L. L. Zamenhof native language Yiddish
English: Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof – English pronunciation: 
Esperanto: Ludoviko Lazaro Zamenhofo – pronounced [ludoˈviko laˈzaro zamenˈhofo]
French: Louis Lazare Zamenhof – pronounced [lwi la.zaʁ za.mɛn.of]
German: Ludwig "Levi" Lazarus Samenhof – pronounced [ˈluːtvɪç ˈlaːtsaʁʊs ˈzaːmənhoːf]
Hebrew: אליעזר לודוויג זמנהוף, romanized: Eli'ezer Ludwig Zamenhof – pronounced [eliˈ(ʕ)ezeʁ ˈludvig ˈzamenhof]
Lithuanian: Liudvikas Lazaris (Leizeris) Zamenhofas
Polish: Ludwik Łazarz Zamenhof – pronounced [ˈludvʲik ˈwazaʃ zãˈmɛ̃nxɔf]
Russian: Людвик Лазарь (Лейзер) Маркович Заменгоф, romanized: Lyudvik Lazar' (Leyzer) Markovich Zamengof
Belarusian: Людвіг Лазар Маркавіч Заменгоф (Заменгоў), romanized: Liudvih Lazar Markavič Zamienhof (Zamienhoŭ)
Yiddish: לײזער לוי זאַמענהאָף, romanized: Leyzer "Leyvi" ZamenhofBorn into an Ashkenazi family, at his birth Zamenhof was given the common Hebrew name Eliezer by his parents, the equivalent of the English Lazarus. However, as the area was a part of the Russian Empire at the time, his name was recorded on his birth certificate as Лейзер Заменгов, Leyzer Zamengov, using the Yiddish form of the forename and a russified version of his surname; many later Russian language documents also include the patronymic Маркович, Markovich « son of Mark » (in reference to his father, Markus), as is the custom in the language. His family name is of German origin and was originally written Samenhof; this was later transcribed into Yiddish as זאַמענהאָף, then re-romanized back as Zamenhof. The change of the initial letter from « S » to « Z » is not unusual, as in German an initial « s » is pronounced [z].
In his adolescence he used both the Yiddish Leyzer and the Russian Lazar when writing his first name. While at university, Zamenhof began using the Russian name Lyudovik (also transcribed Ludovic or translated as Ludwig) in place of Lazar, possibly in honor of Francis Lodwick, who in 1652 had published an early conlang proposal. When his brother Leon became a doctor and started signing his name "Dr L. Zamenhof", Zamenhof reclaimed his birth name Lazar and from 1901 signed his name "Dr L. L. Zamenhof" to avoid confusion with his brother. The two L's do not seem to have specifically represented either name, and the order Ludwik Lejzer is a modern convention.Biography
Early years
Zamenhof was born on 15 December 1859, the son of Mark and Rozalia Zamenhof (née Sofer), in the multi-ethnic city of Belostok (now Białystok in Poland). At that time, the city was in the Grodno Governorate of the Russian Empire. His parents were of Litvak Jewish descent. He appears to have been natively bilingual in Yiddish and Russian. His father was a teacher of German and French. From him, Zamenhof learned both languages, as well as Hebrew. He also spoke some major languages of Białystok, such as Polish and Belarusian. Polish became the native language of his children in Warsaw. In school, he studied the classical languages Latin, Greek, and Aramaic. He later learned some English, though in his own words not very well. He had an interest in Lithuanian and Italian and learned Volapük when it came out in 1880. By that time, his international language project was already well developed.In addition to the Jewish Yiddish-speaking minority, the population of Białystok included Roman Catholic Poles and Eastern Orthodox Russians (mainly government officials), with smaller groups of Belarusians, Germans and other ethnic groups. Zamenhof was saddened and frustrated by the many quarrels among these groups. He supposed that the main reason for the hate and prejudice lay in the mutual misunderstanding caused by the lack of a common language. If such a language existed, Zamenhof postulated, it could play the role of a neutral communication tool between people of different ethnic and linguistic backgrounds.
As a student at secondary school in Warsaw, Zamenhof attempted to create an international language with a grammar that was rich, but complex. When he later studied English, he decided that the international language must have a simpler grammar. Apart from his parents' native languages Russian and Yiddish and his adopted language Polish, his projects were also aided by his mastery of German, a good passive understanding of Latin, Hebrew and French, and a basic knowledge of Greek, English and Italian.By 1878, his project Lingwe uniwersala was finished. However, Zamenhof was too young then to publish his work. Soon after graduation he began to study medicine, first in Moscow, and later in Warsaw. In 1885, Zamenhof graduated from university and began his practice as a doctor in Veisiejai. After 1886, he worked as an ophthalmologist in Płock and Vienna. While healing people there, he continued to work on his project of an international language.
mother tongue first language mother language primary language L1