solution. ♦ A 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, telephone number, and computer network address will be published in the yearly membership list unless you indicate otherwise here: Do NOT publish O address D phone D network address. Name:_______________.______,___________,_____________________ Address: City/State/Zip:. Phone: ______ Birthdate:. Amateur Radio Call:. Computer Network Address:. 1993 ELNA Membership Categories [ ] Individual..................................$30.00 [ ] Sustaining..................................$60.00 [ ]Life(*)....................................$600.00 [ ] Youth (*Under27)....................$15.00 [ ] Limited Income.........................$15.00 [ ] Family.......................................$45.00 Other Forms of Support [ ] Friend of Esperanto...................$10.00 (non-member) [ ] Donation..............................._______ Return this form with payment to: ELNA Box 1129, El Cerrito, CA 94530 Telephone: (510) 653-0998