14 March – Federico Gobbo

Deliberate metaphors in Esperanto: building a cosmopolitan culture from scratch

Esperanto is the most successful international auxiliary language ever. Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, a Jewish doctor and polyglot, in launched it in 1887, and then he worked hard to form a community of practice that uses the language in oral and writing. Zamenhof understood the crucial role of original and translated literature in order to create a sense of belonging to the language. After one century from his death (1917), Esperanto is a living language with an original culture that expresses itself through deliberate metaphors, among other things. The research meeting aims to present the strategies behind the formation of this cosmopolitan culture which is non-ethnic in its foundation, since the pioneers’ epoque (1887-1917) until the contemporary era.

Potgieterszaal, University Library
Singel 421-427
1012 WP Amsterdam