World | Other World Stories
Esperanto, the new language of love
Supporters of universal tongue gather in Poland for their annual congress.
- Daily Mail
- Published: 22:33 July 29, 2009
London: Ladies, picture the scene. You're looking for love, so you head to Greece on holiday.
You're in a beach-side taverna, souvlaki juice dribbling down your chin, when the man of your dreams appears. Your eyes meet. With horror, you remember you don't understand Greek.
But then he utters the most wonderful phrase. "Mia Bela. Chu vi venas ofte cxi tien?" You blush, then you explain, that no, you don't come here often - but you will do from now on.
And you and the handsome man live happily ever after, all because you both speak the universal language of Esperanto.
You might scoff, but this scenario is not as far-fetched as it seems, because "the language that never was" is growing more popular every day, largely due to the influence of the internet.
This week, 2,000 Esperanto fans from 60 countries gather for their annual meeting in Bialystok, Poland - where the language's founder, Ludwig Zamenhof, was born 150 years ago.
Zamenhof's aim was to create an easy and universal language, using European words but easier grammar. Worldwide there are 200,000 fluent Esperanto speakers.
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