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See Also»
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Guide
to Esperanto
All you ever wanted to know about Esperanto but were too afraid
to ask!
Learn Esperanto
An online guide to learning Esperanto.
Esperanto
House
A few more words, and a few more facts concerning Esperanto
in Staffordshire |
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BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.
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 I'm
not talking about Barlaston housing the headquarters of some pottery
company employing hundreds of people or, come to that, any other vast
industrial concern.
What I'm referring to is the office and administrative centre of Esperanto-Asocio
de Britio which, in English, is the Esperanto Association of Britain.
What is….?
Hold on. What's Esperanto … and why's it in Barlaston (in the grounds
of Wedgwood Memorial College there)?
Well,
quite simply, Esperanto is a language. Actually, it's the international
language … much easier to learn than Spanish, French, German or even
English.
And it's easier because it was designed to be easier (no irregular
verbs or having to think if a word is masculine or feminine - remember
all that nonsense from school?).
Designer language
People boast about designer jeans and designer shirts. Well, Esperanto
speakers have a designer language … and are proud of it, because it
gives them friends and contacts all over the world.
| Fact
file |
| A
pub in Stoke on Trent has an Esperanto name. The Green Star
at Smallthorne is also known as La Stella Verde |
But wait
a moment. I bet you believe that…. no-one speaks this language … it
died the death, along with coal fires, black-and-white TV and soggy
railway sandwiches…etc etc.
Wrong. Type the word 'Esperanto' into any computer search-engine and
see how many sites come up.
I got over two and a half million when I tried … not bad for a language
supposedly no-one uses.
Esperanto online
And, talking of the internet, it's entirely possible to learn Esperanto
online (many new esperantists have discovered and mastered Esperanto
in this way).
Check out a language course to get started or, for more information,
try a site which will answer all your questions (and don't miss the
fun introduction)!
Why North Staffordshire?
Okay. So what's Esperanto doing in Barlaston?
Well, the Esperanto-Asocio de Britio was based for many years in London.
A few years ago the association decided to sell its premises (the
building was costing a lot to maintain) and use the money to convert
an outhouse at Wedgwood Memorial College - in Barlaston.
The college was chosen because it has a long history - since 1960
- of running Esperanto courses.
Esperanto library
Now the association has a bright and cheerful office, with a bookshop,
and a modern home for its large Esperanto library.
The library also doubles as a conference room, and above the office
and library are three bedrooms bearing the names of eminent Esperantists
associated with the college (including Horace Barks, former lord mayor
of Stoke-on-Trent, who helped set up the first Esperanto courses at
Wedgwood Memorial College).
That's why Barlaston - at least for British esperantists - is the
centre of the world.
It's at the centre because, by joining Esperanto-Asocio de Britio,
they have links to other Esperanto associations, including the international
'umbrella' organisation Universala Esperanto-Asocio which, among other
things, arranges a major Esperanto gathering held each year in different
country.
Estoril
If you're ever in Barlaston, call in at Esperanto House (it's next
to the part of the Wedgwood College known as "Estoril).
You'll receive a great welcome from Viv O'Dunne, the office manager,
who will tell you about Esperanto and give you details of courses
and other information.
And, who knows, you might soon be exchanging emails with other Esperanto
speakers in Austria, Hungary or Poland, or even further afield, such
as Brazil or China, and making arrangements to go and visit them.
Because, with Esperanto, you've got the world at your fingertips.
Paul Gubbins
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