Breaking down the language barrier? (Reading)

Breaking down the language barrier?

A look at Esperanto

We are supposed to live in a 'globalised' world, or so we are increasingly taught in school. Many of us share elements of a globalised culture, at least, perhaps watching Japanese movies, listening to K-pop, or eating Indian food. Why is it, then, that so man of us tussle with the basics of global communication in this age of instant messaging, email and video conferencing? English may certainly be the (self-appointed) lingua franca of the globalised world, with millions of students struggling daily to learn its phrasal verbs and idioms. But English is the mother tongue of only a relatively small percentage of the global population, so wouldn't it be easier if we all spoke a simpler language? Perhaps what is needed is an international language.

What is interesting is that, over a hundred years ago, a Dr Ludwig Zamenhof published a book about a new language that he had developed, with the intention of providing an appropriate international means of communication. He called this language 'Esperanto', and it is said that hundreds of thousands of people have learned to speak it, with about one thousand today even using it as their first language. It is claimed to be easy to master and, more significantly, as an artificial language, it is appreciated as being devoid of any of the ideological or political connotations that accompany languages of former colonial powers, such as English. It is said to be learnt much faster than English, with a one-symbol-one-sound writing system (making spelling easier) and a grammar with a limited number of rules. Vocabulary even borrows a number of words that are already shared internationally, such as telefono (telephone) and matematiko (mathematics). In short, Esperanto may well be the answer that second-language learners have been seeking.

The problem is that it is likely that, before reading this article, you might never have heard of Esperanto, and you would almost certainly not be alone on that point. The main criticism of Esperanto is that, despite its lofty ideals, the language never really caught on among the global population in the way its creator intended. Whether there was a vested interest in preventing the language from spreading is hard to say. The key factor is that the language does, in fact, look rather similar to Romance languages such as French, Spanish or Italian, ta the expense of other popular languages such as Arabic or Mandarin. As such, the 'international' language is perhaps not international enough, and may even be considered as maintaining a primarly Western point of view, something the creator of Esperanto initially set out to mitigate.

As mentioned, Esperanto is what is known as an 'artifical language'. Those involved with the development of its vocabulary and structure were well aware that the language they were creating had few ties with languages of the past, and so one of the basic features of any other language - that of a cultural heritage- can be considered missing for speakers of Esperanto. However, advocates of Esperanto would counter this criticism by claiming that all languages can be considered as artificial, in the sense that the creators of any language were human. What Esperanto lacks in culture, it makes up for in efficiency, and as language learners in the busy modern world are constantly under pressure of time. It is possible that, for some, it is worth developing communicative efficiency at the expense of a certain prestige. In addition, as Esperanto experiment a success or failure, one thing is for certain: an  international language should reflect all aspects of global society, while at the same time be easy to learn, free from ambiguity, and neutral in terms of ideology. Critics of Esperanto claim its failure in each of these aspects, while proponents of the language assert that it has succeeded in areas where English might have failed. While there may not be enough global uptake of Esperanto to eventually topple English from its perch, there is no doubt that it has provoked increased interest in the debate of language in the shadow of globalisation, and this debate is far from over.


1. What is the main point the writer is making in the first paragraph?
     A. English has difficult features, but can still be an effective global language.
     B. Schools tend to exaggearte the extent of globalisation in the world today.
     C. Global communication is less straightforward than it should be.
     D. World culture continues to become increasingly globalised.
2. What does the writer suggest is the main reason why Esperanto appeals to learners?
     A. Its spelling accurately reflects its pronunciation.
     B. Its grammar and vocabulary are relatively simple.
     C. It is becoming increasingly widely spoken.
     D. It lacks associations with a specific culture.
3. How does the writer explain the fact that Esperanto has been less successful than initially hoped?
     A. Esperanto is too closely associated with European languages.
     B. Many learners find English more interesting than Esperanto.
     C. Speakers of Arabic and Chinese find Esperanto difficult.
     D. Esperanto has not been promoted widely enough.
4. How does the writer suggest that Esperanto is now changing?
     A. It can no longer be considered artificial.
     B. It is developing its own culture.
     C.Its vocabulary is rapidly expanding.
     D, Its prestige is beginning to increase.
5. The writer concludes that
     A. Esperanto is in some ways superior to English.
     B. Esperanto meets all the criteria for an international language.
     C. It is hard to predict what the future fate of Esperanto will be.
     D. Esperanto has prompted useful discussions about language.
6. What does 'it' in line 56 refer to?
     A. Esperanto
     B. uptake
     C. perch
     D, English