(This text file is a transcription from a scan of selected items in an original paper document. The precise layout and graphics of that document have not been conserved in this text file. Also, the text recognition process may have introduced spelling or transcription errors. A PDF file of page images of that original document can be downloaded from the EAB Update archive.)

(Ĉi tiun tekstodosieron oni rekonstruis el skano de elektitaj eroj en originala papera dokumento. La precizan paĝaspekton kaj grafikojn el tiu dokumento oni ne konservis en ĉi tiu teksta dokumento. Ankaŭ la teksto-rekona procezo eble enkondukis literum- aŭ transskrib-erarojn. Dosero laŭ formato PDF de la paĝo-bildoj elŝuteblas el la EAB Ĝisdate arkivo.)


EAB Update/Ĝisdate No. 7, June 2000

Published by the Hon Secretary of Esperanto-Asocio de Britio

Dear Friends,

Time flows inexorably and when you get older, or very old, as I sometimes feel, it moves at an alarming rate. The AGM weekend at Appleby passed off very well. The AGM occurring on Easter Sunday raised again the question of when is the best time to hold it. It has not been a simple problem in the past.

The AGM has always occurred within the context of a British Congress and a congress by its nature of lasting 3 or 4 days ought to occur during a public holiday. This causes problems within a family where only one partner is interested in Esperanto and specially if there are young children. This may well mean that the Esperantist does not come to the Congress and the AGM.

On the other hand, by having the AGM within the programme of the Congress means that some people will attend who would not have made a long journey just to attend an AGM.

I am thinking about this issue because it is becoming harder to find a group of people who will put in the hard work to organise the Congress. We have so far not received any invitation to hold the congress in 2001. So does that mean that we run just an AGM on a Saturday outside of the public holidays? If so, where? Should it be in London? or somewhere like Leeds? This also raises the question of whether we should start to have postal voting for the Trustees who are also the Management Committee of the Association.

Your thoughts on this are welcome.


Apologies

In the last issue I said that Reto Rosseti wrote 'Kredu min Sinjorino'. Several readers have written to correct me! It was of course written by his elder brother, Cezaro.


To Mix or Not to Mix

An editor must expect to get some flak from the readers. Sometimes it is justified and sometimes not.

I have been taken to task by one reader who complained that it is bad form for me to use Esperanto words in an otherwise English sentence. Unfortunately, I now cannot find the letter of complaint, otherwise I would write and ask why it is bad form. No doubt now that I have mentioned it, I will be inundated with reasons why!

However, at the moment, I cannot see that it is a terrible thing for me to write (or to speak) a sentence such as "pass me the aliĝilo please". Sometime the word 'aliĝilo' comes quicker to my mind than 'subscription form'. If I'm speaking to an Esperantist who knows the meaning, then communication has been OK. If the person spoken to is only a beginner and doesn't understand, well, in the course of explaining, they have learnt something.

So, I wait to be jumped on!


EAB NET NEWS

Yet another new publication, but this one is only obtainable by e-mail. The idea is to send out urgent, but not essential, news to members. It costs EAB almost nothing to do it. We have set up a 'Group List'. This contains the e-mail addresses of all those EAB members that we know. Issue No 1 of EAB NET NEWS was sent out on 14th April. If you are on e-mail but did not receive it, then let us have your e-mail address so that you also can be included. On the other hand, if you received it but don't want to in the future, please let me know and I'll take you off the list.

[Postscript: an archive of back-issues is available on the EAB website at http://www.esperanto.org.uk/eab/eab_netnews.htm]


[EAB Update Issue No.7 Page 2]

The Routes of English

A very handsome book has been published by the BBC to accompany this radio series. There is a double page on Esperanto with a picture of the cover of 'Winnie La Pu'. On one of the Compact Discs which are included, is an interview with Peter Danning. This time the BBC have treated Esperanto seriously.


