Regarding the letter titled “Esperanto, a key to other learning” (Voice, April 9):
The proposal by its author, Kent Jones, that children study Esperanto in school before they study English ignores one major fact: the vast majority of children entering public schools in this country speak English. And facility in speaking a language makes it much easier to learn to read and write it.
The difficulties of learning to read and write English, although real, have often been exaggerated. The irregularities of English grammar and spelling become quite minor when compared to French.
Also, the simplicity of Esperanto can be illusionary. Certain spelling combinations are virtually unpronounceable, such as “uj,” which is most commonly pronounced “ui.” The grammar, although regular, is extremely rigid, and it is not unusual to find people who have spoken the language for years who still cannot distinguish between a transi- tive and an intransitive verb.
Esperanto, with its regular spelling and grammar, is certainly a good and useful introduction to the study of foreign languages. But Dr. Ludwik Zamenhof, its creator, never meant it to replace national languages. Our public schools must continue to stress English above all other languages.
