Though today there are only between a few hundred thousand and a few million speakers of Esperanto around the word, those devoted to advancing the goal of the international language are as dedicated as ever. There over 100 newspapers, magazines, and journals printed in Esperanto and many books are written in or translated into the language by devotees of the language and its movement.
The Internet has helped to spread the word of Esperanto and to help many better understand the need for an international language (as not everyone speaks English on the 'Net.) Esperanto is popular because it is easy to learn. Some students of the language can become quite familiar with it through home study over a matter of a few weeks or months. According to supporters, Esperanto even helps students learn other languages easier. Esperanto is based on roots commonly found in European languages and the grammar is very simple...
There are characteristic word endings for nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Nouns have no gender and are marked by the ending -o; the plural is indicated by -oj, and the objective (accusative) case by -on, plural ojn...There is only one definite article, la and no indefinite article. Adjectives end in -a and take plural and objective endings to agree with nouns. Verbs are all regular and have only one form for each tense or mood; they are not inflected for person or number. There is an extensive set of suffixes that can be added to word roots to allow various shades of meaning or newly derived forms; compound words are also used. (Source: "Esperanto," Britannica.com)
From the base of 15,000 to 20,000 root words - once can combine roots and suffixes to form over 150,000 words in Esperanto.
Since 1905, Esperantists from around the world (and the more than 70 national Esperanto societies) have come together for an annual World Esperanto Congress.
Despite initial French resistance (France wanted the French language to continue to be the official diplomatic language), in 1924 the League of Nations put its stamp of approval on Esperanto by recommending that member states implement it as an auxiliary language. In 1954, Esperanto gained additional success as the United Nations Educations, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized Esperanto as a viable possibility for an axillary language so established official relations with the Universala Esperanto-Asocio (UEA).
The Esperanto movement is becoming quite active in Asia, especially in Japan and China. Some Asian universities offer courses in Esperanto. An undergraduate degree in Esperanto has actually been available at a Hungarian university since 1967. The highest concentrations of Esperanto speakers can be found today in Brazil, Japan, Iran, Madagascar, Bulgaria, and Cuba.
Although the number of Esperanto speakers worldwide is small, it's likely that the artificial language will continue to gain followers with our increasingly global connections. Perhaps enough people will ultimately learn and use Esperanto to make it a easy to learn and viable second language for everyone. I'll leave you with the words of Leo Tolstoy...
It is so easy to learn, that when, six years ago, I received an Esperanto grammar, a dictionary, and some articles written in the language, I could, after not more than two hours' study, if not write, then at least read freely in the language (1894)
