SPREAD THE WORD
Welcome!
Welcome to the “Spread the Word” campaign. My name is Andrew Williamson, and I am the founder of Williamson Education. I am delighted you are here at the Williamson Education website to learn more about “Spread the Word.”
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The “Spread the Word” campaign is a series of 52 video lessons and worksheets whose goal is to provide ultra-high-quality instruction in the English language at ultra-low cost.
I encourage you to explore the free videos on our YouTube channel and to examine the affordable worksheets on our Shopify store. Starting on August 1, 2024, I will release one new video and one new worksheet each week for 52 weeks. These lessons are designed for language learners who already have a basic grasp of English.
You may want to stop reading now and dive into the lessons. If, however, you are curious about the motivations for the project, then I invite you to read a bit further.
Sometime in the mid-to-late 19th century, in modern-day Poland, a young eye doctor named L. L. Zamenhof had a dream: the dream of a global common language, a universal tongue that would unite all the people on Earth.
“[F]rom my earliest childhood,” Zamenhof wrote, “I gave myself wholly to one overarching idea and dream, that of bringing together in brotherhood all of humanity.” Zamenhof believed that a universal second language could achieve this goal, “s[eeing] at every step that the diversity of languages is the first, or at least the most influential, basis for the separation of the human family into groups of enemies.”
In 1887, Zamenhof invented “Esperanto,” an artificial language. The word “Esperanto” translates into English as: “one who hopes.” And yes, Zamenhof hoped the whole world would speak his language. He hoped for a world in which every human being would be bound to one another by this common tongue and that this bond would reduce violence.
As we now know, Zamenhof was idealistic about the potential of a universal second language. Far less than one percent of the world’s population currently speaks Esperanto, and the last 100 years have witnessed unprecedented bloodshed. I do not share Zamenhof’s illusions about the power of a language to cure all the ills of humankind, but I do believe that too few people speak English. Because English is the international language of trade, of diplomacy, and of education, it is the closest thing we have to Zamenhof’s dream. Yet by current estimates, only about 20% of the people on Earth can communicate using English.
We must work with the tools of the digital age to realize the dream of a global common language.
By watching the “Spread the Word” videos and purchasing our worksheets, you become a valued partner in our larger project of creating open access to English. I invite you to join in this shared endeavor. Oh, and by the way: don’t forget to spread the word.
With all best wishes to you.
Sincerely,
Andrew Williamson
Founder @ Williamson Education
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