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From: ellis@flairvax.UUCP (Michael Ellis)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Any esperantists out there?
Message-ID: <158@flairvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 12-Jul-83 18:47:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: flairvax.158
Posted: Tue Jul 12 18:47:34 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 13-Jul-83 01:17:22 EDT
References: grkermit.496
Lines: 21


    One of the major failings of esperanto  is  its  extremely  strong
    bias  towards  the  romance  (and,  to  a lesser extent, classical
    greek) vocabulary, syntax and phonetic structure.  100  years  ago
    this was very reasonable for a purportedly international tongue.

    But as what is now called "third world' gradually  becomes,  well,
    just  the  "world",  more non-european elements are required for a
    truly international language to receive widespread support.

    I've read the interesting loglan articles that came my  way,  and,
    as  an  aside  noticed  (imagined?)  more balance towards teutonic
    sounds and vocabulary than esperanto has.

    Still, if I were chinese, arabic or african,  I  bet  even  loglan
    would seem euro-chauvinist.  Nonetheless, fun linguistic toys like
    these could  provide  exposure  to  the  fascinating  and  bizarre
    sounds/stems/syntax  of  strange lands -- if carefully designed by
    someone with absolutely no linguistic bias.

    Micahel Ellis - Fairchild AI Lab - Palo Alto CA - (415) 858-4270