neal@druny.UUCP (Neal D. McBurnett) (03/03/85)
Here is my best advice on good Esperanto sources: how to learn,
what to buy, what to read, what to join, etc. I'm quite receptive to
the experiences of others, so send me your comments!
Learning Methods:
Of course, the best way to learn is to find a friend who knows
it. Either ELNA (below) or I may be able to point someone
out in your area.
The next-most convenient way is the Free Postal Course. I can
send you the first lesson, and as you mail in each lesson,
your instructor will mail you the next one. The neatest
feature is that you get a nifty certificate at the end (10
lessons), and can ask questions of the instructor.
Thousands of people have taken it in the last few years.
You will probably want to by Well's Dictionary (below)
if you take the Postal Course.
People seem to spend between 15 and 60 minutes per
lesson (5-10 hours total!), after which you know all
the grammar, and can read anything with the aid of a
dictionary! It takes about a week of mail delay per lesson.
I highly recommend Claude Piron's "Baza Kurso de Esperanto",
if ELNA has any left. If you add a Well's dictionary,
I might consider it a self-contained course. The neatest part
is that the dialogs are a mystery story, so there is
good motivation to continue! Also, Piron is a
psychologist, and has studied how to teach languages.
He picked 750 of the most common word roots (from which
you can form over 7000 actual words), and introduced
them slowly, repeating each one several times after
the first introduction so you can pick them up easily.
ELNA has several other beginners courses. Ask them for advice.
"Step by Step in Esperanto" sounds good.
After you get past the basics, I recommend two things: an
intermediate text, such as "Pasoj al Plena Posedo" or
"Faktoj kaj Fantazioj", and a translation of a favorite
English book of yours into Esperanto. I'm going to buy
"Liliputo" by Swift (part of "Gulliver's Travels"). Then I can
practice translating by myself both into and out of
Esperanto.
If you have the time, San Fransico State University offers a
series of 3 week intensive courses in Esperanto each
July (this year from the 1st to the 22nd). I'm told
it is a great way to learn, and also a great way to
get a cheap vacation in the Bay area (in dorm rooms).
Finally, a lot of beginners get pen-pals in foreign lands.
Books: (All of these can be ordered from ELNA (Esperanto League of North
America, Box 1129 El Cerrito, CA 94530)
or call them with visa/mc (415 653-0998))
Wells dictionary (Teach Yourself series). (Frequently available
in bookstores.) All English-speaking Esperantists
should have one. It has a grammatical summary, and
probably has enough information for you to read
anything.... Both English-Esperanto and Esperanto-English.
"False Friends" is a useful list of words that don't quite mean
what you would assume as an English speaker
(granda == 'big', not 'grand' in all it's meanings....)
"Notes on English Grammar for Students of Esperanto" is a wonderful
expose of how weird English is. I recommend it even for
-> non-esperantists: it traces several aspects of English
back to Old English, etc. 48p., only $1.45.
The serious esperantist will want to get the Plena Ilustrita Vortaro,
an Esperanto-Esperanto dictionary with oodles of examples.
1303p., $45 ($37.50 for ELNA members)
John Wells, a linguist at the University of London, wrote "Lingvistikaj
Aspektoj de Esperanto" (in Esperanto), which is the closest
thing I've ever found to a fun, readable book on comparative
linguistics. Only $5.50.
If you're interested in the Dutch company BSO's research
effort to translate semi-automatically between European
languages using an Intermediate Language based on Esperanto,
ELNA has a $20 feasibility study on it. It is extremely well
done, with lots of good references. The work is being
funded by the European Economic Community. A. Witkam,
"DLT: Distributed Language Translation -- a Multilingual
facility for videotex information networks."
Songbook: "Kantofesto" is a great collection of songs, complete with
chords and music.
For those who still wonder if "literature" can be written in
Esperanto, you can get Margaret Hagglers PhD thesis on
the subject from the University of Michigan's microfilm
service: "Esperanto Language as a Literary Medium", 1971
It's quite interesting! The answer is definitely "yes"....
Tapes: At some point you will surely want to hear some Esperanto.
Many of the courses come with taped lessons.
"Per Nia Nura Vol'" is some neat feminist music from Italy, with
transcriptions.
Piron also has some nice tapes out.
There are all kinds of cheap records of speeches at conferences
(much easier to understand than poetry or music....)
Finally, ELNA runs a tape lending library with hundreds of tapes.
Magazines:
El Popola ^Cinio is a neat magazine from China. Start preparing
now for the 71st Universal Congress in Bejing in '86!
Monato is an international version of "Newsweek" (monthly, $26,
but well done, with jokes, crossword puzzles, etc.)
Internacia Komputado (computing) published in Hungary every 3 months.
Fonto is a monthly literary magazine from Brazil.
UEA (below) publishes "Esperanto" each month.
Organizations:
It's good to join ELNA and the Universala Esperanto-Asocio (UEA)
ELNA gives you a membership list so you can look people
up when you travel in the US, and discounts on some
books.
UEA (Nieuwe Binnenweg 176, 3015 BJ Rotterdam, the Netherlands;
(010) 36 15 39) gives 3 treasures to its members:
jarlibro ("yearbook"): 400 pages packed with information
and 2000 addresses in 70 countries of people who
will help you when you travel.
Also information on specialized associations:
vegetarians, stamp collectors, scientific disciplines,
ham-radio operators, teachers, etc.
yearly esperanto katalogo: 350 pages densely packed with
listings of books, tapes, magazines, etc.
"Esperanto" magazine.
You may also have a local club in your area - I can check if you
send me mail.
Misc:
Steve Allen and ELNA have recorded a 30 minute public TV documentary
on Esperanto which your local PBS affiliate can get.
I have a list of over a dozen daily short-wave radio broadcasts
worldwide, but I haven't been able to pick any up with my
cheap equipment.
I have the largest on-line dictionary I have yet heard of: 2600 words,
Esperanto-English.
I also have a list of about 30 USENET folks who have expressed an
interest in Esperanto.
The 70th Universal Congress will be in Augsberg Germany from
August 3-10, preceded by the ELNA congress in Boston,
19-25 July and an Esperanto tour through Berlin and East
Germany. The Esperanto Travel Service, Oakland CA,
415-836-1710 is coordinating the tour.
The international youth organization, TEJO, will have it's
conference ("IJK") in Eringerfeld Germany from the 22nd to
the 29th of July, followed by a 6 day bike tour to Augsberg.
Computer specific stuff:
I'll be sending out an extra guide to this: there's a lot!
-Neal McBurnett, ihnp4!druny!neal, 303-538-4852, 494-6495 at home
Boulder CO