Libroservo de UEA superis plian pinton

Kiam la libroservo saldis la vendojn en 1998, la rezulto de 135430 eŭroj (£82,612) ŝajnis resti nesuperebla pinto de la jardeko. Tamen 1999 superis kun 143499 eŭroj (£87,534). La plej popularaj titoloj estis:
ekz.titolo / aŭtoroeŭroj
441Saluton!, lernolibro de Audrey Childs-Mee10.80
387Pasporta Servo listo de gastigantoj de TEJO10.90
348Hejma Vortaro7.50
309Homaj Rajtoj: demandoj kaj respondoj, L.Levin10.90
250Kio ni estas kaj kion ni celas, Praga Manifesto5.50
207Lingva Arto fest-libro, Auld-Boulton16.50
205Internaciaj Ekzamenoj de ILEI/UEA-gvidilo3.00
188Internacia Kongresa Universito 1999 prelegaro8.15
131Ĉiuj kune, aktoj de la 1-a Strategia Forumo2.15
128Spirito de E-o kaj la "samideanaj malamikaĵoj"1.50
123Berlino por turistoj 116 Grosses Wörterbuch, Esp-Deutsch39.00
115Faktoj kaj Fantazioj, M. Boulton16.35
112Saluton! (kasedo al la lernolibro)5.45
112Slango kaj ĵargono en Esperanto3.90
109Asteriks ĉe la olimpiaj ludoj9.00
104Esperanto Sieutel nederlanda ŝlosilo0.90
102Esperanto for beginners, M.C. Butler1.80
100Esperanto sen mitoj24.00
100Monumente pri Esperanto8.15

Memoru! Se vi acetos librojn de UEA, bonvolu aldoni 15% por la postkosto.


Blindaj Esperantistoj

We received a request from Brazil enquiring about activities carried out by blind Esperantists.

If anybody is interested in replying, or would like a copy of the letter, please contact the Office.


Esperanto Café

In a recent issue of Heroldo de Esperanto I saw a little item about an international 'Esperanto Café'. But this 'café' is not a 'place' so much as an 'idea'. It is a place where people of two different nationalities can meet, two nationalities who were not always friendly to each other. I refer here to Poles and Czechs.

There is a location where, in effect, one town is divided between the two countries and in the past there were often quarrels about it. The town is divided into two by a frontier which goes through the middle. In Poland it is called Ciesin and in the Czech Republic it is Czesky Tecin.

On Saturdays, local Poles and Czechs meet to drink coffee and have a chat. They alternate weekly between two cafés, one in each part of the twin towns. What a wonderful idea!

It reminds me of once, probably in about 1975, when I was staying in Ciesin with Zdislav Glajcar. It was summer and he proposed that we go up into the mountains where there was an annual gathering of Czechs and Poles on the line of the frontier. There were no roads crossing the frontier at that point which was really a meadow near the top of a low mountain. When we arrived there were several hundred Esperantists there.

The frontier was just marked with a row of posts about 50 or 100 metres apart; no wires or anything. Just over on the Czech side there was a café and we kept wandering over there. Now at this time, 6 years after the overthrow of Dubczek the regime in Czechoslovakia was extremely severe, dissidents like Havel were often put into prison. But we were wandering freely about at this remote place criss-crossing from one country to another just like crossing from one side of a road to the other.

Of course soon came a troop of Czech border guards who tried to push the Poles back into Poland and to keep the Czechs in Czechoslovakia. It was a real pantomime. The guards were hopelessly outnumbered. They had no means of separating off one nationality from another and no means of physically confining any group to one part of this large meadow which stretched into two countries. In the end they seemed to just give up.

Everything was good humoured and I think that a film director could have made a wonderful film out of it!


[EAB Update Issue No.7 Page 3]

[Out-dated "Diary" announcements]


[Out-dated "Esperanto Holidays" announcements]


[EAB Update Issue No.7 Page 4]

A Lost Opportunity?

Recently on the office e-mail system arrived an offer of several hundred thousand pounds for our funds. I hope you will not mind that I turned this 'generous' offer down, replying with the words, "I may be stupid but I'm not totally idiotic". Yes, you may have realised that it was a gentleman from Nigeria with several millions of pounds and, poor creature, he hadn't got a U.K. bank into which to put this money. Therefore, if I would let him know the details of E.A.B's bank account, he would transfer his money into it and then take it out later, paying us about £200,000 for the use of our account!

Incidentally, talking of millions of pounds, someone is talking about the fact that E.A.B. has a million pounds in the bank and is sitting on it and not using it and that this is a disgrace.

Well, the facts are, yes, we have had this sort of money in the Charities Deposit Fund where it has produced a good rate of interest for us. We received the large capital sum nearly six months ago when we sold 140 Holland park Avenue.

The resources of the Management Committee have been, and are, stretched to the limit at present in negotiating a contract with Stoke-on-Trent Council for a move to Barlaston. At the start there was a wide gap between what their legal department would offer us and what we thought was reasonable value for money. We are getting closer, but it is a slow business. All who have bought or sold property will know how slow it usually seems when everything has to go through solicitors.

Some of us on the committee are also fully occupied with revising the office systems inherited from Holland Park and trying to plan the new system so that the office can be occupied, if necessary, by someone who both does not know Esperanto and does not know the movement.

All this has left very little time to plan for the best use of the increased amount of money which will be available for publicity and promotion of Esperanto in Britain.

