Esperanto is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. It is the only such language with a population of native speakers, of which there are perhaps several thousand. Usage estimates are difficult, but two recent estimates put the number of active speakers at around 100,000. Concentration of speakers is highest in Europe, East Asia and South America. The Universal Esperanto Association has more than 5,500 members in 120 countries. The language has also gained a noticeable presence on the internet in recent years, as it became increasingly accessible on platforms such as Duolingo.
Esperantujo or Esperantio is the Esperanto community; the community of speakers of the Esperanto language and their culture, as well as the places and institutions where the language is used. The term is used "as if it were a country."
L. L. Zamenhof developed Esperanto in the 1870s and '80s. Unua Libro, the first print discussion of the language, appeared in 1887. The number of Esperanto speakers have increased gradually since then, without much support from governments and international organizations. Its use has, in some instances, been outlawed or otherwise suppressed.
Esperanto culture refers to the shared cultural experience of the Esperantujo, or Esperanto-speaking community. Despite being a constructed language, Esperanto has a history dating back to the late 19th century, and shared cultural social mores have developed among its speakers. Some of these can be traced back to the initial ideas of the language's creator, Ludwig Zamenhof, including the theory that a global second language would foster international communication. Others have developed over time, as the language has allowed different national and linguistic cultures to blend together. Some researched also the ideologies of Esperanto.
The World Esperanto Youth Organization is an organization dedicated to supporting young Esperanto speakers around the world and promote the use of Esperanto. TEJO was founded in 1938 as the Tutmonda Junular-Organizo and took its current name in 1952. In 1956, TEJO became the youth section of the Universal Esperanto Association (UEA). In 1971, the finances and administration of TEJO were fully integrated into those of UEA.
The Universal Esperanto Association, also known as the World Esperanto Association, is the largest international organization of Esperanto speakers, with 5501 individual members in 121 countries and 9215 through national associations and in official relations with the United Nations. In addition to individual members, 70 national Esperanto organizations are affiliated with UEA. Its current president is the professor Duncan Charters. The magazine Esperanto is the main organ used by UEA to inform its members about everything happening in the Esperanto community.
The Esperanto Wikipedia is the Esperanto version of Wikipedia, which was started on 11 May 2001, alongside the Basque Wikipedia. With over 301,000 articles as of June 2016, it is the 32nd-largest Wikipedia as measured by the number of articles, and the largest Wikipedia in a constructed language.
References to Esperanto, a constructed language, have been made in a number of films and novels. Typically, this is done either to add the exotic nature of a foreign language without representing any particular ethnicity, or to avoid going to the trouble of inventing a new language. In science fiction, Esperanto is sometimes used to represent a future in which there is a more universally spoken language than exists today.
The International Youth Congress is the largest annual meeting of young Esperantists in the world. The participants come from all over the world for one week, and they usually number around 300, although there has been a congress with more than 1000 attendees before. The congress takes place in a different country every year and is organized by the World Esperanto Youth Organization, the youth wing of the Universal Esperanto Association. Both the IJK and the World Esperanto Congress take place each summer, usually in consecutive weeks but rarely in the same country.
Esperanto-USA (E-USA) is the largest organization for speakers and supporters of Esperanto in the United States. It was founded in 1952 as the Esperanto League for North America (ELNA) in Sacramento, California. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, Esperanto-USA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and the U.S. affiliate of the Universal Esperanto Association. Phil Dorcas is President of E-USA, and Alex Vaughn Miller is Vice-President.
The Canadian Esperanto Association is a registered educational charity whose objective is to advance the education of Esperanto among the Canadian public.
The Skolta Esperanto Ligo (SEL) brings together Esperanto-speaking Scouts from all over the world.
Homestay is a popular form of hospitality and lodging whereby visitors share a residence with a local of the city to which they are traveling. The length of stay can vary from one night to over a year and can be provided gratis, in exchange for monetary compensation, in exchange for a stay at the guest's property either simultaneously or at another time, or in exchange for housekeeping or work on the host's property. Homestays are examples of collaborative consumption and the sharing economy.
The International League of Esperanto Instructors is a non-governmental organization with the goals of teaching respect for humanity, life and nature and seeking to further mutual understanding among peoples. Advocating the spread of Esperanto language and culture, the NGO publishes books and journals, organizes international conferences and administers examinations worldwide to certify the qualifications of Esperanto teachers.
E@I ("Education@Internet") is an international youth non-profit organization that hosts educational projects and meetings to support intercultural learning and the usage of languages and internet technologies.
Mark Fettes is an Esperantist and university professor of education, and former President of the World Esperanto Association, known by its Esperanto initials as UEA.
Rubén Ernesto Feldman González is an Argentinian physician, surgeon, pediatrician, psychiatrist and neurologist, known mainly for his contribution to psychology, having founded holokinetic psychology, as well as his dissemination of the language Esperanto.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Esperanto:
The Esperanto League of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the national Esperanto association in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which represents Esperanto speakers, Esperanto societies, and friends. Since its establishment in 1910, it helps advancement of Esperanto language learning and usage in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
