IETTER NEWS OF THE LANGUAGE PROBLEM AND ESPERANTO AS A SOLUTION Published by the Esperanto League lor North America, lote Summer, 1973, Vol. IX, No. 2. Editor: R.T.Sandberg, P.O.Box 275, Fox lake, Il 60020, U.S.A. ,-

AWARENESSOF LANGUAGE BARRIER ment expects 65 executives to take its of prefixes and suffixes. And in spite of is becoming more acute among U.S. busi-' 'Key Man' intensive language course its comparative simplicity, Esperanto is ness firms as more of them send men to this yeari that's up 50% from last year's fully capable of expressing anything any foreign lands. They are finding that the enrollment and nearly three times the other language can express. cost of training the personnel they send 1971level. And a spokesman at the The reasoninternational eorpora- to a foreign country in the language of Berlitz Schools of Languages of Amer- tions do not take advantage of this de- that country is high, but not nearly as iea Inc., a unit of Maemillan Co., says liberately ereated language-this tool high as the cost of not doing so. A story language training for corporate execu- that eould save them a great desl of on page 20 of The Wall Street Joumal tives has risen from a negligible level money-is probably the faet that in most for August 20, 1973, cites "the case of 20 years ago to make up well over half eases they are completely una_are of one aerospace company that lost more its present business .... Berlitz ..... has its existence or have rejected its daims than $500,000 recently when it c10sed a language contracts with more than half as being too good to he true without project in which 35 families were sent the 3,200 U.S. eompanies doing busi ..• having put them to anysort of test. This to the Middle East to train Arab aircraft ness abroad, and it's wooing the 1,500 in spite of the fact that Esperanto has technicians. The Americans, who spoke foreign businesses with interests in had practica11y every really great work : only English, simply couldn't communi- America. The Inlingua Schools of Lan- of world literature translated into it and' cate with the Arabs, who spoke only guages-a chain that was formed six is spoken and written as a second lan- , Arabic." The same story reports that years ago and that now has more than guage by thousands of people in every "When a big Midwestern manufacturer 130 branches-says its New York office part of the worldwho enthusiastica11y bought into a Brazilian company early alone has signed 20 eompanies to lan- attest to its effectiveness. this year, it hastily dispatched three of guage contracts in a little over a year .. Members of practiea11y a11the majo~

its top technicians to shore up the slug- .. :Lessons usually run $10 to $12 professions around the world have their I gish Latin outfit. The American concern apiece, and the eost of bringing a own Esperanto societies. People have was in such a hurry that it didn't even eouple to fluency can exeeed $3,000. been made to feel at home in very for- ' teach its men or their families Portu- But that's signifieantly less than the eign cultural surroundings because of a : . guese, the language of Brazil. The losses some companies have racked up mutual knowledge of Espenmto. Membeni , results were disastrous. The American because their foreign-based executives of the Universala Esperanto-Asocio, the experts couldn't communicate with the couldn't speak the language." largest single Esperanto organization in Brazilian workers, and production start- One solution to the problem of the the world, regularly communicate with ed faUing off. Their families, isolated aerospace company might have been one distant eountrles and request services by the language barrier and new culture, of which both the company and the 'au- of an international network of Hdele-. couldn't adjust; two of the marriages thor of the WSJ story are unaware: name- gates" by means of Esperanto. This has started falling apart, and the husbands ly, the training of both groups-both the been going on for 80 years, and to an put in for transfers back to the U.S. American technicians and the Arab train Esperantist a repetition of these faets After six months, the company conc1uded ees-in the language Esperanto; which is banal. Yet most of the people in the that the two 'just couldn't operate' in is much easier to learn than either En- wOrld are in to18l ignorance of Esperan- Brazil, and they're now heading back glish or Arabie,before bringing them to, or do not believe it is a reality. To home. The third family belatedly is en- together. An intensive three-month me-the editor of this newsletter who roUed in Portuguese c1asses." course in Esperanto taken by both has been suceessfu11y using Esperanto One result of the spreading new groups-the Arabs taught by a native for more than 20 years-this is incredibl language-barrier awareness is that cor- speaker of Arabic and the Americans by May the rest of the world soon come out porate spending generally for foreign a native speaker of English-would prob- of its Dark Age and discover the nonpo- language instruction is zooming upward. ably have resulted in far more effective litical tool of international communica- To continue quoting from The Walt' . communication between the two groups tion that Esperanto provides. Street Joumal story: "American Univer- than a full year's intensive training by sity's Business Council for Internation- one in the other's language. Esperanto's PRESIDENT E. JAMES LIEBERMAN al Understanding Institute reports that rules of grammar have no exceptions and has issued the following report on the corporate requests for language training can easily be learned in one day. There- reeent progress of Esperanto and reeent