<|im_start|>system
You are a helpful AI assistant.<|im_end|>
<|im_start|>user
Discuss the history and development of the Esperanto language, including its grammar, vocabulary, and international usage today.<|im_end|>
<|im_start|>assistant
__History and Development of Esperanto__

Esperanto is an artificial language, developed in the late 19th century by Dr. Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof. 

Zamenhof, who was a Polish-Jewish ophthalmologist, published his first book, __"Unua Libro"__ (First Book), on the subject in 1887. He did this under the pseudonym __Dr. Esperanto__, which means "one who hopes" in the language itself. He intended Esperanto to be a universal second language that would foster peace and international understanding.

Here are some of the key events in the history and development of Esperanto:

- 1887: L. L. Zamenhof publishes Unua Libro, the first book describing Esperanto.
- 1905: The Fundamento de Esperanto, the basic text of the language, is published.
- 1921: The Universal Esperanto Association is founded.
- 1954: Esperanto is recognized by UNESCO as an auxiliary language.
- 1989: The first World Esperanto Youth Congress is held.
- 2005: The 120th anniversary of Esperanto is celebrated.

__Grammar and Vocabulary__

The grammar is designed to be simple, regular, and easy to learn. Its structure draws on elements from various European languages. Some key features include:

- Nouns end in -o and form plurals by adding -j (e.g., hundo - dog, hundoj - dogs; libro - book, libroj - books; domo - house, domoj - houses).
- Adjectives end in -a and agree with the noun they modify in number and case (e.g., bela hundo - beautiful dog, belaj hundoj - beautiful dogs; granda libro - big book, grandaj libroj - big books; nova domo - new house, novaj domoj - new houses).
- Verbs have only one form for each tense and mood, ending in -i for the infinitive, -as for the present, -is for the past, -os for the future, -us for the conditional, and -u for the imperative (e.g., paroli - to speak, mi parolas - I speak, mi parolis - I spoke, mi parolos - I will speak, mi parolus - I would speak, parolu! - speak!; lerni - to learn, vi lernas - you learn, vi lernis - you learned, vi lernos - you will learn, vi lernus - you would learn, lernu! - learn!).
- Pronouns, articles, and prepositions are also straightforward and consistent (e.g., mi - I, vi - you, li - he, ŝi - she, ĝi - it; la - the; de - of, en - in, al - to).

Esperanto has a highly regular grammar, with no irregular verbs, a feature that sets it apart from most natural languages. The language uses an agglutinative morphology, which means that words are often made up of sequences of relatively invariant morphemes.

The vocabulary is based mainly on Indo-European languages, with influences from Romance, Germanic, and Slavic languages. Around 90% of its roots come from these sources. Zamenhof aimed for the vocabulary to be neutral, avoiding words with strong cultural or national associations. 

He also devised a system of affixes to expand the language's expressiveness without needing a vast number of unique words. For example, from the root “san” (healthy), we can get “sana” (healthy), “malsana” (sick), “saniĝi” (to recover), “sanigi” (to heal), “malsanulejo” (hospital), and so on.

Esperanto's 16 rules of grammar are famously invariant, with no exceptions, which is another factor that makes the language relatively easy to learn compared to natural languages. The rules cover aspects such as word order, noun and adjective agreement, verb tenses, and the use of prepositions.

__International Usage Today__

While it's hard to get exact numbers, estimates suggest that there may be anywhere from 100,000 to 2 million Esperanto speakers worldwide as of 2021. There have been several attempts to promote Esperanto as a global lingua franca, but none have gained widespread acceptance.

Nevertheless, Esperanto has a vibrant international community. The Universal Esperanto Association organizes annual World Esperanto Congresses, which attract attendees from around the world. Moreover, the language is taught in courses and workshops in various countries and is also available on popular language-learning platforms.

Online, Esperanto has a significant presence. There are websites, blogs, podcasts, and YouTube channels dedicated to the language. It even has a presence on social media networks, and there are Esperanto editions of Wikipedia and other online services.

While Esperanto has not achieved Zamenhof's dream of becoming a universal second language, it remains the most successful constructed international auxiliary language, demonstrating enduring appeal and utility.<|im_end|>
<|im_start|>user
Are there any other such international languages in existance? I am looking specifically for a language which is not as european as esperanto<|im_end|>
<|im_start|>assistant
Sure, there are a few other international languages that exist, although none of them have achieved the same level of popularity as Esperanto. Some of these languages include:

* **Ido** was created in 1907 as a simplified version of Esperanto. It has a smaller community of speakers than Esperanto, but it is still actively used by some people.
* **Occidental** was created in 1922 as a more natural-sounding alternative to Esperanto. It has a very small community of speakers, but it is still considered to be a beautiful and expressive language.
* **Novial** was created in 1928 as a compromise between Esperanto and Occidental. It has a very small community of speakers, but it is still considered to be a well-designed and easy-to-learn language.
* **Interlingua** was created in 1951 as a simplified version of Latin. It has a larger community of speakers than the other languages on this list, but it is still not as widely used as Esperanto.

If you are looking for a language that is not as European as Esperanto, you may want to consider one of these languages. However, it is important to note that none of these languages have the same level of support or resources as Esperanto.

Here are some other factors to consider when choosing an international language:

* **Community size:** How many people speak the language?
* **Resources:** Are there textbooks, dictionaries, and other resources available for learning the language?
* **Support:** Are there organizations or communities that promote the language?
* **Your own interests:** What are your interests and goals for learning a new language?

Ultimately, the best international language for you will depend on your individual needs and preferences.<|im_end|>
<|im_start|>user
What are some common critiques of this language? Has anyone tried to make something better?<|im_end|>
<|im_start|>assistant
Esperanto, like any language, is not without its critics and detractors. Some common critiques of Esperanto include:

Artificiality: As a constructed language, some people view Esperanto as artificial and lacking the historical and cultural depth of natural languages.

Limited native speaker base: One of the main criticisms is the relatively small number of native speakers of Esperanto. Since it is a constructed language, it does not have the advantage of being spoken natively by large communities.

Competition from dominant languages: Esperanto faces stiff competition from widely spoken languages such as English, Spanish, and Mandarin, which already serve as global lingua francas in various contexts.

Impracticality: Critics argue that promoting Esperanto as an auxiliary language is impractical, given the entrenched use of existing dominant languages and the resistance to change in language habits.

However, despite these criticisms, there have been efforts to create other constructed languages that attempt to address perceived limitations in Esperanto. For example, Lojban is another constructed language that aims to be culturally neutral and highly logical, but it is not as widely known or used as Esperanto.

While Esperanto remains the most successful and well-known constructed international auxiliary language to date, the pursuit of an ideal global auxiliary language continues to be a topic of interest and experimentation among linguists and language enthusiasts. The design and development of new constructed languages are ongoing, each attempting to offer unique solutions to the challenges faced by global communication. However, the widespread adoption and recognition of any new constructed language would be a significant challenge, given the entrenched usage and cultural influence of existing natural languages in the world.<|im_end|>