Description
Book SynopsisRoberto Garvia explores the history of artificial spoken or written languages and the people who fought for them. Taking the three most prominent-Volapuk, Esperanto, and Ido-Garvia investigates what drove so many to invest incredible energy and time to learn and promote them.
Trade Review"Roberto Garvía has written an original narrative crammed with fascinating detail about the experiment in Esperanto as well as other less well remembered ideas. This marvelous book will appeal to all curious historians and linguists." * Cathie Carmichael, University of East Anglia *
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Chapter 1. The Emergence of Linguistic Conscience
PART I. VOLAPUKÜK
Chapter 2. A Language in Search of a Problem
Chapter 3. Who Were the Volapükists?
Chapter 4. "Pandemonium in the Tower of Babel": The Language Critics
Chapter 5. "Strangled in the House of Its Friends": Volapük's Demise
Chapter 6. "My Troubled Child": The Artist and the Kulturkampf
PART II. ESPERANTO
Chapter 7. "The Purpose of My Whole Life": Zamenhof and Esperanto
Chapter 8. "Let Us Work and Have Hope!": Language and Democracy
Chapter 9. "The Menacing Thunderstorm of Reforms": First Esperantists and First Crises
Chapter 10. The French Resurgence
Chapter 11. "Bringing Together the Whole Human Race": Esperanto's Inner Idea
PART III. THE ESPERANTO CLUSTER: SAME LANGUGE, DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES
Chapter 12. The Demographics of Esperantujo
Chapter 13. Pacifists, Taylorists, and Feminists
Chapter 14. "Hidden-World Seekers": Esperanto in New Wave and Old Religions
Chapter 15. Freethinkers, Socialists, and Herderians
PART IV. IDO AND ITS SATELLITES
Chapter 16. "One Ideal International Language": Ido
Chapter 17. "Linguistic Cannibalism"
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
