We, members of the worldwide movement for the promotion of Esperanto, address this Manifesto to all governments, international organizations and people of good will; declare our unshakeable commitment to the objectives set out here; and call on all organizations and individuals to join us in working for these goals.

Nos-ôtes mambes dès mouvemint dè monde ètîr po l’bin dè lingadje d’a turtos, l’Espéranto, èvoyans ci scriyèdje a tos lès gouvèrnumints, a totes lès organizåcions dèl Tére èt a tos lès omes di bone volté, déclarans tote nosse plinne atirance a çou qu’nos dihans chal èt hoûkans chake organizåcion èt chaskeune a r’djonde nos prèsintes fwèces.

For more than a century Esperanto, which was launched in 1887 as a project for an auxiliary language for international communication and quickly developed into a rich living language in its own right, has functioned as a means of bringing people together across the barriers of language and culture. The aims that inspire the users of Esperanto are still as important and relevant as ever. Neither the worldwide use of a few national languages, nor advances in communications technology, nor the development of new methods of language teaching is likely to result in a fair and effective language order based on the following principles, which we hold to be essential.

É l’annèye 1887, l’Espéranto a v’nou å monde come l’idèye d’on deûzinme lingadje po nos rêyuni turtos; adon a-t-i crèhou rademint po div’ni on vikant pårler, avou tot plin des nuwances. Dispôy on siéke po l’mons, l’Espéranto vike è rimète essonle dès-omes po-d’la lès bårîres dès lingadjes èt dès culture. So strèvin la, lès but’ di sès utilisateûrs dimanèt todis importants èt prèsints. Li pratique di quéques lingadjes tot-avå l’monde, lès progrès dès comunicåcions, l’invancion dès novèles métôdes po djåser, ou s’èvoyî des scriyèdjes, tot çoula, pôrè pèrmète les régues qui sûvet èt qu’nos pinsans come fwér ûtiles po on sistinme d’ûzèdje des lingadjes qui seûye djusse èt adjihant.

1. Democracy

1. Dèmocråtîe

Any system of communication which confers lifelong privileges on some while requiring others to devote years of effort to achieving a lesser degree of competence is fundamentally antidemocratic. While Esperanto, like any language, is not perfect, it far outstrips other languages as a means of egalitarian communication on a world scale.

On sistinme di comunicåcion fêt po quéques citwèyins, mins qui egzidje qui’lès-ôtes fèsse bècôp d’fwèces, sins poleûr rac’sûre lès prumîs, on parêy sistinme è-st-antidèmocråtique. Si l’Espéranto, come lès-ôtes lingadjes n ’èst nin parfêt, i dèpasse di lådje èt lon sès rivåls come mwèyin d’comunicåcion tot costé.

We maintain that language inequality gives rise to communicative inequality at all levels, including the international level. We are a movement for democratic communication.

Nos acèrtinans qu’l’inégålité dès lingadjes amonne ine inégålité dèl comunicåcion a tos lès dègrés, èt minme å réz’dè monde. Nos èstans po’ne comunicåcion dèmocratique.

2. Global Education

2. Ine éducåtion po-d’zeûr èt inte lès nåcions

All ethnic languages are bound to certain cultures and nations. For example, the child who learns English learns about the culture, geography and political systems of the English-speaking world, primarily the United States and the United Kingdom. The child who learns Esperanto learns about a world without borders, where every country is home.

Les lingadjes di tos les peûpes sont atèlés à quéquès cultûres èt a quéquès nåcions. Par egzimpe, li scolî qui studèye l’anglès discovrèt ossu l’cultûre, l’aspèt dès payîs èt les sistinmes politikes wice qu’on djåse l’anglès, principålemint d’vins les Etats-Unis èt li Rwèyôme-Uni. Li scolî qui studèye l’Espéranto discoûve on monde sins frontîres, wice qu’il a bon d’vins chake payîs.

We maintain that education in any language is bound to a certain view of the world. We are a movement for global education.

Nos acèrtinans qu’l’éducåcion d’vins on lingadje, lisquél seuye-t-i, impôze ine manîre spéciåle dè vèyî l’monde. Nos-èstans po’ne éducåcion wice qui tos lès payîs troûv’ront leu plèce.

3. Effective Education

3. L’adjihante éducåcion dès-èfants

Only a small percentage of foreign-language students attain fluency in the target language. In Esperanto, fluency is attainable even through home study. Various studies have shown that Esperanto is useful as a preparation for learning other languages. It has also been recommended as a core element in courses in language awareness.

N’a wère qui k’nohèt bråmint ’ne linwe di l’ètrindjîr. On pout k’nohe foû bin l’Espéranto, minme s’on l’aprind tot seû. On a mostré qu’l’Espéranto pout chervi po aprinde åhèyemint d’ôtes lingadjes. On l’riqwîrt ossu po s’afêtî a çou qu’èst on lingadje.

We maintain that the difficulties in learning ethnic languages will always be a barrier for many students who would benefit from knowing a second language. We are a movement for effective language learning.

Nos acèrtinans qu’lès pårlers etniques arèstèyeront todi sacwants scolîs qu’on deûzinme lingadje êd’reût portant.Nos-èstans po l’ansègn’mint d’adram dès lingadjes.

