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Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by Polish ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communication. Zamenhof first described the language in Dr. Esperanto's International Language, which he published in five languages under the pseudonym "Doktoro Esperanto". He claimed that the grammar of the language could be learned in one hour, though this estimate assumed a learner with a background in European languages. The word esperanto translates into English as "one who hopes".
As a constructed language, Esperanto occupies a middle ground between "naturalistic" constructed languages, which try to imitate existing natural languages, and a priori languages, in which the words have no connection to other languages. Although Esperanto's vocabulary, syntax, and semantics derive predominantly from Standard Average European languages, its grammar is highly regular when compared to these languages, and as such it is considered an easy language to learn. The vocabulary derives primarily from Romance languages, with substantial contributions from Germanic languages. One of the language's most notable features is its extensive system of derivation, where prefixes and suffixes may be freely combined with roots to generate words, making it possible to communicate effectively with a smaller set of words.
Esperanto is the most successful international auxiliary language, and the only such language with a population of native speakers, of which there are perhaps several thousand. Usage estimates are difficult, but two recent estimates put the number of active speakers at around 100,000. Concentration of speakers is highest in Europe, East Asia and South America. Although no country has adopted Esperanto officially, Esperantujo ("Esperanto-land") is used as a name for the collection of places where it is spoken. The language has also gained a noticeable presence on the internet in recent years, as it became increasingly accessible on platforms such as Duolingo. Esperanto speakers are often called "Esperantists" (Esperantistoj).
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