Vision & Mission

Is a world possible in which many languages, large and small, coexist in relative equality, and communication on a global scale is accessible to rich and poor alike?

The Esperantic Studies Foundation (ESF) is dedicated to exploring this question in theory and practice, taking its inspiration from the modest but real success of Esperanto as a language of international and intercultural communication.

Background

Founded in 1968, ESF is recognized as a tax-exempt private foundation, incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia. The Foundation is administered by a voluntary Board of Directors with input from a larger Advisory Board, enabling it to draw on a wide range of perspectives and expertise.

The scholars who founded ESF were moved to do so by their experience with Esperanto, the only planned international language to have become the vernacular and literary medium of a widespread speech community. In keeping with the philosophy behind Esperanto, ESF is particularly interested in work that seeks to understand and promote diversity, integration, equity and efficiency in the world language system (see our pages on interlingualism).

ESF seeks contacts and collaboration not only with applied linguists, but also with engineers, social scientists, humanists, politicians, and citizens. Its current activities include innovative educational projects (both virtual and face-to-face); research support activities, including the development of an extensive electronic corpus of Esperanto texts; and a variety of research projects, initiated both by ESF itself and by external grant applicants.

Details of ESF's previous and ongoing activities and interests are described in its newsletter Esperantic Studies. Its web site includes a wealth of information about the related fields of Esperanto studies and interlinguistics.