Lernu!
Encyclopedia
lernu! is a multilingual, Web
-based free-of-charge project for promoting and teaching Esperanto
. Its name is Esperanto for the command "learn." The site is run by E@I
, an international youth organization, which started as a working group of the World Esperanto Youth Organisation.
The site's content includes various tools for learning Esperanto, such as exercises, games, dictionaries, grammatical overviews, an examination system and a multimedia library with books, music, voice-narrated stories and videos. There are also communication services such as an instant messenger, discussion forums on various topics, and news about Esperanto events. Esperantists and Esperanto organizations can advertise their activities and services on the website.
Statistics show the website being visited nearly 75 thousand times per month. Most of the visitors come from Europe
, South-East Asia and both Americas
. In May 2011, the site recorded its 100,000th registered user.
) seminar in Stockholm
, Sweden
in April 2000, and was developed in October 2001 at the second seminar of E@I also in Sweden (in Uppsala
). In July 2002 the project received monetary support from the American Esperantic Studies Foundation
(ESF), and work on the website started in August of the same year. It was publicly launched on 21 December 2002 and from then on has been supervised and developed by E@I with the ESF support and the help from many individual supporters and assistants:
During four years of the project development, a great number of people contributed to it. The ‘core team’ (which changed partially throughout the years) was responsible for the overall supervision and development of lernu!. It was assisted by several designers and programmers. Dozens of translators used a specially made online translation system to make the website available in more than 20 languages. A large number of language tutors and course assistance provide learning aid to the users of the website, checking and commenting their exercises, and corresponding with them in their native language. New courses and other resources are continuously added.
The project has passed through several stages of evolution, and is currently in its sixth version. In Spring 2006 the site was radically updated, receiving a new design and a number of new features; this latest online version has not yet been published on disk, however.
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
-based free-of-charge project for promoting and teaching Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
. Its name is Esperanto for the command "learn." The site is run by E@I
E@I
E@I is an international youth non-profit organization that promotes international collaboration and communication and hosts educational projects and meetings to support intercultural learning and the usage of languages and internet technologies.E@I had existed as an informal international work...
, an international youth organization, which started as a working group of the World Esperanto Youth Organisation.
The site's content includes various tools for learning Esperanto, such as exercises, games, dictionaries, grammatical overviews, an examination system and a multimedia library with books, music, voice-narrated stories and videos. There are also communication services such as an instant messenger, discussion forums on various topics, and news about Esperanto events. Esperantists and Esperanto organizations can advertise their activities and services on the website.
Statistics show the website being visited nearly 75 thousand times per month. Most of the visitors come from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, South-East Asia and both Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. In May 2011, the site recorded its 100,000th registered user.
History
The lernu! project was first proposed at the first Esperanto@Interreto (now E@IE@I
E@I is an international youth non-profit organization that promotes international collaboration and communication and hosts educational projects and meetings to support intercultural learning and the usage of languages and internet technologies.E@I had existed as an informal international work...
) seminar in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in April 2000, and was developed in October 2001 at the second seminar of E@I also in Sweden (in Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
). In July 2002 the project received monetary support from the American Esperantic Studies Foundation
Esperantic Studies Foundation
The Esperantic Studies Foundation is a foundation which strives to solve international language problems. According to its website "The Esperantic Studies Foundation promotes research and teaching on Esperanto and on related issues of interlingual communication, especially in the context of higher...
(ESF), and work on the website started in August of the same year. It was publicly launched on 21 December 2002 and from then on has been supervised and developed by E@I with the ESF support and the help from many individual supporters and assistants:
During four years of the project development, a great number of people contributed to it. The ‘core team’ (which changed partially throughout the years) was responsible for the overall supervision and development of lernu!. It was assisted by several designers and programmers. Dozens of translators used a specially made online translation system to make the website available in more than 20 languages. A large number of language tutors and course assistance provide learning aid to the users of the website, checking and commenting their exercises, and corresponding with them in their native language. New courses and other resources are continuously added.
CD versions
The content of the lernu! Web site has been released on CD several times, with additional material such as music, software, and other courses not published on the website itself.The project has passed through several stages of evolution, and is currently in its sixth version. In Spring 2006 the site was radically updated, receiving a new design and a number of new features; this latest online version has not yet been published on disk, however.