The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-01-21
"A Universal Language.

ESPERANTO, the new made-to-order Language,
is coming il for considerable attention. It
has enthusiastic followers in every continental
try and clubs devoted to It's propaganda are spring
ing up in every center.
The study Of Esperanto, its missionaries claim
is nothing but play One magazine writer says he
learned in hour to read it fairly well, and the
afternoon composed q letter in Esperanto. DR..
Zamenhof, the Russian who built the language,
profted by past mistakes and did not try to invent
a grammar and make q new vocabulary. His aim
to eliminate all that is accidental in our ma
tional languages, and to keep what is common to
ALL He used the old familiar word-roots and
made them the basis A simple system Of sutfixes,
with very little Infection gave the noun form, the
verb, adjective and adverb The lexicon has only
1000 words for ordinary use leaving out scientific
terms Contrast that with 10000 words in an I'M
abridged English dictionary, and $4,000 words, none
OF them compounds in the standard French lexicons
As for the grammar, it consists only of few rules
with no exceptions. . The standard book Of Esper-
anto, carrying the vocabulary and the grammar, has
h only twenty four pages and sells for cent.
The future success Of Esperanto depends entire
~ on what its promoters try to do. It may become
universal language, il the sense Of an exchange
medium between people Of different speech, but it
can never be folk tongue. The language Of any
people is a growth. In its idioms are bound up
the history, the traditions the literature the habits
and passions Of the people who use it. No language
given out from a laboratory can ever supplant a
mother tongue. Speaking strictly Esperanto is not
and never will be language. It is an extract from
all OF them, sort Of greatest common denomination
to speak in mathematical terms. It is not framed
to depict love- hate, sorrow, or any Of the human
passions and emotions It is merely a short cut to
common expression Take for instance it's verb for
'despse. :, It is formed from the word meaning.
to esteem, with the prefix "mal'' used to express
contrary meaning. The compound is tsnalestimi y
What impression Of hate or contempt does that
/, carry to the ear2
universal language has its place, and may be
Of greatest value. IF an persons who meet those
OF different nationality would take a day off and
learn Esperanto, there would be no more embarrass-
ment and misunderstanding. The traveller could 20
thru Europe and meet people Of twenty tongues
and yet be on common footing with them ALL
Everybody would carry knowledge Of Esperanto
not in preference to the native tongue but as sort
OF side line It would just like learning to eat
olives international courtships would be made
easy, # that is necessary or desirable
Esperanto is making Roadway easily enough, and
soon may be necessary part Of a travellers equip.
ment. For home use, however, we will cling to Eng.
lish for while We have been pounding away on
the English language for thousand years or more
and while we haven't made an entire success Of
it, it is little too late to trade it off Authors
from Chaucerzdown, and critics down to Brande,
Matthews, have been labo1ing with it, but the Ian
guage spoken N the homes and on the streets was
not made by authors critics or carpenters of words
ut is theexpression and soulof genera
tions. OH" 81"