Yes, we could easily have allocated, say, £50,000 to some ill thought out and harebrained scheme, and I'm sure that the committee would have had to start wearing hard hats to avoid all the missiles which would have, rightly, been thrown at us. We already have had the suggestion made that we use our million pounds and buy an independent school so as to use the children attending it as guinea pigs to show that Esperanto is an easily learnt language. I have no quarrel with the general idea. But no suggestion was made as to where we find the people to run such a school, whether the parents would accept the idea and so on. In other words, it was just an idea.

Whilst we welcome ideas, we do now expect the proposers to do some basic research and costing before coming to the Management Committee. We do not have closed minds to anything, but do remember that about half of the committee have a living to earn and the others are office holders, greatly engaged in the daily running of the association. We also have other interests as well! I think it is a mistake to have a committee which has no other interest other than Esperanto, that way you can easily get out of touch with reality.

Mind you, I do accept the point that we have got to start producing publicity material, leaflets, etc, of a much higher quality than we did in the past when we didn't have two pennies to rub together for publicity purposes.


Simplicity v Sophistication

Recently I was looking at a very, very old English-Esperanto dictionary by Joseph Rhodes published in 1908 by that early stalwart W.T. Stead. There is a review of it in the Manchester Guardian of that time. The reviewer, among other things mainly favourable says: "... The most obvious danger [to the progress of Esperanto-EW] that lies before it arises from the mistaken zeal of some of its students who aspire to make it a vehicle of literature and even of poetry. If these ambitions should be to any great extent realised, the language will inevitably undergo developments that will seriously impair those qualities of simplicity and precision on which its value for purely utilitarian purposes depends... "

Has what the reviewer feared happened? Has the language now become so complex that its original purpose is being overshadowed? One of the books in our book service which has been waiting for a buyer for a long time is quite a bulky volume of a seminar on the question of "ita/ata". Do we really have to be examining such small things so intently with a magnifying glass?


[EAB Update Issue No.7 Page 5]

Ĉiutaga Esperanto: BIRDOJ KAJ BIGOTULOJ (BIGOTS)

"Kia veteraĉo!"

"Nu, kion vi atendas? Printempo estas."

"La birdoj scias tion. Ili svarmas ĉirkaŭ mia nova birdtableto atakante sin reciproke (one another)."

"Vi trodorlotas (spoil) ilin. Kiom vi elspezas ĉiusemajne?"

"Ne multon. La plej ŝatata (favourite) manĝaĵo estas evidente la nigraj semoj de la helianto (sunflower)"

"Kaj kie vi trovas tiajn ekzotikaĵojn?"

"En la etbesta butiko (petshop), kie mi ankaŭ aĉetas grasbulojn (fat balls) kaj semmiksajon."

"Do prave mi diris (I was right)! Vi trodorlotas ilin. Ĉu vi povas identigi ilin?"

"Mi friponas (cheat). Mi havas birdlibron, kaj kontrolas la birdojn per tio."

"Ĉu tre diversaj birdoj venas?"

"Ĝis nun mi havas ne nur tiajn plej konatajn birdojn kiaj sturnoj (starlings) kaj paseroj (sparrows), sed la ja buntajn (multi-coloured) birdojn, inkluzive de kardeloj (gold finches), fringoj (chaffinches) kaj bluaj paruoj (blue tits)."

"Birdoj ne tre interesas min. Ili malpurigas (make a mess of) la aŭton, kutime kiam mi ĵus lavis kaj poluris ĝin. Ilia frumatena bruaĉo vekas min antaŭ ol mia veka teaŭtomato (teasmade) ekfunkciis, kaj nokte la strigoj (owls) ululas ekster la fenestro de la dormĉambro."

"Por agaci (irritate) vin, sendube."

"Sendube."

"Sed ĉu vi havas nenion vivan por amuzi (entertain) vin?"

"Miajn plantojn."

"Do vi ne estas tute sensenta (devoid of feeling)!"

"Laŭ mi la homoj kiuj tro dorlotas siajn bestojn ne sufiĉe dorlotas la homojn. Plej eble tio estas nur perverto (perversion) de la angloj."

"Bigota kiel ĉiam!"

"Tamen mense sana (in good mental health)."

Don Lord

NOTES:

Dorlotbesto is the usual word for pet, but I have followed the French model here to produce the neat expression etbesta butiko. When et comes first in the word it carries a special meaning, as in etburgo, a petit bourgeois, etindustrio, light industry, etc.

Pervertov means perversion. A pervert is pervertito.

English sometimes makes adjectives in -ed where Esperanto simply uses -a. Bigoted, bigota; delapidated, kaduka; detailed, detala etc. It is worth collecting these as you come across them.

