‘Saluton!’: the surprise return of Esperanto

Long seen as a hobby for idealistic eccentrics, the constructed language has had a resurgence in the age of Brexit and Trump. And it's all centred on a small village near Stoke on Trent

In the village of Barlaston, just outside Stoke-on-Trent, a strange language can be heard. It's not the friendly Potteries dialect, but something that sounds a little like the lovechild of French and German. A Tudor house here is home to the Esperanto Association of Britain (EAB), which encourages people to learn the constructed language.

Esperanto summer schools were first established in Stoke in 1960, and were funded by the council for more than 50 years. The concept of an easy-to-learn, universal second tongue was energetically promoted, drawing prominent speakers to the area. And the city still bears traces of its Esperanto history. In Smallthorne, in the north-east of the city, drinkers can stop off on Esperanto Way to get a pint at the Green Star - the symbol of the Esperantist movement. A row of terraced houses a short walk away are located on Zamenhof Grove, named after the inventor of Esperanto, LL Zamenhof.