L. L. Zamenhof | |
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![]() Zamenhof, c. 1895 | |
Born | Leyzer Zamengov[a] 15 December 1859[b] |
Died | [b] (aged 57) | 14 April 1917
Burial place | Jewish Cemetery, Warsaw 52°14′43″N 20°58′34″E / 52.24528°N 20.97611°E |
Occupation | Ophthalmologist |
Known for | Esperanto |
Spouse | |
Children | |
Awards | Legion of Honour (Officer, 1905) |
Writing career | |
Pen name | Dr. Esperanto |
Notable works |
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Signature | |
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L. L. Zamenhof[a] (15 December 1859 – 14 April 1917)[b] was the creator of Esperanto, the most widely used constructed international auxiliary language.[1][2]
Zamenhof published Esperanto in 1887, although his initial ideas date back as far as 1873. He grew up fascinated by the idea of a world without war and believed that this could happen with the help of a new international auxiliary language (IAL).[3] The language was intended as a tool to gather people together through neutral, fair, equitable communication.[4] He successfully formed a community which has survived to this day, despite the World Wars of the 20th century [5] and various attempts to reform the language or create more modern IALs (Esperanto itself had displaced another similarly-motivated language, Volapük). Additionally, Esperanto has developed like other languages: through the interaction and creativity of its users.[6]
In light of his achievements, and his support of intercultural dialogue, UNESCO selected Zamenhof as one of its eminent personalities of 2017, on the 100th anniversary of his death.[7][8] According to Esperanto communities, as of 2019 there are approximately 2 million people speaking Esperanto, including approximately 1,000 native speakers,[9][10] although evidence to that has been heavily disputed,[11] and the last major effort to improve the estimate occurred in 2004.[9]
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