Learn how Ludwig Zamenhof single-handedly created an entire language, Esperanto, in the 19th century.

Esperanto is the most widely-spoken artificial language in the world today. It has allowed people from vastly different backgrounds with vastly different cultures to connect with one another and share experiences. Despite its success, many often forget Esperanto’s humble origins and the fascinating story of its creator, L.L. Zamenhof, a man whose main goal was bringing peace to the world.

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Time stamps

[00:25] A quick reminder of the Tower of Babel legend
[02:50] Introducing Mark Fettes, president of the Universal Esperanto Association
[03:30] How living in multi-cultural Białystok shaped L.L. Zamenhof’s views on peace and minorities’ rights
[06:48] How a teenage Zamenhof came up with his first version of the constructed language
[08:30] What is Zionism, and what is Homaranismo?
[11:40] Zamenhof's struggle to make Esperanto popular
[16:42] Our hosts go to Białystok to attend an Esperanto convention
[19:39] How the US Army (mis)used Esperanto in their combat training programme
[21:03] What is a gateway language?
[23:05] Is Esperanto just a language or is it a philosophy? Why is Esperanto worthwhile?

Further reading

• Białystok: The Original Babel of the Eastern European Borderlands
• How Much Polish Is There In Esperanto
• Did David Bowie Know Esperanto? The Invented Language of Warszawa & the Eastern-European Story Behind It
• The Legacy of Ludwik Zamenhof Gallery
• 9 Things You Need To Know About Esperanto and Its Creator
• Tim Morley's full TED Talk speech

Thanks

Mark Fettes / president of the Universal Esperanto Association. Mark kindly agreed to tell us the story of Zamenhof’s mission for bringing peace to the world.

Łukasz Żebrowski / Esperanto and beer blogger. Łukasz gave us plenty of advice on how to discover the world to Esperanto, let us know about the convention and largely helped in scheduling the interview with Mark Fettes. Thanks Łukasz!

Przemysław Wierzbowski / president of the Bialystok Esperantist Association. For kindly inviting us to Esperantists convention and facilitating finding great interviewees.

Conference participants: Michaela Stegmaier, Hamlet Randall, Mathieu Desplantes, Szabolcs Szilva and Iwona Zalewska who kindly gave us a short introductory Esperanto lesson.

Esperanto pop song playlist

Let It Be / The Beatles

Esperanto National Anthem

Jolene / Dolly Parton

Hello / Adele

New York, New York / Frank Sinatra

Unconditionally / Katy Perry

I’m a Believer / The Monkees

Check our full playlist on Youtube!

SFTEW Team: Wojciech Oleksiak, Adam Zulawski, John Beauchamp, Nitzan Reisner & Michael Keller