there have increased tenfold in two after, the only problems are praetiee and ELNA activities: years. In Phoenix, the Thunderbird building a vocabulary. Even the vocabu- In the United States, there were a Graduate School of International Manage- lary-building is simplified by a system number of major Esperanto events in 1972: the World Congress in Portland, write well in English and Esperanto, Belgrade was greeted in the name of the Oregon, the publication of two new Es- and who would like to undertake trans.. Esperanto League for North America by peranto self-teaching methods equipped lations into Esperanto, or write original Virginia Bartmess of Portland, Oregon. with tape cassette or LP record; excel- articles. (Eric Felker has had to resign Ken Thomson of Texas took the place lent newspaper articles, most notably due to other commitments.) of William Schulze as a committee mem- those in the New York Times (August MEETINGS: This year we attempted to ber from ELNA. Jonathan Pool, a facul. 5) and the Christian Science Monitor arrange a tour to fly at group rates to ty member of the State University of (August 16); and an Esperanto seminar Belgrade. A nice brochure was prepared New York at Stony Brook who has been for the first time at the annual meeting by Garber Travel Service in Brookline, studying political science in Germany of the Modern Language Association Massachusetts, which was circulated thi s summer, attended the congress and in New York City. ELNA had a booth to ELNA members and others including has sent us the following personal at that meeting and the newly revi sed over 300 subscribers to the Sociolinguis- report: and printed bibliography Esperanto and tics Newsletter. Although 80 Americans Over 1500 speakers of Esperanto International Language Problems by had registered for the Belgrade Con-· from all over the world gathered in Bel- Humphrey Tonkin was first distributed gress, less than 10 signed up for the grade, Yugoslavia, during the week of at that time. tour, which was too few. (Perhaps the July 28 to August 4 for the 58th annual ELNA services to members have SAT Congress in Toronto was a com- World Esperanto Congress. Like most included the Newsletter edited by Rich- peting factor.) It is now planned to have big conventions, this one was many dif- ard Sandberg and a Bulteno edited by an official ELNA business meeting in ferent things for the very different peo- Eric Felker and Charles Power(Karl Chicago to coincide with the Modern pIe who showed up. Pov). We are indebted to these individ- Language Association convention be- For some, it was the first opportu- uals for generous donation of their time tween Christmas and New Year. Many nity to hear and speak "live" Esperan- and energy; ELNA pays only for print- ELNA members and officers-but not to after a period of studying the inter- ing and postage costs. ELNA members all-feel that a major ELNA meeting national language alone. For others, it have also been well served by Cathy every other summer will suffice and that was a reunion with old friends, accumu- and William Schulze, who have devoted too much energy and money should not lated over years of conventioneering most hours of most of their days to be expended for annual meetings. We and traveling-two things that Esperanto mnning an excellent book service and should encourage more regional activi- speakers tend to do a lot of. information center. They pIan to trans- ties which are less expensive but For many, the convention was a fer the book service to Frank Helmuth equally valuable for local media cover- place for teaching or learning-or both. by the end of the year. There is not age. People who might otherwise travel Professors gave Esperanto lectures on space here to detail the accomplish- considerable distances for a summer - their specialties in internationallaw, ments of numerous ELNA members, ELNA meeting may save their money astrophysics, transportation economics, regional groups and committees. Re~ and participate more often in Interna- marine biology, philology, and other ports from officers of the Estraro and tional Esperanto Congresses. Although fields. Folk music and folk dance committees will appear at a later date. December in Chicago may be an awk~troupes introduced the conventioneers POLICY ISSUES ward time, the MLA meeting brings some to the variety of Yugoslavia's regional PUBLlCATIONS: Besides the News- of our most talented experts together, an cultures. Full-day excursions into other letter and the Bulteno, members al so important drawing card for ELNA mem- parts of Yugoslavia illuminated some of receive one international Esperanto bers who want to improve their knowl- the diversity of the scenery, the archi- periodical and additional items, Le., edge and command of the international tecture, and the daily life of that the ELNA Directory and the Tonkin language. country. Bibliography. It is important that mem- BUDGET: The annual budget of approx- For still others, the congress was bers receive quality products in order imately $5,000 represents dues income a place to do their business. A book that they be well informed, remain mem- (usually $8.00) from over 600 members. dealer unloaded Esperanto literature bers and recmit others. There has been For discussion purposes, I suggest that all through the week like it was going much diseussion over the years about no more than half be spent for publica- out of style. Newspapermen and broad- the type of periodicals ELNA should tions and information, 25% for advertis- cast journalists gathered stories about issue. I now propose that the News- ing and recmitment, and 25% for admin- the amazing phenomenon of factory letter and Bulteno be combined and istration. 