The Decline and Fall of Esperanto
Lessons for Standards Committees
- Corresdpondence and reprints: Robert Patterson, MD, MSc, Box 336, Squamish, British Columbia, Canada V0N 3GO. e-mail: 〈robpatterson{at}attcanada.net〉
- Received 1 April 1999
- Accepted 28 June 1999
Abstract
In 1887, Polish physician Ludovic Zamenhof introduced Esperanto, a simple, easy-to-learn planned language. His goal was to erase communication barriers between ethnic groups by providing them with a politically neutral, culturally free standard language. His ideas received both praise and condemnation from the leaders of his time. Interest in Esperanto peaked in the 1970s but has since faded somewhat. Despite the logical concept and intellectual appeal of a standard language, Esperanto has not evolved into a dominant worldwide language. Instead, English, with all its idiosyncrasies, is closest to an international lingua franca. Like Zamenhof, standards committees in medical informatics have recognized communication chaos and have tried to establish working models, with mixed results. In some cases, previously shunned proprietary systems have become the standard. A proposed standard, no matter how simple, logical, and well designed, may have difficulty displacing an imperfect but functional “real life” system.
Footnotes
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Reprints: Stanley M. Huff, MD, Department of Medical Informatics, University of Utah School of Medicine, 50 North Medical Drive, Room AB193, Salt Lake City, UT 84132.
