Retejoj

Retejo is a compound of the Esperanto root rete‑, meaning “network”, and the suffix –jo, denoting a place or institution. It is the Esperanto word for “website” in the plural form retejoj. The term was coined in the early 1990s to provide an Esperanto-speaking alternative to English internet terminology and to reflect the growing importance of the World Wide Web.

The concept of a retejo corresponds to a set of hypertext documents accessed through a unique Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A retejo is normally hosted on a web server and can contain text, images, audio, video, and interactive elements. It is accessible via web browsers and may incorporate dynamic content generated through scripting languages such as JavaScript, PHP, or server‑side Python frameworks.

Retejoj serve a wide variety of purposes for the Esperanto community. They host official newsletters of Esperanto organizations, academic resources, language learning tools, literature archives, and forums for discussion. Some of the most cited examples include the study resource site lernu.org, the cultural site Esperanto-Foto, and the news aggregator in Esperanto.org. They also play a role in the dissemination of Esperanto literature by providing free online versions of both historical and contemporary works.

Esperanto web development encourages the creation of multilingual sites; many major retejoj provide simultaneous Esperanto versions. Because of its inclusive and logical structure, Esperanto is often favored for user interfaces on public informational sites.

In the broader context of internet culture, retejoj exemplify the idea of a global, language-agnostic network. They illustrate how a constructed language can maintain a presence on a level playing field with dominant natural languages, aiding cultural preservation and global communication among its speakers.