Greetings, Esperantists:

I've been down with some kind of flu or summer cold for several days, so I have not been keeping up with this discussion. I appreciate the information that I've received from Haruo via PM, and from several more of you via links in this thread.

Please be assured that I will look into this material; I admire the effort to create a "neutral" international language, and I am especially impressed that so many people over the years have made such great efforts to advance the cause of Esperanto. I should know more about it than I do, and intend to learn at least a little more. Thank you.

That said, I still don't really expect to become a convert, just a more knowledgerable and sympathetic observer. Of course it is patently unfair that US English is the current ipso facto international language, but fairness (and morality in general) does not seem to have much to do with the sociopolitical evolution of the human race. Rightly or wrongly, English seems to be much better positioned than Esperanto to take over the world ~ not because it "should" or because it's the "best" choice, but simply as a function of power.

And not just political and economic power, either, although that's certainly important: English has a certain linguistic power in its proven flexibility and adapatability. If a concept or object exists for which there is no woird in English, English will incorporate any word or phrase from any other language and make it its own.