Kotava was created by Staren Fetcey in 1978. It uses a priori vocabulary for reasons of cultural neutrality, in response to Esperanto’s completely European bias.
In 2005, she wrote:
Without returning in “technical” considerations too much or Byzantine discussions, and it is not to make insult to say it, the problem with Esperanto, and it is irreversible, is that it was built, in a way very assumed by its originator L. Zamenhof, like a synthesis of Latin and principal Indo-European languages (and especially Western). Thus all its basic lexicon is built on this substrate. It is one of the aspects. But in addition to that it developed a great part of its grammatical system and expression, roughly speaking by simplifying and harmonizing the architecture and the mechanisms of these languages. What does not prevent it besides from having also developed original and productive morphological principles, the such system of the affixes or modularity of the lexemes.
The defenders of Esperanto affirm, in a sincere way for the majority, that this reproach “of occidentality” is a false lawsuit. That its lexicon has indeed a Western origin – to make simple would be in oneself only one secondary aspect and that it would be all the remainder and in particular its original faculties which it would mainly be necessary to consider. It is all this remainder which would give it quality and legitimacy to be essential as international language of communication, while remaining neutral with respect to the natural languages.
This argument must obviously be considered with attention. The lexicon does not make the language with it all alone. The examination must be done on two plans, of which second is far from being the least important.
First of all, from a “technical” point of view strictly, the use of a Western gasoline lexicon induced, that it or not is wanted, an obvious filiation. The basic terms of Esperanto have for the majority a semantic field copied exactly on the Western languages. Simple example, colors of the rainbow: same seven colors in Esperanto as in “Westerner”, where certain languages inuit differentiate from them only two and on the other hand any African languages more than twenty. Without speaking about many concessions made with the plurality of the languages substrates on the level of a number of affixes for example (e.g. -ist, -an, -estr, -ul ).
But in addition to the lexicon, the Western origin of Esperanto is also undoubtable and deeply subjacent in most of the grammatical system. Among the most known features, let us quote construction and the use of the passive mode, the concept of direct object, the expression of plural, the vous system, the principle of the articles, the subjunctive, etc. That is far from being secondary and is very foreign being, from a linguistic point of view, with a number of individuals whose mother tongue is not Western. Part of the structuring and expression of the thought depend on the structuring on his own mother tongue.
The second plan of examination is that of perception. This one nourishes characteristics and analyzes objectify such those shown above, but also of more subjective elements which, that one admits them or that one is afflicted, are with the final good more important than the first. And there, it si obvious. Esperanto is perceived very mainly like a Western language moreover, one submarine of civilization and Western culture. Seen from Asia or Africa that is general, but even also in Europe or America.