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Zamenhof

Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, commonly known as Zamenhof, was a Polish-Jewish ophthalmologist and linguist who created Esperanto, an international auxiliary language. He was born on December 15, 1859, in Białystok, then part of the Russian Empire (now Poland), and died April 14, 1917, in Warsaw. He lived in a multilingual, multiethnic city where Polish, Russian, Yiddish, and German were spoken.

Motivation and early work: Zamenhof grew up amid ethnic tension between Poles, Russians, Germans, and Jews in

Esperanto's creation and features: In 1887, he published Unua Libro under the pseudonym Doktoro Esperanto, introducing

Movement and legacy: The Esperanto movement grew rapidly, with international congresses beginning in 1905 (Boulogne-sur-Mer) and

Zamenhof died in 1917 in Warsaw; his ideas continue through the Esperanto community and organizations and through

Białystok.
He
believed
that
a
neutral
second
language
could
reduce
misunderstandings
and
conflicts,
and
he
began
outlining
a
new
language
designed
for
ease
of
learning
and
fairness
to
speakers
of
diverse
backgrounds.
He
aimed
to
supplement
national
languages
with
a
universal
means
of
communication.
the
language
that
would
come
to
be
known
as
Esperanto.
The
language
emphasizes
regular
grammar
and
an
extensive
system
of
affixes,
with
vocabulary
drawn
from
European
languages,
intended
to
be
easy
to
learn
for
ordinary
people.
the
formation
of
the
Universal
Esperanto
Association
in
1908.
The
language
has
a
large
body
of
literature,
a
global
community,
and
ongoing
language
planning,
making
Zamenhof's
project
a
notable
early
example
of
a
constructed
international
language.
the
ongoing
use
of
Esperanto
worldwide.