Esperanto

language · communication · invented

Born from hope. A man named L. L. Zamenhof created Esperanto in 1887 because he dreamed of a world where people could understand each other without language getting in the way. He believed that if everyone spoke the same second language, there would be less fighting and more friendship between countries.

Name from a pen name. Zamenhof published his language under the fake name 'Doktoro Esperanto', which means 'Doctor Hopeful' in the new language. People liked the name so much that they started calling the language Esperanto instead of its official name, the International Language.

Equal and respectful. Esperanto was designed so that no country or culture would be more important than another. Everyone learning it would be on the same level, starting from zero, rather than some people having an advantage because English or French was their home language.

Actually spoken. Esperanto is the most popular made-up language in the world, and there are real communities of people who speak it and even write books and make music in it. Thousands of enthusiasts celebrate their shared language at international conferences and online.