Introduction:
Figure 7- Flag of Esperanto (http://www.noahbonn.com/2011/11/esperanto-hope.html)
In 19th century, a physician Ludovic Zamenhof created a new language, Esperanto[1]. As an international language, we can identify it in different ways. Esperanto is an artificial and planned language, which is created in linguistic system consciously.[2] In ideological field, Esperanto is a historian idea. Also, it was regarded as a phenomenon in social psychology, which involves various ideologies, political, and psychological development. [3]
Video 1-The One Show does Esperanto(http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=INCr1bV8kGk)
Language is a nature product in entire race and it has the own principle to develop itself. It likes a creature, an animal. The nature creates it slowly and gradually. In 17th century, the linguistic experts tried to change the principle and plan to create some languages. [4] They intended to overcome language differences in society. Until 1887, an artificial language, Esperanto, was created. [5] Generally, the movement of Esperanto is similar with a famous story of Frankenstein, which is about that human beings want to challenge the nature by creating a man. [6] In other words, linguists battled with the civilization in our actual world. In 2007, it is the 120th anniversary of the first textbook in Esperanto for inspiring its speakers. [7]
Figure 9
As can be seen, those ten languages are belong to the family of European languages. Zamenhof can speak five of them. The rank of the percentage of similar to Esperanto is between 58.6% and 69.9%. This diagram illustrates that the feature of Esperanto is European in the extreme. Mikael Parkvall thinks that “[i]t is possible that Zamenhof was inspired by Polish or Russian in this case, since those languages are equally un-European despite their geographical location.”[20] As a language is created by a European language speaker, Esperanto could not be avoided from “European-influenced norms”. [21]
Lack of cultural and history:
It is too hard for people to learn a language without culture history, no indigenous literature and even first-language speakers. Language learners cannot involve their emotion into the study when they have no idea what the “soul” of the language. Without any backgrounds and history, Esperanto is just a boring artificial language hence it cannot attract people to learn and speak it. With the globalization, the majority of people who need to learn the second language are students, especially teenagers. If Esperanto becomes a national curriculum, it is necessary that the linguists have to find some materials as text books. Besides, these literatures must be interesting and valued, but “Esperanto does not allow pupils to develop an interest in the culture of other nations or to communicate with native speakers as it does not have an associated culture or homeland”[22]. A language it is a natural product of the spirit of human beings. In education, lacking of civilization was exposed. Esperanto cannot meet that “the interest is the best teacher”.
Figure 10- English and French (http://www.conseilcoopipe.org/pick-english-french-translator/)
In language world, some any international languages already occupied the primary status, such as English and French. The United Nations communicates in only two languages: French, and English. Also, many countries have great pride and deep sentiment for their native language. France is a highly developed country and one of the most romantic languages in human beings’ civilization. Many western people feel confident and elegant when they speak French. On the other hand, English is the most widely spoken language of the world. English was seen as the required course in so non-native English countries, such as China, Korea, and Japan. In these countries, parents hope their children can pass the English exam and speak English fluently instead of Esperanto. An outstanding linguist, David Crystal, who set English become the global language, points out that “a total of up to 1,800 million people – 30% of the world population – are already ‘reasonably competent’ in English, of whom ‘670 million have a native or native-like command’ of the language.”[23] In the International society, more than 85% of production in the scientific and technological field is done in English.[24] Thus, Esperanto probably cannot change the influcence of English and French in the earth.
Psychological reactions to Esperanto:
In psychological sphere, people feel afraid that the world which mixes all kinds of cultures and languages will be change by Esperanto. The function of the defense mechanism is shown when people meet the spread of the artificial language. Claude Piron suggests that “[t]his reaction comes from a tendency to equate a language with the person: my language is my people, my language is me; if my language is inferior my people is inferior, and I am inferior”.[25]Charles V, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor said that “I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my horse.”[26] It reveals that language is not just a social phenomenon but stands for a person’s self-worth and self-identify. People feel proud if they can speak different languages or a specific language. For instance, in China, the government sets the national language as Mandarin. Yet in the southeast China, a prosperous region in economy, people speak Cantonese. Gradually, a new social ideology, “people who can speak Cantonese are rich”, was appeared. In addition, as Mahammdali, an Azerbaijani who is studying in the International Foundation Program in University of Toronto indicates that people prefer to speak Russian to show their high social class.
Conclusion:
The failing of Esperanto consisted of various reasons: its grammar, background, and language learners’ reaction. Zamenhof’ s original intention is eliminating the gap among people by creating an international language. Hopefully, people will remember that Esperanto’s real mission is to facilitate multilateral exchanges between languages and cultures. The world is a richer place when it speaks with many voices and it will be a more peaceful place if all can be heard.
word count: 1324
[1] Robert Patterson and Stanley M. Huff, “The Decline and Fall of Esperanto: Lessons for Standards Committees.” JAMIA, no. 6 (1999):444.
[2] Pierre Janton, Esperanto: Language, Literature, and Community (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1993), xi.
[3] Janton, xii.
[4] Janton,1.
[5] Patterson,444.
[6] Grace Fleming, “Frankenstein (no date)
http://homeworktips.about.com/od/bookreportprofiles/p/frankenstein.htm, accessed 18 March 2012.
[7] Stephen Ornes, “Whatever Happened To… Esperanto?.” Discovery, September 2007, http://discovermagazine.com/2007/sep/whatever-happened-to-esperanto, accessed 18 March 2012.
[8] Patterson,444.
[9] Patterson, 444.
[10] Janton, 26.
[11] Patterson, 444.
[12] Patterson, 444.
[13] Patterson, 444.
[14] Ornes.
[15] Janton, 23.
[16] Janton, 24.
[17] Janton, 24.
[18] Mikael Parkvall, “How European is Esperanto?,” Language Problems and Language Planning 34, no.1 (2012): 63.
[19] Parkvall,64.
[20] Parkvall, 67.
[21] Parkvall, 73.
[22] No author, “Why does anyone learn Esperanto?” BBC News, July 2008, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7505820.stm, accessed 18 March 2012.
[23]Vincent Buck , “One world, one language? (May, 2002) http://aiic.net/ViewPage.cfm/page732.htm, accessed 18 March 2012.
[24] Eugene Garfield, “The Languages of Science Revisited: English (Only) Spoken Here?,” Current Comments , no. 31 (1990): 288.
[25]Claude Piron. “Psychological Reactions to Esperanto (1994) http://claudepiron.free.fr/articlesenanglais/reactions.htm, accessed 5 March 2012.
[26] Lain Hollingshead, “Whatever happened to…Esperanto?,” The Guardian, 26 November 2005, Al.
Language 
Your introduction started specifically with a description of Esperanto then move to language more generally. I think it would have been more logical the other way around. In order to connect the broad topic with your individual topic you could have a couple of sentences about the development of language then narrowed it down to Esperanto. However, you do provide the reader with relevant background information about Esperanto. You format footnotes correctly and adequately paraphrase language and use quotes, but you need to refer to your figures if you’re are going to discuss them in your text. In general, you have effectively used research to support your argument. Overall, information has been logically organized and subtitled. I thought your decorative images were appealing and your working images added to the written content. Your conclusion does not adequately summarized your main points.