by Tiffany Chiang
Okay, maybe we are all a little fed up with all the peculiarities of the English language. Have you ever wished that a language not so difficult to learn could be used internationally? Actually, such a language exists. Called Esperanto, it is an artificial language developed by Dr. Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhoff, a Polish Jewish ophthalmologist, in 1887. Dr. Zamenhoff himself spoke five languages but, exasperated by all the irregularities of each language, he devised the first comparatively widely accepted artificial language for global use, and published his work Lingvo Internacia (International Language) under the assumed name of Doktoro Esperanto, meaning “Doctor Hopeful.” From his pseudonym comes the current name for his language. According to Mr. Daniel Chung, one of the pioneers who has helped popularize Esperanto in Taiwan, Esperanto has Germanic word roots, Latin word order, consistent pronunciation, and just sixteen grammar rules. The grammar rules of Esperanto were initially laid down in Fundamento, the first Esperanto textbook ever published, and which still serves as a standard for grammar disputes today. Compared to naturally evolved languages, Esperanto is much more systematic. Would that English could be modified into such simplicity! No wonder Esperanto has such appeal. In fact, if English is described as a noisy playground, Esperanto would be a model military brigade. “Perhaps that is why,” Mr. Chung said, “Esperanto was much more widely promoted in Communist nations.” Esperantists claim to have at least eight million speakers in 110 countries, but Mr. Chung points out that many of these speakers come from Eastern European countries, ex-Soviet nations, and mainland China. In fact, in mainland China, it is officially considered a formal second foreign language. Now wait a minute-Esperanto is a “foreign language”? Yes, Mr. Chung said, Esperanto has been around for about a hundred years and has had time to develop many of the characteristics a naturally evolved language would have, as well as many of the same obstacles that any other language exhibits. One of the most serious problems is trying to keep up with advancing technology. Should Esperantists use direct loans from other languages, or should they try to concoct new terms from old roots? Another problem is idioms. As a rule, Esperantists do not encourage the use of them, because they fear that regional dialects, slang, jargon, or any other idiosyncrasy of language may impede international understanding. But to their dismay, idioms do not stop cropping up just because Esperantists do not wish them to. Nevertheless, despite its eight million speakers and the big attraction of uncomplicated linguistic rules, Esperanto is still not broadly used at the moment. Bill Bryson said in his bestseller The Mother Tongue that “the chances of one speaker of Esperanto encountering another is as slight as a Norwegian stumbling on another Norwegian in, say, Mexico”. To promote worldwide use of Esperanto, many international Esperanto groups introduce pen pals, make announcements over the Internet, and hold annual global gatherings. This year, the gathering, called Universala Kongreso (Universal Congress) will be held in Sweden. This event will be a major attraction for Esperantists to exchange notes and observations about the future development of Esperanto.
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by Wendy Chung
With the increasing popularity of the Internet, internet cafe, or cybercafe, have been springing up on practically every corner of the city. It has become the latest rage since “Foam Tea” Shops 泡沫紅茶店, and more and more tea houses and cafe are making the transition to keep up with the trend and satisfy new client demands. How much does it cost for people who want to go on-line while drinking a cup of tea? The price varies from shop to shop. At Jen-hsing K'ung-chien 人性空間, for example, the minimum charge is NT$150, with free refills on drinks, and the first thirty minutes on-line are free of charge. Then it’s an additional NT$60 every half hour on line. Many shops offer memberships with discounts and free beverages. It is not cheap, considering that NTU students don’t have to pay when they surf the Net on campus; or better yet, with a modem it’s free to surf the Net in the comfort of your home, provided that you are not on-line too long, and thus run up a high local phone bill. So what kind of a clientele do internet cafe attract? In the beginning people found the