Starting a sentence with estas though not wrong is generally confined to speakers of English. Hence Printempo estas for It's Spring. This is a question of style.


Word Building

The root: san

sano - health

sana - healthy
malsana - ill
malsano- illness, disease
resanigi - to cure, to heal
saniĝi - to become well
resaniĝi - to recover from an illness
malsanulo - ill person, invalid
malsanulejo - hospital
saniga - health giving
resaniga -healing
resanigo - a healing
sanega - sturdy
resanigebla - curable
resaniĝanto - a convalescent
malsanema - ailing
malsaneta - poorly, unwell
malsaniĝi - to fall ill
remalsaniĝo - a relapse
resanigisto - a healer.

Can anyone add some more sensible additions to this list of uses of the root 'san' ?


Unsolicited Testimonial!

... Thank you for sending me the booklet and audio tape 'Liza and Paulo'. It is ideal for my purpose ...

This learning set has been selling like hot cakes since announced in the last issue. The time limit for the half price offer of £2.25 is near to closing time, so order now or pay twice as much from the end of June!


[EAB Update Issue No.7 Page 6]

[Out-dated "Job Vacancy" (in China) announcement]


[Out-dated "Penfriend wanted" announcement]


Heroldo de Esperanto

With this issue of EAB-Update is enclosed a copy of the 2 page annual KALENDARO DE EVENTOJ to give fairly new members of EAB some idea of the range of international holidays, congresses and other events where people from different countries are able to meet, converse, share a drink and a joke and easily understand each other without the need for an interpreter. (I remember once at breakfast at a holiday in the former Soviet Union looking around the big table at which we sat and there were 13 of us there, each one from a different country, all able to converse directly with each other.

Heroldo can be subcribed to from Paul Hewitt. There are at least 16 issues a year. The format is 6 or 8 A3 pages (twice the size of Update).


Pli ol mil gastigantoj en Pasporta Servo

La plej fama servo de T.E.J.O., Pasporta Servo, spertis 14-procentan kreskon en unu jaro. La ĵus aperinta listo de gastigantoj enhavas 1075 adresojn en 76 landoj. Plej multe da gastigantoj (91) estas en Rusio, dum geografie la reto estas plej densa en Francio kun 61 lokoj. La vera metropolo de Pasporta Servo estas Multan en Pakistano, kie 17 gastigantoj atendas vizitantojn.

En bele presita 187-paĝa poŝlibro troviĝas, krom la adresoj kaj aliaj informoj pri la gastigantoj, ankaŭ mapoj kun indikoj pri ĉiuj lokoj kun gasigantoj, tiel ke eblas facile plani sian vojaĝon. Enestas ankaŭ reguloj kaj konsiloj pri la uzo de la servo, ankaŭ utilaj adresoj kaj fragmentoj el la vojaĝrakonto de Amanda Higley el Usono kiu dum pli ol unu jaro en 1999 kaj 2000 vagadis tra Eŭropo.

Per Pasporta Servo vojaĝantaj esperantistoj, kiuj membras en ĝi, rajtas je senpaga tranoktado ĉe la gastigantoj. Membro de Pasporta Servo estas ĉiu kiu posedas la ĉi-jaran adreslibron. Gastigantoj ricevas la libron senpage, aliaj devas aĉeti ĝin.

Aĉetu ĝin rekte de U.E.A. Prezo inkluzive de sendkosto estas 13.19 eŭroj (kiu dum aprilo 2000= £8.00). Britoj povas pagi per normala brita ĉeko.


[EAB Update Issue No.7 Page 7]

Movado sen Nomo

I have often seen mention of this organisation in international E-journals and have wondered what it is. So I wrote to their office and asked for some information and here it is.

Phil Bosnians fondis ĝin en 1957 en Antverpeno, Belgio. Ĝi organizis diversajn iniciatojn cele al pli bonaj interrilatoj ĉiuterene kaj al akcepto kaj subteno de helpbezonaj homoj. Domoj estis starigataj por la senhejmaj virinoj, ciganoj, gastlaboristoj, eksprizonuloj kaj aliaj senŝancaj grupoj.

La originala nomo estis 'Bond zonder Naam', kaj ekde la fondiĝo ĝi kreskis trans la limojn. Nun ĝi agas en 15 landoj. La verkoj de Phil Bosmans estas tradukitaj en 19 lingvojn. La Esperanta sekcio sub la nomo 'Movado sen Nomo' estis fondita en 1980.

