First of all, I must explain a bit about myself. I was born in the USA, and I am a native speaker of English. In junior high and high school, I learned French. I am still able to use French. I studied German in college (in fact I studied German Language and Literature as my major), and I also studied in Germany for one year. From 2001 to 2004 I lived in Japan and taught English as a Foreign Language to students of all ages and levels. I am also able to make conversation in Japanese.

So why did I become interested in Esperanto? Because I had always liked learning languages, I always had been curious about Esperanto, and four years ago I had a little bit of time to learn it. For me, learning Esperanto was an experiment, to see and experience for myself, whether a constructed language is practical and usable or not. The points that I am about to make were my experiences with learning Esperanto. I not only noticed that Esperanto is usable, but I also learned some things that surprised me. For me, learning and using Esperanto is a great adventure.

1. Esperanto is a regular and easily learnable language.

This is perhaps the most serious point about Esperanto that I can make. The pronunciation and spelling of Esperanto are very easy and consistent. Quite the opposite of English. Maybe you are aware that the words "night" and "knight" sound the same in English (najt), but have totally different meanings. Also, in English we say, "I go today" and "I went yesterday". In Esperanto these are not problems at all. Esperanto has one sound for one letter, and "I go" is mi "iras", I went is "mi iris". All verbs follow this pattern in Esperanto.

I do not want to say that natural languages are unnecessary or bad. However, natural languages have evolved through many centuries, and have changed a lot and often. People did not plan them, and that is the reason that the spelling and grammar are complex. L.L. Zamenhof, the initiator of Esperanto, mastered and learned several languages himself. He planned Esperanto in a way that it is easier than other languages. The grammar of Esperanto is both less complicated and more consistant than that of any natural language.

2. Esperanto is a very flexible language.

As I said, I had already learned a few other languages before I started learning Esperanto. In one important way, that was in fact a hindrance to mi. I had always thought that grammar was a limitation. In Esperanto you have the right to put together words and affixes in a very flexible way. In fact, if there is not a reason to forbid it, you have the right to do whatever you want with words in Esperanto. First I did not believe that, and I did not make use of this flexibility. At that time I noticed how limited I had truly been with other languages. With Esperanto you can create new words with elements that already exist. I will give you an example. The suffix "-et" means "small" in Esperanto. "Libro" is the Esperanto word for "book". Also, "domo" means "house" in Esperanto. If it is not a real book, but something smaller which has only a few pages, you can say "libreto" in Esperanto (in English, "leaflet" or "pamphlet". Also "dometo", which in English is "cottage". Notice also that you can use the "-et" suffix with every word, and the new words are still quite similar to the original words. Isn't this logical? In English, those suffixes also exist sometimes, but they are not consistent (you can say booklet, but what is a houselet?), or you have to learn totally new and separate words (cottage, in this example)! In Esperanto, word order and ways of expressing yourself are also flexible. Native speakers of Czech would maybe find one way to express their thoughts easier than a native speaker of English would, or vice versa. People from both cultures have the right to construct their thoughts in any wah that suits them.

As a lifelong language learner, I found this trait not only easy, but also a fascinating idea to have in a language. After I started learning Esperanto, I entered a chatroom on the Internet and spoke with people there about three weeks after starting my first lesson. I myself had not believed that this was possible..

Maybe you would say to me, "You yourself are a lifelong language learner. I am not. I cannot do what you have done." I would answer that Esperanto was created in such a way that everybody can use it quickly and with ease. I know how much work you need to learn a foreign language, and with Esperanto you need much less work. I also must admit to you, that I really like learning languages, but also I found limits in my ability to learn them. When I lived in Japan, I noticed this problem from both sides. I felt that in Japanese, I could not express my feelings very clearly. When I arrived in Japan, I was not able to read the signs, not even enough to be able to travel by train within the region in which I lived. I often became tired and felt stress because of this. Even now, I can have a conversation in Japanese, but I still feel the barrier. I lived in Japan for three years! When you learn a foreign language, even after many years you often cannot use it well. My students in Japan also found English very difficult. If you feel this way about your ability to learn and use English, Esperanto will be a wonderful surprise for you, the same as it was for me. If you find English difficult, I believe that maybe you will like Esperanto.

