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From: elna@netcom.com (Esperanto League N America)
Subject: Re: Silly people... IALs _can't_ be fair.
Message-ID: <elnaE6Hqt6.HLs@netcom.com>
Organization: Esperanto League for North America, Inc.
References: <853605030.2652@dejanews.com> <3316B4AE.BE@eventus.com> <elnaE6CAr8.2Av@netcom.com> <331AE9AD.7D2E@eventus.com>
Date: Mon, 3 Mar 1997 23:34:18 GMT
Lines: 32
Sender: elna@netcom11.netcom.com

troyt@eventus.com writes in a recent posting (reference <331AE9AD.7D2E@eventus.com>):
>
>A truly "fair" IAL would have
>   1.  No vowels, to satisfy the Welsh.
>   2.  No consonants, to satisfy the Hawaiians.
>
Excellent!

>I wouldn't mind using Esperanto for diplomacy; the only
>problem would be one of pride 

Indeed, this is a root issue. Supporters of Esperanto maintain
that this p[lanned language helps diffuse this kind of 
nation-based pride by suggesting a NON-national language; but
then others complain that even relative to *similarity* to 
regional language-types, Esperanto is not fair enough...
>
>Tourism?  Hmm... you may have a point.  I guess I'm spoiled
>by being an English speaker.
>
I agree that English offers *many* advantages to the casual tourist,
but I have many times been in situations abroad where there was not
an English-speaker to be found. And with the current rareness of 
Esperanto speakers, they are likely to be extra-ordinarily friendly
and generous to fellow speakers-- an aspect of Esperanto usage which 
would likely disappear if the language is widely taught.

-- 
Miko SLOPER              elna@netcom.com              USA  (510) 653 0998
Direktoro de la          ftp.netcom.com:/pub/el/elna   fax (510) 653 1468 
Centra Oficejo de la     Learn Esperanto! Free lessons: e-mail/snail-mail
Esperanto-Ligo de N.A.   Write to above address or call:  1-800-ESPERANTO
