Those eager to learn another language but not thrilled with the idea of spending years in a classroom can rest easy. "Beginning Esperanto - The International Language," one of the new Informal Classes offered by The Texas Union, will begin Feb. 1.
"It's a great way to meet people and experience cultures you wouldn't otherwise get to," said Todd Phillips, a professional language instructor and the teacher for "Beginning Esperanto."
Esperanto, known as the international language because of its complete independence from any other developed language in the world, was created in 1887 by Polish professor L.L. Zamenhof, who hoped to bridge the communication divide between cultures.
"When two people who speak different languages are speaking Esperanto, no one has the upper hand," said Phillips. "It's meant to be everyone's second language."
Phillips explained that Esperanto was designed to be "10 times easier" to learn than any other language. Russ Williams, a member of the Esperanto Club of Austin, said this was part of the appeal of learning Esperanto.
"After only two or three months, I was able to talk with [other speakers]," said Williams, who has studied Esperanto since 2003. "It's quite exciting to see yourself get competent in another language so quickly."
The informal class "Beginning Esperanto" is an introduction to the grammar and vocabulary of the international language and some of its history and culture. Phillips said despite what some may believe, Esperanto has more to offer than simple phonetics.
"There's a lot of history to it. We'll look at some of the literature, talk about cultural things. People say Esperanto doesn't have a culture, but there are things only an Esperantist would get," said Phillips.
Williams said this is a good time for anyone interested to start learning Esperanto.
"[Austin] will be hosting the 2005 North American Esperanto Convention in June," he said. "Five months is plenty of time to reach a point where you can chat with other speakers."
Esperanto may be used worldwide in travel, cultural exchange, literature and entertainment. The 1965 movie "Incubus," starring William Shatner, is the only movie written entirely in Esperanto. The recent "Blade: Trinity" also featured the language in some of its city scenes.
"It's very cool," said Phillips. "Just an elegant, beautiful-sounding language."
Be the first to comment on this article!