What is Esperanto?

Good question!

This is what Wikipedia says: " Esperanto (help·info) is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto (Esperanto translates as 'one who hopes'), the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887. Zamenhof's goal was to create an easy-to-learn and politically neutral language that would foster peace and international understanding between people with different regional and/or national languages."

Does it work? Absolutely! Most people find they can reach a degree of fluency much quicker than they did with French, German or Spanish at school. Those Esperantists who take part in international meetings are amazed by how language barriers simply disappear and how people, who would otherwise just nod pleasantly and say nothing more than "Yees" or "Tenk you", become real acquaintances and often close friends.

Esperanto does what it says on the tin!

Read why writer and photographer Simon Varwell is learning Esperanto.

An overview of Esperanto can be found on the website of the Scottish Esperanto Association.