4. Multilingualism

4. Sacwants pårlers

The Esperanto community is almost unique as a worldwide community whose members are universally bilingual or multilingual. Every member of the community has made the effort to learn at least one foreign language to a communicative level. In many cases this leads to a love and knowledge of several languages and to broader personal horizons in general.

Li comunôté d’l’Espéranto è-st-ine comunôté come ènn ’a wère so l’tére : tot sès mambes sont, sins mète nouk foû, bilingues ou plurilingues. Chaskeune s’a fwèrcî d’aprinde po l’mons on lingadje d’å d’foû po s’fé comprinde. Sovint çoula méne a l’kinohance èt a l’amoûr di sacwants pårlers èt, jénérålemin, a ’ne pus lådje vûzion so l’monde.

We maintain that the speakers of all languages, large and small, should have a real chance of learning a second language to a high communicative level. We are a movement for providing that opportunity to all.

Nos acèrtinans qui, d’vins tos lès payîs, on d’vreût -st-aprinde on deûzinme lingadje èt s’ènnè chèrvi po comuniquer å mis. Nos-èstans po mète so pîd ciste îdèye.

5. Language Rights

5. Les dreûts dè lingadjes

The unequal distribution of power between languages is a recipe for permanent language insecurity, or outright language oppression, for a large part of the world’s population. In the Esperanto community the speakers of languages large and small, official and unofficial meet on equal terms through a mutual willingness to compromise. This balance of language rights and responsibilities provides a benchmark for developing and judging other solutions to language inequality and conflict.

Les lingadjes ni mostrèt nin l’minme pwissance, çou qui n’el-z-î done nole sureté, èt minme, divins bråmint d’payis, ricorèdje les pus fwèrts à språtchî dès pus flawes a si chèrvi di leû lingadge. Divins l’comunôté d’l’Espéranto, tos les djins s’rassonlèt so l’minme tèrin, gråce a leû mutuwéle volté, po fé on compromis, qui leû lingadje seûye important ou nin, oficiél ou nin. On tél aplomb inte les dreûts dès lingadjes èt les dossêyes permète l’r’cwèrèdje èt l’estimåcion d’ôtes rèsponses a l’inégålité come ås carèles des lingadjes.

We maintain that the wide variations in power among languages undermine the guarantees, expressed in many international instruments, of equal treatment regardless of language. We are a movement for language rights.

Nos acèrtinans qu’lès difèrinces importantes di pwissance inte lès pårlers distrûhèt les garantîyes qu’on lét d’vins télemint d’papîs inte les payîs so l’égålité des gangnes sin nole difèrinces qui s’rapwète å lingadje. Nos-èstans po l’dreût dès lingadjes.

6. Language Diversity

6. Difèrints lingadjes

National governments tend to treat the great diversity of languages in the world as a barrier to communication and development. In the Esperanto community, however, language diversity is experienced as a constant and indispensable source of enrichment. Consequently every language, like every biological species, is inherently valuable and worthy of protection and support.

Lès gouvèrnumints dès payîs pinsèt qu’lès lingadjes dè monde espêtchèt l’comunicåcion èt l’progrès. Portant divins l’comunôté d’ l’Espéranto, lès difèrints lingadjes nos rindrans pus ritches. Adon-pwis, chake lingadje, come tot quî qui ç’seûye, a dèl valeûr èt deût-èsse prôtèdjî èt rècorèdjî.

We maintain that communication and development policies which are not based on respect and support for all languages amount to a death sentence for the majority of languages in the world. We are a movement for language diversity.

Nos acèrtinans qu’lès politiques di comunicåcion èt d’fôrcièdje, s’èle ni rèspèctèt nin èt n’ècorèdjèt-ti tos les lingadjes, condånèt a mwért li majôrité dès lingadjes divins l’monde. Nos-èstans po lès difèrints lingadjes.

7. Human Emancipation

7. Libèrer lès-omes

Every language both liberates and imprisons its users, giving them the ability to communicate among themselves but barring them from communication with others. Designed as a universally accessible means of communication, Esperanto is one of the great functional projects for the emancipation of humankind — one which aims to let every individual citizen participate fully in the human community, securely rooted in his or her local cultural and language identity yet not limited by it.

Chake lingadje libère èt contrariêye tot-a-’ne fèye leûs praticants, tot-èlzî d’nant l’ocåzion d’comuniquer inte zèles, tot lès-èspêtchant d’comuniquer avou l’z-ôtes. L’Espéranto è-st-on mwèyin d’comunicåcion po tot l’monde; il è-st-on grand projèt d’libéråcion, on projèt qui permète a chaskeune di prinde pårt a l’comunôté dès-omes, tot wårdant sès rècènes divins sès prôpès valeûrs, sins-èsse rit’ni po zèls.

We maintain that exclusive reliance on national languages inevitably puts up barriers to the freedoms of expression, communication and association. We are a movement for human emancipation.

Nos acèrtinans qu’li seûl ûzèdje d’on lingadje d’ine nåcion amon dès djins dès difèrints payîs drèssèt dès limites po les libèrtés d’èsprèssion, di comunicåcion èt d ’assôciåcion. Nos-estans po l’lîberté dès-omes.

Prago, jul. 1996

Prago, jul. 1996