# Esperanto **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [June 12, 2000, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esperanto/22094 "2000-06-12T07:08:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/50afbb/32.png) [@Yuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yuck)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2000, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esperanto/22094/1 "2000-06-12T07:08:34Z")
How can a language with only two million “users” (trying to include everyone as mentioned in [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mesperanto.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mesperanto.html) ) be an “international” language? Two million is barely noise. I suppose if you mean that people from more than one country use the language, then it is international. But then most languages satisfy that broad criterion. What language is used most broadly by people of the world? If you don’t speak the local language, what language is the likely best alternative for communicating? Matter of fact, what language is the best language to try first, regardless of the local language? Using these questions as possible tests for an “international” language, esperanto is not even “an” international language as opposed to “the” international language. If there is an international language, what is it? If there is an international language, should we promote it or kill it? ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esperanto/22094/2 "2000-06-15T04:27:46Z")
Two million Esperanto speakers puts it in the Top 100 languages worldwide. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esperanto/22094/3 "2000-06-15T04:49:11Z")
And how many speak Klingon now? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esperanto/22094/4 "2000-06-15T19:46:34Z")
Was watching (or, rather, enduring) “American Gigolo” with some friends, and in one scene Richard Gere says to a woman, “I speak three languages.” The woman, looking at Gere alluringly, says, “Plus the international language?” Friend of mine, with a perfectly straight face, turns to us and says “Esperanto?” Lots of ROFLMAO’s. V. ---
**Author:** ![Yuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/50afbb/32.png) [@Yuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yuck)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2000, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esperanto/22094/5 "2000-06-17T11:47:10Z")
But… Is there a language that satisfies the conditions… What language is used most broadly by people of the world? If you don’t speak the local language, what language is the likely best alternative for communicating? Matter of fact, what language is the best language to try first, regardless of the local language? And given our concern about protecting all cultures, should we promote or kill the international language (if there is one)? ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2000, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esperanto/22094/6 "2000-06-20T19:16:25Z")
My wife is a wonderful linguist… She speaks Esperanto like a native. (Old, old joke) Seriously, English is now the international language – certainly for technical and business purposes. E.g., the international actuarial meetings are conductyed in English. In (at least) Turkey and Israel, insurance management education may be conducted in English. Only the French have resisted the standard use of English. It’s my understanding that the internet is increasing English’s hegemony. ---
**Author:** ![Yuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/50afbb/32.png) [@Yuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yuck)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esperanto/22094/7 "2000-06-21T12:47:08Z")
December, thanks for your comment. Any idea how many people in the world speak English? In countries that don’t use English as a “first” language, is it the best first choice if you don’t speak the local language? ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esperanto/22094/8 "2000-06-21T15:01:26Z")
**december** : > [@](#): > > \*\* > My wife is a wonderful linguist… I’ve been told I’m a cunning linguist myself. Heh-heh. Heh. Anyhoo, I thought I’d pass along this link for anyone who’s interested in learning Esperanto: [Free Esperanto Course](http://www.aitec.edu.au/~bwechner/Documents/Esperanto/fec.html) Once we all learn it, we can discuss our plans to take over the world with impunity. ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esperanto/22094/9 "2000-06-21T15:50:06Z")
Caught an episode of “The Daily Show” that included a report about a film William Shatner did, pre-Star Trek, in Esperanto. They included an interview with Shatner about the impact of the film. Brilliantly funny to watch Shatner chew the scenery in another language. V. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2000, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esperanto/22094/10 "2000-06-24T04:03:55Z")
Sua: Not to mention using terrible, terrible pronunciation and syntax. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2000, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esperanto/22094/11 "2000-06-24T18:28:12Z")
[hijack]have you seen “Judgment at Nuremburg,” with Spencer Tracy? The court bailiff for the international tribunal was a very young William Shatner, looking all Captain Kirk-ish in a U.S. military uniform. One of those examples where the later role of an actor makes it hard to view the earlier role without giggling. Plus, Werner Klemper (a/k/a/ Col. Klink) was one of the Nazis on trial - somewhat disconcerting.[/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![ren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@ren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ren)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esperanto/22094/12 "2000-06-27T06:12:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Two million Esperanto speakers puts it in the Top 100 languages worldwide. Sorry, **tracer** , [not even close.](http://www.sil.org/ethnologue/top100.html) > [@](#): > > I suppose if you mean that people from more than one country use the language, then it is international. But then most languages satisfy that broad criterion. Actually, no. There are over 6,000 “living” languages. The vast majority of them are only spoken within small geographic areas. There were/are, for instance, on the order of 1,500 - 2,000 African languages. Very few of these are spoken outside Africa.