Ĝi pledas en ĉi tiu materiisma mondo por "la kulturo de la koro". Ĝi emfazas la "taskon de la koro" en ĉiuj familiaj kaj sociaj rilatoj, en la nacia kaj en la internacia politiko, por ke ĉiu plibonigo estu "homa" plibonigo.

Se vi volas lerni plu pri la movado, sendu afrankitan kaj memadresitan koverton al EAB oficejo.


GO PUBLIC

We have now produced a pack of materials which will allow anyone to mount a modest but effective display about Esperanto.

In the pack you will find more than enough material to cover two normal size display boards. We don't provide the boards but almost every library of any size has a number of areas where displays can be mounted by local groups or societies. In a library, displays do not have to be manned which means you only need about 30 minutes to set up the display and even less time to take it down.

The problem with arranging displays in other venues can be a lack of display boards but if you're intent on arranging a display somewhere else it is worth noting that many libraries do sometimes have sets of portable boards which they will loan out (usually for a modest fee).

Almost everything you might need is in the pack but when you go to set up your display take scissors, a felt tip pen and a few spare sheets of paper.

The material is as follows :- approximately 20 laminated A4 posters, map-pins, a supply of Free Lessons, leaflets, a sheet for names and addresses, notes with suggestions for the layout.

The material falls into broad groups, i.e. Esperanto in Practice, Urso Kurso, information about Esperanto. The only thing which is missing is a poster naming a local contact but if you tell me what you require I will prepare what you need. A local contact is important as libraries are there to assist local organisations and individuals rather than national organisations.

The display requires no other material although if there is a table available a few magazines (current issues, not old well-thumbed specimens!) and books which are modern in appearance could be useful. If you do wish to supplement the material contained in the pack then postcards or philatelically stamped envelopes are useful but don't overdo it! (Experience suggests that it is unwise to leave books or other valuables on an unmanned display.)

If you would like to see what the display can look like before you commit yourself to arranging one just send an SAE to me and I will send you some photos.

You've decided you want to do it? First contact your local library. They usually allow a display to remain in place for a week, sometimes two. Don't expect them to offer a display area straight away as they are usually booked some time in advance. When you have a date contact EAB to book the material and at the same time let me have any special requests.

After you have removed your display please return it as soon as possible to the Esperanto Office. Postage will be paid by EAB.

After you have booked your display why not ensure that your local libraries have posters about Esperanto so that when the display does take place some ground work has been done. Again we have a number of designs for appropriate posters and we can personalise them quite easily.

Write to the press to draw attention to your display. Some samples of press releases which have been published will be sent to you when you order the material. We can help with the production of these if you do not have your own facilities.

Finally don't expect a massive and immediate response to your efforts BUT you will have taken a step forward in ensuring that Esperanto has a public profile in your area.

Last but not least - when you take down your display, book the library again for the next one.

Paul Hewitt


[EAB Update Issue No.7 Page 8]

Director's Report

A major task has been to produce discussion papers, operational policies and a planning system (most of the latter was actually done prior to taking up the post). All these have been created with the aim of preparing for the future.

Among the policies and other documents produced have been Planning, Expenses, Staff Appraisal, Standing Orders for Mancom, Guidelines for the Operation of the Book Service, Databases Policy, a Handbook for Trustees and a Strategy for Publicity. One of the first jobs was to produce some publicity material. This has been difficult because of the impending move but I have worked closely with the publicity commission and a number of items have been produced.

Those who were at the very successful Appleby 2000 will have seen some of the results and hopefully are putting them to good use by now. Following from a discussion paper "Strategies for Publicity" it was decided that EAB would actively inform the media and other groups about news of activity in the Esperanto world. This proved to be rather difficult as we had no databases or any form of addresses to send to. So a major task has been the design and construction of databases which will allow us to produces labels etc. So far we have close to 5000 addresses. These include all local and national newspapers; local and national TV and radio; all LEAs plus other educational organisations and publications; all private schools; a large number of political groupings and publications; all MPs; children and young peoples organisations and publications; religious publications; student newspapers etc. This is a drop in the ocean but it gives us a good base from which to start.

Already we have been able to put them to good use and some 700+ press releases have been sent to the media. Some of these releases have been targeted; some contained more general information.

If we are to send up-to-date material to the media we need quite a lot of translation done. And I enlisted the help of Alwyn Kind who has translated any material I have sent her.

Research has been done into appropriate publications for classified advertisements. A number have been placed in a variety of publications and the results are being monitored. This is an activity we hope to continue.

I have researched the printing and distribution of EAB Update and the next issue is likely to be packed and distributed by a specialist company. The distribution of our publications has always created a large amount of work. Hopefully these arrangements will be satisfactory and ease the burden on the office.

