Linguistic worldview in multilingual groups as an indicator of developing a communal identity: The case of Esperanto

Abstract

Linguistic worldview is a language-entrenched interpretation of reality that emerges in a speech community inseparable from its culture. Therefore, the task of ethnolinguistics is to reconstruct not only worldviews but also communal identities. Drawing from both linguistic and co-linguistic data, researchers may be led to a culturally embedded speech community – not necessarily a monolingual one. A case in point are speakers of Esperanto, who form a multilingual voluntary diaspora. The status of Esperantists as a stable speech community could be investigated within the ethnolinguistic framework, with a view to finding a homogenous cultural worldview that attests to their communal identity. This article presents two pilot studies which suggest that active Esperanto speakers hold a coherent worldview based on the sense of belonging to the community and its shared culture.