Esperanto Learning and Using the International Language [Hardcover]

David Richardson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0939785064 | ISBN-13: 978-0939785063 | Publication Date: March 1, 2004 | Edition: 3rd

This introductory textbook begins with an extensive English-language introduction, covering the need for an international language, an overview of Esperanto's history, and the international Esperanto community. A series of brief lessons with exercises follows, concentrating on practical communication and vocabulary. The highlight of the book is a graded reader, which includes history, letters, stories, and poetry (both translated from English and drawn from original Esperanto literature) that gradually introduce more advanced usage and additional vocabulary. The book concludes with an abridged Esperanto-to-English dictionary.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Esperanto League for North Amer; 3rd edition (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0939785064
• ISBN-13: 978-0939785063
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #513,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best First Book to the Language & the Movement!, June 10, 2001

By 

Richard Kinne (Groton, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Esperanto Learning and Using the International Language (Hardcover)

I'd normally not want to simply add another "Oh this is a great book" to the list of reviews that is already here, but honestly Richardson deserves the praise.

While the book largely tries to be three things at once it is successful to a good degree. The first part of the book is a good overview of the "language problem" and Esperanto's solution to is. It's also a good (but increasingly dated) overview of Esperanto culture and resources.

The second part of the book is a reasonable 10-lesson section on Esperanto itself. it does a good job at this for its size by immediately integrating the reading of dialog at the end of every lesson.

Finally, the most unique part of the book is its last part: a small Esperanto reading anthology that allows you to immediately try your new found skill.

If you're interested in Esperanto in any capacity (save hard linguistics, perhaps) this book is your first stop. Get it.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sensible approach to learning Esperanto, November 2, 2001

By 

Jane James "homeschoolmum" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Esperanto: Learning and Using the International Language (Hardcover)

This is my favorite beginning Esperanto book. The vocabulary choices are good, with more difficult words being introduced in a logical manner (not all at once!) The excercises are at a good gradient - not too hard -- and the words a new Esperantist would need are introduced early on.

Within just a few days I was able to correspond with Esperanto speakers from all over the world.

I highly recommend the language and this book!

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Implementation of a Flawed Concept, August 25, 2005

By 

Donald J. Harlow (Pinole, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Esperanto Learning and Using the International Language (Hardcover)

This book is in many ways the lineal descendant of the once popular "Esperanto: The World Interlanguage", to which a younger David Richardson himself made some minor contributions. I've never been particularly happy with the system used in both books, breaking the work down into expository section, lessons, reader and appendices. Each of these deserves a book of its own. The problem is always what weight to give each section vis a vis the others; and every reader will have his or her preferred balance.

Having said this, I have to add that Richardson did an excellent job of implementing the system in this book, better than the one in its predecessor. For one thing, he omitted the purely topical (and so ephemeral) material, such as the earlier work's long list of currently popular books and magazines in Esperanto, and UEA delegate categories.

The four chapters of explanation ("Communications and the Language Barrier") are well-written, and still of great interest, though they were written in the 1980s and so do not address the changes in the world over the past two decades; I don't find any mention of the internet, for instance. Perhaps for a fourth edition Richardson or some designated person will add a fifth chapter to bring the reader up to date.

The hundred-page ten-lesson Esperanto course will teach you everything you need to know about Esperanto to actually start using the language (actually, you can start using it after the first one or two lessons). The ten-lesson system unfortunately requires that even in a language with an excellent word-building system such as Esperanto there will be relatively long lists of basic vocabulary to memorize, but Richardson offsets this to some degree with well-thought-out drills and exercises.

For me, the real meat of the book is in the 130-page reading section. This isn't just a collection of reading material, but devotes almost as much space to annotations and explanations, which to some extent makes it an extension and polishing of the ten-lesson course.

The whole thing is rounded off by a bibliography, which also suffers (slightly) by being somewhat dated, and a fairly complete Esperanto-English vocabulary. Since there is no English-Esperanto vocabulary, the purchaser might also want to get a copy of an appropriate dictionary. For the neophyte, I'd recommend the inexpensive two-way EAB MiniDictionary; the more ambitious student may want a copy of the Comprehensive English-Esperanto Dictionary.

All in all, a good book to acquire if you intend to learn Esperanto and pursue the language to whatever degree.