A major problem facing us is the massive book- stock we hold, much of which is likely to be unsaleable. Quite some time has been spent on this with the production of a special offer catalogue and negotiations with UEA to try to sell of some of the stock which is held in large quantities and much of which is unattractive compared to modem publications and/or in poor condition mainly because of the years it has been on the shelves. There are 5 containers in store at Ipswich. This is costing us money and I have doubts that there will be room for it should we move to Barlaston. We have more than 800 individual items in our stock. Compare this with other book services: ELNA a couple of dozen titles, Australian Esperanto Association a similar amount and Flandra Esperanto-Ligo (a major publisher and distributor) between 80 and 90.

There has been quite a lot of general liaison with outside bodies including the BBC and I have to say that everyone I have spoken to has been positive about Esperanto. One result is the mention of Esperanto in the BBC book "The Routes of English". I have heard it said that the media and in particular the BBC is anti-Esperanto. This is not my experience at all. Is it the way we present ourselves?

We have one or two items in the pipeline and material for a self-contained display will be available shortly. The only skill required from anyone who wants to publicise Esperanto by arranging a small display is the ability to push in a drawing pin.

I have also put forward proposals for major publicity initiatives when we finally move to our permanent premises. As soon as contracts are signed and sealed we are ready to move on this.

Another idea which is in development is to try to get material into school assembly books. Zamenhof and Esperanto are very suitable subjects for such material and hopefully I will shortly be submitting material to publishers. Michael Cayley is collaborating on this.

As I come to the end of my 6 month period as director I would like to pay tribute to all members of the Management Committee who have had to make some momentous decisions. Decisions of this nature are never easy and have meant long hours of discussion. In particular I would like to acknowledge the work of Eric Walker, Joyce Bunting, Fraser and Doreen Dunbar who have shouldered most of the responsibility for the move. They have given freely of their time and I hate to think how we would have got on without them. We all owe them a debt of gratitude.

Paul Hewitt


[EAB Update Issue No.7 Page 9]

Nacioj kaj lingvoj

El la interreto:

1) BRITOJ (kaj anglaparolantoj en Irlando) estas la plej malbonaj lingvistikoj. Nur 19 elcento povas "konversii" en alia lingvo ol la gepatra lingvo.

2) LUKSEMBURGOJ estas la plej bonaj lingvistikoj. 97 elcento povas "konversii" en alia lingvo ol la gepatra lingvo.

3) PLI BONAJ. Statoj kiuj faras pli bone ol la EU elcento (44): Nederlando (91 elcento), Danlando (84), Svedio (82) kaj Belgio (64), Finlando (59), Aŭstrio (57), Germanio (49).

Reago de Claude Piron:

Oni ne diras, kiu estas tiu dua lingvo, sed en la plimulto el la kazoj, verŝajne escepte de Belgio (kaj eĉ...!) temas pri la angla. Estas interese, ke en ĉiuj landoj de tiu grupo estas parolata germana lingvo - t.e. lingvo el la sama familio kiel la angla. La du landoj kiuj ne estas pure germanlingvaj - Belgio kaj Finnlando - tamen havas lingvon el la germana familio kiel oficialan lingvon. Pri tiuj du, estus interese koni la elcenton laŭ la gepatra lingvo. Mi estas preskaŭ certa, ke estas pli da homoj uzantaj la anglan inter la svedlingvaj finnoj kaj nederlandlingvaj belgoj. Strange, ĉu ne?, ke en la diskutoj pri la uzo de la angla, oni ĉiam preteratentas la fakton, ke akiri tiun lingvon estas multe pli facile por germanlingvanoj ol, ekzemple, por latinid- aŭ slavlingvanoj. Fakte, tiaj enketoj preskaŭ nenion valoras, ĉar oni simple demandas la homojn, ĉu ili parolas alian lingvon. Sed oni ne testas ilian kapablon. En enketo siatempe farita en Francio, 20 elcentoj lokis sin en la kategorion "bonege scipovas la anglan", sed kiam oni testis ilian komprenon (nur komprenon, eĉ ne aktivan parolkapablon) nur 3 elcentoj atingis sufiĉan nivelon, por ke oni povu diri, ke ili regas la lingvon. Homoj havas grandajn iluziojn pri sia lingvokompetenteco, kaj tio estas parto de la monda lingvoproblemo, ĉar ĝi estas parto de la ĝenerala rezisto al la neceso alfronti la problemon tia, kia ĝi efektive estas.


Swift reaction

When Freda Humpedge who lives near Shrewsbury saw in the "Shrewsbury Chronicle" some unwise comments by her MEP about Esperanto, she sent the cutting and the editorial address by first class post to Hilary Chapman, 8 Vardre View, Deganwy, CONWY, LL31 9TE.

