My father’s family was Danish and my mother’s family Swedish. I heard bits of both languages as a kid. Our family had a small business where most people spoke Spanish. A few Polish. At Augustana College, I honed my Swedish with two year-long courses. A Cypriot classmate – John G. – taught me some Greek. But what tipped the bucket was my subscription to Quinto Lingo.

In 1964, Rodale Press began publishing Quinto Lingo – a term in Esperanto meaning “fifth language.” The monthly magazine featured articles in German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese and a host of other languages. I spent more time with Quinto Lingo than I did my class studies. A few years later, I had courses in German, French and Japanese (all in one year). There were a few years of Mandarin. My Russian, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Italian and Swahili are somewhat limited. But I can still serenade my granddaughters in Spanish, Japanese, Hebrew and Lakota Sioux dialect. Can you tell? I enjoy languages. Before I retired, I would practice with and learn from cab drivers. . . .

But Esperanto? Zip. Nada. Esperanto was a language created in 1887 by Polish ophthalmologist L.L. Zamenhof. His objective — to break down cultural barriers and foster international peace. Despite not being adopted as any country’s national language, there are still a million or two Esperanto-speakers. And you can sign up for lessons on Duolingo or join an Esperanto society or club. Maybe one of these days . . . .