1 would like to see ads in workers, housewives, students, civil issued quarterly in an eight-page format such places as World Magazine and New servants, and other ordinary-type people (Dorothy Holland's bulletin for the Es- Republic; perhaps al so the Journal of from about forty countries holding an peranto teachers is an excellent model the National Education Association. international convention with no inter- of the bilingual approach). In addition, I am looking forward to hearing from preters. An American social scientist ELNA should issue an annual compila- members in response to these ideas and and a Polish graduate student conducted tion of artides, translations, poems, to receiving your ideas for improving the interviews for a study of "inter group ete. in Esperanto at a level worthy of qllality and quantity of activity on be- differences in the assessment of lin- international circulation. We have the half of Esperanto in the United States. guistic competence." The stamp col- resources within ELNA to do this. I lectors, computer experts, postal work- would like to hear from members who THE WORLDCONGRESS ers, and many other interest groups wish to help in this area, who can edit, of the Universala Esperanto.Asocio in among the congress participants held meetings to discuss their special prob- operation as helping create an ·interna- Although many Esperantists belong lems. The "Esperantocrats," the people tional climate in which Esperanto can to both organizations, the average SAT who manage the far-flung network of hope to play an important parto And as member tends to have viewpoints slight- organizations devoted to promoting the contrasted with a few years earIier, the Iy more to the left than the average UEA language and serving its speakers, met old East-West lines no longer governed member. Some SAT members feel that to resolve organizational problems and agreements and disagreements in Bel- UEA congress proceedings do not allow lay movement-poIitics. And diplomats grade. A Polish delegate was seen ris- a free enough discussion of ideas. did their best to create goodwill for ing to oppose a motion offered by an- Mark Starr of Long Island City, New their countries among the Esperanto- other Polish delegate; an American York, represented Local 189 of the peaking public. rose to withdraw his own motion in American Federation of Teachers. Here, The "best" of some diplomats was favor of a competing motion of a Bul- translated from the original Esperanto, better than the "best" of others, how- garian delegate. Such was the picture are his remarks at the opening sessio": vero Among the fifteen or so who made this year-something that had long heen I greet the congress in the name of it up on Sunday moming to participate advocated by the Esperanto movement the Labor Education Department, Local in the official opening ceremony, the as an ideal but rarely realized by the 189, in the important AFT (AFL-CIO). representative of the U.S. Embassy Esperantists themselves. In this atmo- Here is its Resolution, unanimous- stole the show, to the surprise of most sphere, a new long-range action pIan ly accepted AprH 4, 1973~tWhereas more t the congress. Edmund Bator, the was adopted after years of wrangling. nations are heginning to rehel against Embassy's First Secretary for Cultural And in a surprising display of solidar- the culture-colonialism of the great ffairs, studied Esperanto pronunciation ity the two sides of the generation gap worId powers; and whereas it is a dan- ver an earIy breakfast and then ad· -probably Esperanto's most serious gerous illusion to anticipate that 3-4 ressed the convention entirely in Es- split-agreed on a new, 'more intimate billion persons will be required to speak eranto, to the repeated long applause association between the youth branch English; and whereas the multinational f the audience. Bator's encouraging of the movement and the main organiza- corporation makes necessary, more than words, in English translation, were: tion. If this fusion doesn't prove ever before, reciprocal intercomprehen- "A funny thing happened to me on permanent-welI, nobody said Esperanto sion and solidarity in labor-union activ- the way to this meeting-I learned how cures old age! ity; and whereas at the present time the to 'speak' a new language in only ten (Fortunately, many who have ĝrown new labor government in Australia, mem- minutes! old in years and in body have never bers of the British ParIiament and mem- "More seriously, however, 1 would been afflicted with old aĝe in any other bers of other parIiaments to a greater like to express appreciation for the way-Ed.) extent support the intemationallan. mount of time and dedication that alI guage, already supported by outstanding f you are giving to international under- individuals such as Willi Brandt, Franz tanding through a common language. THE SAT WORLD CONGRESS Jonas (cofounder of SAT) and Victor any Americans learned of your efforts was held in Toronto, Canada, during the Reuther: Therefore let it be decided ast year for the first time when our same week the UEA Congress was tak- that Local 189 supports Esperanto as ountry hosted this congress in Porti and ing place in Belgrade. Most Esperant. the one non-national language for alI regon. 