Hilary, who looks after the Esperanto Press Panel responded himself in a letter to the Editor, and asked David Curtis, who is particularly well briefed on European matters to reply too.

The result was two letters arguing the case for Esperanto printed in a subsequent issue of the newspaper.

You can follow Freda's example. Look out for references to language problems and Esperanto in the national, local or specialist press. Don't let an ill- informed comment pass without a reaction. You do have a right to reply.

Not all letters to the editor are published, of course. Even when they do not appear in print, they remind editors that ordinary people are learning and using Esperanto.

Modern communications mean that responses have to be fast. Sadly, it can be too late to respond to a month-old cutting, however much it deserves a reply.


[EAB Update Issue No.7 Page 10]

Appleby 2000 a Big Success!

The sun shone most of the time at Appleby; but the atmosphere was always warm!

There were about 100 participants with an encouraging number of young people. The Opening ceremony was graced by the participation of the Mayor of Appleby and by the local MP. As there were a reasonable number of non-English speakers, Hilary Chapman acted as interpreter, a task which he accomplished with tremendous panache.

A large number of participants made the famous scenic rail journey to Skipton on the Saturday and took the chance to visit Skipton Castle, which has an explanatory leaflet in Esperanto. (Dr. Paul Gubbins had already delivered an excellent lecture concerning the famous line). They were impressed by the scenery and historic Skipton.

On Saturday evening the participants were regaled by the world premiere of the Esperanto version of La Fantoma Trajno, Arnold Ridley's famous play, brilliantly translated by Stephen Thompson. The audience were enthralled by the humorous suspense of the production. The cast came from many parts of Britain, but gave no indication of the shortage of rehearsal time as they brought the old classic (written 75 years ago) to life. Well done all!

The Choir of Appleby Parish Church processing towards the choir stalls singing in beautiful Esperanto was one of the most moving moments of the Ecumenical service on Sunday afternoon. Reg Bedford, a fluent Esperanto speaker and Church of England Lay Reader, presided.

After the service a large contingent went to the newly named Esperanto Way. It is situated within a small industrial estate. Dr. Marjorie Boulton in her speech emphasised that the industrial estate was a centre of international commerce; trucks came and went from all Europe. She also liked the term "way", for Esperanto is A Way to international understanding.

Other specialist meetings took place during the Weekend, including the AGMs of Esperanto Teachers Association and Fellowship of British Christian Esperantists. The important AGM of the Esperanto association of Britain is summarised elsewhere in this Update.

The final official item of the Weekend was a buffet meal followed by three hours of singing in a local hostelry. Who said Esperanto is dull?! Stephen Thompson, compered and sang his heart out - no doubt pleased that his labour and that of the other local committee members, had not been in vain! He was strongly supported by talent well known and new.

On Easter Monday 17 participants walked the fells with Stephen; others shopped, visited castles and stately homes, or simply relaxed! The sun shone brightly; we were, of course, in Eden! If you have never taken part in this kind of event, come along in the future; language learning requires this type of stimulation, and Esperanto-speakers are a friendly lot who never forget when they were beginners!

EAB expresses sincere thanks to the local organising committee.

David W. Bisset


AGM report

The EAB AGM was held at Appleby during the Easter weekend. About 60 people took part. The Annual Report and the Financial Report were accepted. It was decided to leave the membership fees unchanged for the next year.

A discussion took place on what to supply to members during the next 12 months whilst the Management Committee and the membership as a whole discussed our future publication policy. About two thirds of those present agreed with the idea that we arrange that the Russian international magazine "La Ondo de Esperanto" should be sent to all Full and Life members direct from Jekaterinburg each month.

All the proposed members of the Management Committee were elected. They are:

Later a short meeting of the new Management Committee took place. The main item discussed was the move to Barlaston. A draft contract is expected in the middle of May. A written vote on this is to be taken of each Mancom member. Hopefully the contract will be signed about the middle of June and work then commence. It is expected that the office and Butler Library can move at the end of November. The next meeting of the Mancom will be a marathon weekend one and will take place in the middle of June.


[EAB Update Issue No.7 Page 11]

A stroll up High Street

As a kind of footnote to the weekend's events, and a welcome change after Sunday's mainly sedentary occupations, thirty four brave soles, led by the multi- talented, seemingly indefatigable Stephen Thompson, set out on Easter Monday for a 'circular' walk in the Lake District. Those who had visited Skipton's High Street on Saturday might have expected something similar - but it isn't! Lakeland's High Street is an ancient Roman road running along a high ridge, between Ullswater and Haweswater.

