tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673747533541391425.post2474758203995309301..comments2009-12-05T06:45:36.120+02:00Mark Jacobsenhttps://profiles.google.com/107999162787819355839noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673747533541391425.post-16389187555526832152009-12-04T23:48:33.436+02:002009-12-04T23:48:33.436+02:00As a native English speaker, I would prefer Esperanto as the future global language :) <br /><br />Communciation should be for everyone, not just for an educational or political elite; that is how English is used at the moment. <br /><br />Your readers may be interested in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2LPVcsL2k0 Dr Kvasnak teaches English at Florida Atlantic University.<br /><br />A glimpse of Esperanto can be seen at http://www.lernu.netBrian Barkerhttp://www.esperantolobby.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673747533541391425.post-75286496238960855802009-12-04T17:11:33.529+02:002009-12-04T17:11:33.529+02:00I hope you&#39;ll allow me to comment on your observation: &quot;How to communicate without a solid common language.&quot;<br /><br />The following is taken from a recent debates in the British House of Lords,Londin:<br /><br />&quot;Only 6 per cent of the global population are native English speakers and 75 per cent speak no English at all. One telling indicator of the relative influence of English is its declining share of internet traffic. English material on the web has fallen from 51 per cent in 2000 to only 29 per cent in 2009. Over the same period, the amount of material in Chinese rose from only 5 per cent to 20 per cent.&quot;<br />Source: http://www.lordtobyharris.org.uk/as-an-american-once-saidif-the-english-language-was-good-enough-for-jesus-christ-the-house-of-lords-debates-modern-language-skills/<br /><br />It seems to me that broken English is not enough. It is not good enough to convey subtle feelings or to negotiate on deeply felt matters.<br /><br />I wonder if you&#39;ve ever taken a look at Esperanto as a contributor to peace and understanding?<br /><br />Esperanto hasn&#39;t yet gained the recognition it deserves. However, all things considered, it has actually done amazingly well. In just over 120 years, it has managed to grow from a drawing-board project with just one speaker in one country to a complete and living natural language with around 2,000,000 speakers in over 120 countries and a rich literature and cosmopolitan culture, with little or no official backing and even bouts of persecution. It hasn&#39;t taken the world by storm - yet - but it&#39;s slowly but surely moving in that direction, with the Internet giving it a significant boost in recent years. I&#39;m actually quite optimistic about its future, even if we have to wait a while to see it fulfilled.<br /><br />Esperanto hasn&#39;t yet gained the recognition it deserves. However, all things considered, it has actually done amazingly well. In just over 120 years, it has managed to grow from a drawing-board project with just one speaker in one country to a complete and living natural language with around 2,000,000 speakers in over 120 countries and a rich literature and cosmopolitan culture, with little or no official backing and even bouts of persecution. It hasn&#39;t taken the world by storm - yet - but it&#39;s slowly but surely moving in that direction, with the Internet giving it a significant boost in recent years.Bill Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12810992711601197508noreply@blogger.com