Esperanto or ilo? What should i learn?

Question

should i learn Esperanto because of the greater population or Ilo for the refined simplicity?

i have already been convinced that i will learn one :)

Answer 1

When you write 'Ilo', I presume you mean 'Ido', which bills itself as a sort of reformed Esperanto. I can see absolutely no point whatsoever in learning Ido, whatever its linguistic merits may or may not be. Only someone who is an avid fan of constructed languages as toys, not as real languages in actual use, might be interested.

I have spoken Esperanto for 55 years, taught myself as a teenager, and have never regretted it. It is as useful as you like to make it. While you're not likely to accidentally bump into an Esperanto-speaker (although I have several times), they are not that hard to dig up.

The 91st World Esperanto Congress just finished in Florence/Italy in August, and was attended by 2209 Esperanto-speakers from 62 different countries. There are daily radio programs in it (one hour daily from Radio China International - 30 minutes daily from Radio Polonia - once a week from RAI/Italy - twice weekly from Radio Vaticana). There is a wealth of translated and original literature available in Esperanto - I have a 183-page Esperanto book catalog in my hand with an average of 24 items per page. Ido has absolutely nothing to compare with that.

For a good general site to start your search at, just Google "Vancouver + Esperanto" in Canada. There are textbooks and free courses listed there, and try listening to one of those radio broadcasts to hear what the language sounds like. To learn, give yourself 30 minutes a day, and keep at it regularly. After just a couple of weeks you'll be able to read and understand quite a lot, and maybe even write some simple stuff yourself - I did, and it got me into a career with languages. Good luck with it!
mankso

Answer 2

This question shows a good deal of ignorance about the extent of English in the world, and the relative merits of English and Esperanto. First, it is incorrect to say that English is the international language. The reality is that international organizations have auditioned English for that role and found it wanting; they just haven't yet discovered the better way. As long time IBM executive Jean-Paul Nerrière discovered, what ACTUALLY happens is that people from different linguistic backgrounds learn a limited amount of English. With each other they can muddle through and get by; each makes mistakes but they know the others are too and therefore don't feel self-conscious about their English. When they have to deal with a native English speaker they're out of their depth and they clam up. What do you suppose happens when the people muddling through are an air traffic controller and a 747 pilot? A mid-air collision with hundreds of people killed, that's what. Second, Esperanto is to English what Indian numerals (the Arabs got them India) are to Roman numerals. Where English is a mongrel, concrete-bound, dog's breakfast of a language that's full of inconsistencies and irregularities, Esperanto is uniquely logical, clear, precise, regular, consistent, expressive and easy to learn in a way that English is not, never was and never will be. I say this as a native English-speaker who's learned Esperanto and used it to speak with people from the other side of the world with far more ease and comfort than would ever have been possible with English. Esperanto is the ideal second language for people all over the world, everyone should learn it. In fact it's so good that I'd happily give English up for it, in a heartbeat too.

Answer 3

These are your only two choices?
I'm sorry to admit that I've never heard of Ilo before, but I read something about Esperanto not too long ago that said the number of Esperanto speakers is more than many of the world's minority languages. That gave me a reason to take Esperanto more seriously.
I'd rather learn a natural language, but I suppose that's my bias as a linguist.

Answer 4

Not sure what your language background/interests are, but both Esperanto and Ilo will be completely useless for communication outside of a tiny academic community that, for the most part, can already speak English anyway. Learning a new language is a very time consuming and difficult endevor. I highly recommend you pick a language that will be worth the investment.

Answer 5

If you want to use it with other speakers, learn Esperanto. It has much more user base.

Answer 6

What would be the point of learning either one, since you may never find anyone to talk to.
Try Spanish and talk to most of the world.

Answer 7

grewqws