A half-hour drive from Appleby took us into ever more magical scenery, until we left the cars at the far end of Haweswater, in Mardale. SKT made a final check that all participants had the necessary boots, clothing and food, before guiding us up a fairly steep ascent, alongside Small Water, with its 'stone huts', emergency refuges from days of yore, and up on to the ridge, which would lead to the summit. The conversation throughout the walk was almost (!) exclusively in Esperanto, but brains were racked in search of a range of 'technical terminology' for the fascinating flora, fauna, geographical and geological features encountered en route - to say nothing of 'I could murder a cup of tea'. Other lapses from Esperanto were the occasional breaks made by SKT to instruct us about feature of the walk, quoting from 'Wainwright', the Lakeland walkers' 'Bible'.

The weather was favourable for almost the whole ascent and afforded wonderful views of the valley we had left, but a cool cloud approached us as we approached the snow-patched summit, scene of our lunch stop. High Street was, for the prevailing circumstances, bustling! Before the end of the picnic, the cloud had lifted and now we had panoramic views in all directions. The descent was in some respects more arduous than the ascent - generally steeper and with lots of rocky scrambles - but it permitted yet more spectacular views, of Blea Water, Harter Fell and other nearby hills, and of numerous 'twitchers' hoping for a glimpse of the famous eagles, which one or two of our group also claim to have seen!

The final stage of the walk was a comfortable stroll alongside a stretch of Haweswater, leading back to the car park, which was now full to overflowing, and a justifiably optimistic ice-cream van. Before the now inescapable leave-taking at the end of an excellent weekend, thanks were expressed to Stephen for his expert organisation and leadership - and many expressed the wish to do something similar again in the future: weekend Esperanto breaks in the Lakes


[EAB Update Issue No.7 Page 12]

Official Announcements

New Members
Ms D Buglass, Edinburgh
Mr and Mrs Priestner, Timperly
Mrs E. Hierde, London, SW17
Mrs Kay Wells, Manchester

New Supporters
Mr T.C. Heavey, Chadwell Heath

Examination Successes
Elementary: Bill Cauldwell, Solihull (distinction)
Intermediate: Bill Cauldwell, Solihull (distinction)
Diplomo: W.G.T.Walker (Kun Honoro)


The Director

We appointed a Director for a trial 6 month period. During that time Paul Hewitt has done a lot of work researching the situation in the Esperanto movement in Britain, preparing a series of classified advertisements in various journals, designing a 'Portable Publicity Pack' and numerous other matters.

Paul has now come to the end of his period of paid employment and the ManCom at its June weekend committee meeting will evaluate the cost effectiveness of this trial and make plans for the future.

Meanwhile, would all members please note that all communications should now go to the Esperanto office in Ipswich and not directly to Paul.


Appeal

Have you been to an Esperanto holiday? If so, please write and tell us about it. Say whether it was a good or bad experience so that we can recommend it or warn potential visitors.


Krucvort-enigmo de Sue Ralph

(la solvo aperos en la venonta Update)

crossword
R= Uzu nur radikon

HORIZONTALE
1. Domo por birdoj (4)(R)
3. Dek du coloj faras unu ----n (4)
6. Varmega stelo (4)
7. Vestaĵo por la mano (4)(R)
9 Ido de azeno kaj ĉevalino (4)
11 Esprimi doloran senton per plendaj sonoj (4)
12 Multvalora metalo (2)(R)
14 Konjunkcio, kiu signifas "kun la supozo, ke" (2)
16 Peco (5)
18 Vidiĝi (4)(R)
19 Mara erinaco (4)(R)
21 Subtera ĉambro (3)(R)
22 Avenuo (4)
23 Sufikso, kiu signifas instrumenton aŭ aparaton (2)
24 Tri --e dek kvin estas kvin (2)

VERTIKALE
1 Tre malhela koloro (4)(R)
2 Revo kiu okazas dum dormo (4)(R)
3 Uzis cigaredon (5)
4 Numero (3)
5 Teksaĵo farita el lino (4)
8 Konstruaĵo, en kiu oni prezentas spektaklojn (4)(R)
10 Muzika instrumento kun klavaroj kaj pedalaro (5)(R)
13 Malgranda preĝejo (5)(R)
15 Juĝa aŭ oficiala esploro (5)(R)
16 Meti vestaĵojn en valizon (4)
17 Longa stango el metalo laŭ kiu veturas trajnoj (3)(R)
19 Prepozicio (2)
20 Nedifina pronomo, kiu montras iun objekton, aferon, ideon (2)
22 Membro (2)(R)


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