I even found that Esperanto can help with the learning of other languages. When you learn the grammar, it is much easier than other languages, but it reminds you of grammatical concepts, even those from your native language. It also has many words which are similar to words of Romance languages, especially French, Spanish, and Italian. After I learned Esperanto, I tried to learn Latin, and I understood some Latin words without the help of a dictionary. This helped me once or twice on the Latin examinations. It also helped me to remember French words which I had already forgotten. If you have learned Latin, Spanish, French, etc., you will find Esperanto very easy. Esperanto even has German words, and a few English and Slavic words! It will also help you to learn the words of those languages if you later have an interest in learning them.

Until now I have only spoken about the merits of the language itself. Now I want to discuss my experiences when I actually used Esperanto. This side is even more important to me, and maybe this part will contain answers to some other questions, that you will probably have for me. Previously I spoke about the reasons that I became interested in Esperanto and decided to learn it. Now I will speak about the reasons that I enjoy using Esperanto. I will also try to give you an accurate picture of the use of Esperanto today.

1. Esperanto is an "ideal" language, but in practice the truth is close to the ideal.

Now, great. Esperanto is the international language for all. You can learn it easily. Does it already rule the world? Absolutely not. However, it is believed that between one and four million people around the world speak it (estimates vary and are very imprecise). When you meet Esperantists, either in person or online, they come from the whole world. Some people think that Esperanto is best suited for Europeans, but in fact many Asians and Africans also use Esperanto. It appears, at least to me, that Esperanto is very active in China and Japan, maybe even more than in Europe. I have even spoken to people in Mongolia and New Caledonia using Esperanto.

As a realist, I have my own idea about the situation of Esperanto. You can use it with small groups of people throughout the whole word. Esperanto is not the required language worldwide. Small groups of people enjoy using it all over the world. Esperanto is largely a hobby like stamp collecting, or maybe like sports or scuba diving, or for me Judo. Esperanto speakers have a very strong common interest, and connect through it. Using Esperanto you can discuss or share any of these other hobbies or sports as well. This does not mean that Esperantists agree on everything. However, it the language gives people a way to meet and connect with each other. My way of expressing my feeling is that Esperanto is an international party, with space for everyone. You just have to accept the invitation.

If you are an Esperantist, you can be a religious person. They have translated the Holy Bible and the Koran into Esperanto. The Vatican has an Esperanto-language broadcast! There is also an international group for Esperanto-speaking Atheists! Esperanto has room for everyone!

I personally met a man and a woman who met through Esperanto and married. The man has lived in the USA for a long time, but was born in Cuba. The woman is a Romanian, and never learned English or Spanish. The man also never learned Romanian. They both speak Esperanto and use it at home. Is this not a good example of international communication?

2. Esperanto is for the most part non-commercial and nonprofit.

If you pay money, somebody can translate everything into Czech for you. Many people also do business in English. If you travel, you can pay for guides in almost any language. Using Esperanto, you can meet people who show you their cities and cultures for free! This is an informal and pleasant way to get to know a new place, isn't it? I recently visited Armenia this way (and English is not yet very well known there!). I have also met several visiting Esperantists in my city. They came from other parts of the United States, Britain, the Czech Republic, and even Iran!

When you learn Esperanto, you can also learn it very inexpensively or even for free! I paid about to have a tutor for an online Esperanto course (the course without the tutor was free of charge). If you ask me how long it took me, my answer is that I finished that course in three months (and I did not rush). I wrote the original form of this essay in Esperanto after three years of practical use!

3. When I speak Esperanto, the language barrier vanishes.

Since Esperanto is a flexible and easy language, you can express yourself with relatively little study. As I have said already, when I lived in Japan, I tried learning Japanese and felt very limited. It is an incredibly difficult language, and when I speak it, I feel that I speak like a child. I had some friends there, but I could not discuss everything with them easily. My students in Japan felt the same way about English. Many of them were afraid to speak English with me, even when they wanted to do so. Now I know some Japanese Esperantists, and I know them well and discuss everything with them. We use neither English or Japanese. We use Esperanto.

Many Esperantists also speak English well. Why don't we just simply use English? The answer is that all of us find Esperanto much easier! Also, not everybody has learned English (this is also true of Esperantists), especially older people. When I speak Esperanto online in groups, sometimes all of us are in different lands, and some of us are young, and some of us are elderly.

When I lived in Japan, the people who spoke English well were usually those who had lived overseas, or had the money to travel a lot. In Germany, business people, computer scientists, doctors, and scientists know English well. The first week that I chatted online in Esperanto, I met one American university professor, who had learned several languages, but who had never left the United States. I also met a Croatian dog handler, and several elderly people in Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Poland, who had grown up under Communism and had therefore never had the chance to learn English. Many Esperantists who I have met are University students. Some of them have learned or are learning English, and some have not learned English. I even met a Kurd who was born in Iran and was living in China doing international trade!