concept fresh and fascinating, and they went to have a new experience. However, this kind of customer is decreasing, since most students either have a modem at home or use the computers on campus. Now their customers are mainly residents of the neighborhood, white-collar workers with business purposes, or foreigners using e-mail. The advantage of Internet cafe is that they are directly connected with Chunghwa Telecom 電信局, so their on-line speed is much faster. Processes which normally require up to half an hour elsewhere might only take a few minutes with cafe computers. Due to stiff competition, the cafe constantly updates their software to keep ahead of others, which is a big boon to customers. Another attraction of internet cafe is the relaxed atmosphere and comfortable surroundings. Those of you who use the Computer Center’s computers all know how difficult it is to get hold of a vacant seat, and a working computer, not to mention the discomfort of having others waiting, with hostile looks in their eyes, for you to leave. In a cybercafe, however, you can relax and browse different Internet sites, or compose your e-mail at your leisure, while sitting in a comfortable chair enjoying a fragrant cup of tea, maybe also a delicious snack if you’re hungry, with music playing in the background of the softly-lit interior. Isn’t this tempting enough for you to abandon the harsh lights, the constantly broken-down dinosaurs, and the no-food-and-drink regulations of the NTU Computer Center? Many Internet cafe devote only a section of the shop to computers. The reason, according to the owner of Jen-hsing K'ung-chien, Huang Chuan 黃娟, is that the idea is still in an experimental stage. They say they must first observe the customer response before throwing in big bucks, since it costs more than a million NT dollars to set the computers up. What if you don’t know how to use computers or are not familiar with the Internet? Don’t worry, many of the cafe employ professionals in the evenings to help you. During other times you can also ask for help from the waiters. There is however a problem, Ms. Huang confesses, with the staff’s own knowledge about computers. They might be able to help with basic questions, but may not be much help with trickier problems. To solve this, Jen-hsing K'ung-chien set up telephone help-lines to computer professionals for customer use, itself an interesting experience. Now you know where the money you pay goes. Here are some of the cybercafe around Taipei: * 超行星Hyper-Nova Internet Cafe Center 64, 5th fl., Roosevelt Rd., Sec. 4, 羅斯福路4段64號5f, 369-9266, 369-9267 * Wanglo Cyber Cafe 24, Lishui St., 麗水街24號, 391-9069 * 籃調小鎮 ( 網路音樂城 ) Lan-tiau Hsiao-chen Corner of Hsinsheng S. Rd. and Hoping E. Rd, 新生南路, 和平東路口 * 人性空間Jen-hsing K'ung-chien 1. 新生南路巷子裡 2. 羅斯福路巷子裡 * 網路上身Wang-lu Shang-shen Behind Mingyao Department Store, next to the Vanilla Market Street 明耀百貨後面, 香草市場街旁 Also: The Spiritual Date 心靈之約 in the Kungkuan area, Kao-tien 高點 on Kai-feng Street 開封街, and more around the Normal University on Lung-chuan Street 龍泉街. Sherry Chung: I recommend the Hsiang-yang restaurant向陽樓 on Hoping East Road Sec. 1. The beef noodles are especially delicious.
Jen-chieh Tsai: Sun Merry Cafe might be a nice choice; the baked rice with seafood海鮮焗飯is my favorite. Claire Cheng: Lao-ma-de-dien老媽的店 on Chung-hsiao East road serves the greatest cheesecake. Connie Lin: My favorite is Cantonese steamed dumplings in the vegetarian buffet in the Wu-shang無上Vegetarian Restaurant. Angelina Lin: Have a taste of traditional Taiwanese food for just 25 NT dollars. Try the tempura(t'ien2-pu2-la4) vendor in the alley next to Eslite. Remember to fill yourself up with the free hot soup! Diana Chung: In the Cafe Florence 翡冷翠 across from LTTC on Hsinhai Road Sec. 2, you can enjoy special beef ribs while bathing in sunlight shining through a window of bright green. Arisa Huang: The cheapest and most delicious all-you-can eat buffet is located on Hoping East Road Sec. 2. Healthy, filling food at the Kuan-yin Vegetarian Restaurant 觀音素食 costs students only NT$60. Louisa Lin: If you are looking for an exotic touch, the Tsui-hsin Vietnamese Restaurant 翠薪越南餐廳 in Ta-hsueh-k'ou大學口is not too expensive; the sour-chilli shrimp soup always thrills me. Kay Lin: Try the dumplings made of pork and scallions in Shui-yuan Market 水源市場. Each tasty spicy dumpling costs just NT$3.50, and they go well with a bowl of hot sour-hot soup. |
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May 2024
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