President Ezra Taft Benson: "Someday we will all speak a common tongue ..." "Iutage ni ĉiuj parolos komunan lingvon ..." Say it in Esperanto ! from the Church Magazine: The New Era Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way to speak to people in other countries without having to learn dozens of languages? Many people have thought so and have learned an international language called Esperanto. Click here to watch "Esperanto Estas", a video introduction of Esperanto, the International Language. The language, created by a Polish physician in 1887, uses just 16 grammar rules with no exceptions. Spelling is simplified, and pronunciation has assigned each letter only one sound. Esperanto is a language introduced in 1887 by Dr. L.L. Zamenhof after years of development. He proposed Esperanto as a second language that would allow people who speak different native languages to communicate, yet at the same time retain their own languages and cultural identities. Esperanto doesn't replace anyone's language but simply serves as a common second language. Esperanto can be learned easier than any other language. (Some say four times easier). Esperanto is politically unbiased. These days Esperanto has a strong presence on the Internet with audio-visual programs as well as an impressive participation with Wikipedia in Esperanto. The Book of Mormon has completely been translated in Esperanto, and is available at the Church History Library, highlights of which have been published in several online formats as "Selections of The Book of Mormon". In Esperanto, the scripture in 2 Nephi 2:25 would read: “Adam falis, tial ke la homo ekzistu; la homo ekzistas tial ke li havu gojon.” Also read an interesting article: "The First Printing of The Book of Mormon in Esperanto" by Andrew Barney. Man's Search for Happiness - in Esperanto and in many other languages - is a 13-minute film produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It explains the role of the Plan of Salvation in our lives. This film was produced by the BYU Motion Picture Studio for the Mormon Pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair in New York, and was viewed by over five million people, many of whom were not LDS. It was later remade in Japanese for Expo '70 in Japan, and again in 1987 in English. The Harold B. Lee Library at the Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, offers - free of charge - the online version of "The American Esperanto Book" for those who would like to learn Esperanto. Years ago the Brigham Young University also researched scholarship opportunities for Esperanto students. Join us at PEM-Facebook to stay informed of the latest news, and to meet other LDS Esperantists ! |
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