In many countries, you "expect" that certain types of people learn English. If you use Esperanto, you can meet people, who you maybe could not meet any other way. And since Esperanto is inexpensive and non-commercial, it is not elitist, compared with the learning of English. I also know that in many countries, teaching English is a way for private schools and teachers to make money quickly, because English is in such high demand. However, this does not always guarantee that the teaching is good quality. That is the complete opposite of the situation in Esperanto learning and teaching. It is not only relatively good quality, but also inexpensive, and now makes use of a lot of Internet and audiovisual technology. If you take an interest in learning Esperanto, people often reach out to help you with it.

It is true that the number of Esperantists is relatively small, but when you meet them, the language works like magic. One of my best Esperanto friends is a Spanish guy named Rafael who is a professional English teacher. In his free time, he speaks Esperanto online. Once I spoke with him in a conference, along with a woman in Hungary, a guy in Japan, and two French guys.

4. Esperanto is a living and up-to-date language, which works well with new technology.

Even if it is difficult to find a club or course in your city, Esperanto is very much alive on the Internet. Blogs, podcasts, chatrooms, you name it! I type Esperanto in chatrooms and IRC, and I speak it using Skype and Oovoo. I have put an Esperanto-language video on YouTube, and you will find others there, as well. I became interested in these technologies in large part because of Esperanto, and because of that, I am now learning how to use computers and the Internet better. There is even an Esperanto Community on Second Life, the virtual reality world. Esperanto, even as a constructed language, has words for computers and technological gadgets. It is a rich language, and the Akademio de Esperanto regulates the grammar and coining of new words. We even have swear words and slang in Esperanto!

5. Esperanto does not conflict with either the Czech or English language. It is a neutral language.

When I visited Prague in 1996, I noticed that I was able to use English there a little bit. I was able to use German there even more. I explained to the people that I was an American, that I did not know Czech, etc. However, I know how people in Europe feel about using German, Russian, and even English a little bit. Many Czechs appear to speak German very well. Many of them also still remember World War II, which makes German a very poor choice for some people. Russian is also not ideal there, because people still remember the Communist period. Esperanto is a better choice, if I visit the Czech Republic and don't know any Czech, isn't it? Esperanto does not have any political problems or bitter history behind it. Also, nobody has the right to make fun of your accent in Esperanto, because almost nobody speaks it as a native language.

In this letter I have tried to explain to you why Esperanto is a learnable and interesting language, why I like using it, and why I find it useful, even as a native speaker of the "worldwide language" of today. If you want to make money, I suggest that you do do not forget English for the time being. However, experiences with Esperanto are also rich, albeit in a different way. You can learn Esperanto easily, and that won't hurt you with learning English or other languages. Often it even helps people learn other languages. Yes, I know that the international language of today is my native language. I believe that you still ought to learn it, particularly if your school requires it, or if you have an interest in it. As I have said already, if you also learn Esperanto, that will not hurt you, and like me, you could have very good experiences with it and by means of it. You will not make money with Esperanto (at least, not in the current situation), but you can meet other people. You can make new friends. Have you already done that using English or another foreign language? Great! You will find it even easier with Esperanto. I have already explained how I met other friends with Esperanto, who I was not able to meet using English.

If you are a student, maybe you will soon have a summer vacation from school. I believe that if you want to, you could learn Esperanto during your summer break, easily and for free! If you are working, you could still learn it if you study for half an hour per day, at your own pace. I began speaking Esperanto after three weeks of study, and some people who I know started speaking it after four weaks of study. Esperanto uses European words, and you can learn it for free. What will you lose if you try learning it this summer, or over a few weekends? If you answer that you would prefer to read about politics, play computer games, listen to rock music, or use the Internet, even chat online, I will simply say, "Wonderful! You can use Esperanto to do all of these activities directly. You can also can also use it to meet people who are interested in the same things you are. I am not exaggerating! You really can listen to rock music in Esperanto! If you find other foreign languages difficult, you can also be part of our international community. As I have said already, Esperanto is an international party, and you can take part also. You can also learn Esperanto and still do other activities. You do not have to study all day long for months, as happens in so-called "intensive courses" for natural languages.

I am personally inviting you now! If you decide to learn Esperanto, please send me an e-mail in Esperanto after one month of study! If you do not know Esperanto yet, but wish to ask me questions, you can use English, German, or French to talk to me.

Sincerely,

David Dougherty

dameda71(at)gmail.com