1 am glad to see that this year ists know that "SA T" stands for "Sen- mankind and sends its strong and warm ver a hundred Americans are registered nacieca Asocio Tutmonda" ("Whole greeting to the SAT Congress in Toronto t the congress in Belgrade. World Without-nation-ness Association" and gives its delegate a mandate to "Govemments alone cannot create is about as e10se as one can come in participate in the inaugural meeting." nderstanding and good will among English translation). Headquartered in 1 am proud to be that delegate, es- ations. Efforts like yours to improve Paris, it among Esperanto organizations pecialIy because I at first thought that people-to-people contacts are necessary. has been most e10sely associated with our Toronto colleagues had more cour. So I am glad to see you continuing your the international labor movement. It is age than wisdom in taking the risk of .mportant work. And on behalf of the U.S best known among non-members as the staging the first SAT Congress on this Embassy I'd like to welcome the Ameri- organization that has sponsored the continent. Now 1 think they have a fulI an participants to Belgrade. Thank compilation and publication of the de- measure of wisdom and competence as you." finitive Esperanto dictionary, the Plena welI as courage. Later in the week, staff members of f lustrita Vortaro (the Fulllllustrated When Zamenhof himself in 1910 at- he Embassy gave a briefing to about Dictionary). tended the first WorId Esperanto Con- ifty of the Americans attending the Much smaller than the UEA Con. gress in the U.S.A. (it was the sixth ongress. gress with about 200 participants, the worIdwide), he eloquently praised the The new era of cooperation instead SAT Congress attracted a higher per. "land of liherty." He was a humanist, f confrontation was evident in the de- centage of Americans (about 30), prob- not a Zionist, and he asserted that iberations of the congress. Esperanto ably because of its more convenient nationalism becomes chauvinism for peakers, like alI other organized group location as far as they were concerned. the powerful countries and a danger for ave plenty of conflicts and factional Participants from France were the most the small. Certainly Lanti more c1earIy ~leavages. But this year harmony was numerous at the congress (the French acknowledged the danger of nationalism. "n the air. Many delegates referred to the had expertly organized a round-trip He did not forget that America consists onference on European Security and Co charter f1ight). of Canada to the north and very impor- tant countries to the south, as well as lished a brochure entitled The Ele- dates are Decemher 27th through Decem- the U.S.A. Unfortunately, he died in ments of Esperanto and founded the ber 29th. The Modern Language Associa- Mexico and never visited Toronto. Amerika Esperantisto, the first Esper- ion meeting in Chicago during the same At least in the United States and anto periodical in the U.S.A. Also period means we will be able to call on Canada we have the right to publicly among his works is the excellent text, many language experts to address our eve- discuss people in high places and evi!. The American Esperanto Book. In 1909 ing sessions. The Esperanto Society of (Watergate is a world-famous word.) at the World Esperanto Congress in Chicago may hold its Zamenhof Banquet Hopefully with the helpof the AFT in Barcelona, he invited the participants in conjunctionwith the congress. .the schools we will he able knowledge- to the 1910 World Esperanto Congress ably to discuss the Canad,ianprotest in Washington, D.C. At the age of 94, BALI..:.OW~:••' ,.. against the economic dictatorship of he attended the World Esperanto Can- for the electioriof a treasurer and three the United States, the danger in the gress in London. He made his last memhers of the Board of Directors will he multinational corporation and the ex- public appearance when he spoke at mailed to all ELNA memhers in Septemhe treme ethnocentricity that looks nostal- the California Esperanto Conference in gically to the past instead of working Santa Barbara last April. He never READ for a rational world and marching for- waivered in his belief that Esperanto in the next issue of the Esperanto- ward with the help of Esperanto! will someday be a language spoken language ELNA-BuIteno about the results fluently by every educated person in of Dr. John Lewine's talks with educatio ARTHUR BROOKS BAKER, the wodd. May he rest in peace. al, library, c1ub and trade association a speaker of Esperanto for 67 years, officials in Chicago last June regarding died last May in Santa Barbara, Califor- ELNA CONGRESS Esperanto. In the same issue, read about nia, in his 96th year. hotel reservations may he made through the June-July seminars on the transIa tion Within a year after learning Esper- R. Kent Jones, 3318 N. Lake Shore Dr. of Esperanto technical terms. This issue ..anto in 1906, Mr. Baker wrote and pub- No. 801, Chicago, Illinois 60657. The will be sent in Septembel: .. _-- --

ESPERANTO MAGAZINES! ln the past, a single agency for the Esperanto magazines being published throughout the world has not been available-a situation that often forced the prospective subscriber to send money to multiple addresses or forget about subscribing to most of them. The result has been a distressingly small readership for many interest-packed Esperanto periodicals. Effective immediately, we will provide the following services for you: 1. Place new orders (without traditional restrictions as tocalendar year). 2. Order renewals and notify publishers of changes of address. 3. Refund your money in the event of non-delivery. Our prices will be as low as is consistent with the work and risks involved. This includes postal difficulties, currency conversion, taxes, price changes, dollar devaluation and cessations of publication. Request our order form and price list for 78 periodicals from 26 countries. R. Kent Jones, Mgr. Esperanto Language Service Company _ ...•.. 3318 N. Lake Shore Drive, No.801 Chicago, IlIinois 60657

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