The metacommunicative ideology of Esperanto: Evidence from Japan and Korea

The issue of whether a particular humanistic ideology is immanent in Esperanto has been a topic ofcontroversy since the early days of the movement. The question is explored here on the basis of evidence drawnfrom discussions in Esperanto between Japanese and Koreans about reconciliation between their respectivecountries. It is concluded that, while the convictions of the language’s initiator are not universallyshared among Esperanto speakers, one may legitimately speak of a common metacommunicative ideologywhich valorises dialogue among ordinary people from different linguistic and culturalbackgrounds.