Esperanto Protects Language Diversity and the Right to One's Own Language

The languages of the world are in danger. Thousands of languages have already become extinct, and thousands more may die in one or two generations. With each loss of a language comes a loss of a culture, a loss of a way of life, that deserves to be protected and treated as valuable. The diversity of the world's languages could soon be gone.

The greatest threat to linguistic diversity is the perceived dominance of a small handful of languages. These widely-spoken languages currently play the largest roles in commerce and communication. Native speakers of these languages have a distinct advantage in the job market and in opportunities available to them, while native speakers of other languages find their range of opportunities more limited unless they sacrifice their culture -- assuming they can afford the considerable time and expense necessary to learn one of these widely-spoken languages, many of them among the most difficult on the planet.

Esperanto, the International Language, is the solution that allows all speakers of all languages to co-exist and cooperate on an equal ground. First published in 1887, Esperanto is easier to learn than any other language because of its regular grammar and "building block" vocabulary. A basic familiarity with Esperanto can be gained in a week and mastery in as little as a year.

Because Esperanto is a language that belongs to the world and not to any one country, it can promote linguistic and cultural diversity without imposing cultural dogma, as is frequently seen with the other widely-spoken languages. One who learns Esperanto can keep his or her native language and culture while taking advantage of the same opportunities afforded to a native speaker of a more widely-spoken language.

Speakers of Esperanto have the ability to experience authentic communication with others all over the world, without any party imposing a cultural requirement on the other. Activists in all languages can pool their resources and collaborate, a feat that could otherwise only be accomplished by adopting one of the widely-spoken languages and thereby accelerating linguistic extinction. The cultural diversity and linguistic panorama of Esperanto's writers, thinkers, and activists are unmatched, and Esperanto's publishing industry makes both translated and original works available not just from widely-spoken languages, but from the vast panoply of the world.

If you're reading this message, you're either fortunate enough to be born a native speaker of English and enjoying the advantages that your native language grants in this particular era, or you've spent years learning a difficult language, only to realize that you may never have the same degree of mastery as a native speaker. Schools in other countries teach as many as ten years of English to their students, and yet a decade of learning produces only imperfect results. Esperanto can be mastered with far less effort and expense.

If you're interested in learning Esperanto, the best next step is to request more information; we'll also send your the first lesson of our free ten-lesson language course. More tips for learners can be found at Learning Esperanto. An excellent introduction to Esperanto is David Richardson's book, Learning and Using the International Language, which can also be purchased from Amazon.com.