International Language Part 20

AFFIX ESPERANTO ENGLISH

san-a healthy mal- (opposite) mal-san-a ill ne (not) ne-san-a unwell -ig (causative) san-ig-i to heal san-ig-a salutary re- (again) re-san-ig-a restorative -ig (becoming) san-ig-i to be convalescent re-san-ig-a getting well again -ig mal-san-ig-a sickening (transitive) -ig mal-san-ig-a sickening (intransitive) -ist (agent) san-ig-ist-o doctor -ej (place) san-ig-ej-o hospital -ul (characteristic) mal-san-ul-o invalid -ebl (possibility) (mal)-san-ig-ebl-a (in)curable -ar (collective) mal-san-ul-ar-o hospital inmates ge- (both s.e.xes) ge-mal-san-ul-ar-o all the men and women patients -in (feminine) san-ig-ist-in-o a lady doctor -edz (married) san-ig-ist-edz-in-o a doctor's wife

AFFIX ESPERANTO FRENCH

san-a bien portant mal- (opposite) mal-san-a malade ne (not) ne-san-a (un peu) souffrant -ig (causative) san-ig-i guerir san-ig-a salutaire re- (again) re-san-ig-a restaurant -ig (becoming) san-ig-i etre convalescent re-san-ig-a en train de se retablir -ig mal-san-ig-a ecoeurant (qui rend malade) -ig mal-san-ig-a languissant -ist (agent) san-ig-ist-o medecin -ej (place) san-ig-ej-o hopital -ul (characteristic) mal-san-ul-o un malade -ebl (possibility) (mal)-san-ig-ebl-a (in)curable -ar (collective) mal-san-ul-ar-o ensemble des malades ge- (both s.e.xes) ge-mal-san-ul-ar-o les malades hommes et femmes -in (feminine) san-ig-ist-in-o un medecin femme -edz (married) san-ig-ist-edz-in-o une femme de medecin

AFFIX ESPERANTO GERMAN

san-a gesund mal- (opposite) mal-san-a krank ne (not) ne-san-a unwohl -ig (causative) san-ig-i heilen san-ig-a heilsam re- (again) re-san-ig-a wiederherstellend -ig (becoming) san-ig-i sich erholen re-san-ig-a genesend -ig mal-san-ig-a ekelhaft (krank machend) -ig mal-san-ig-a siechend -ist (agent) san-ig-ist-o Arzt -ej (place) san-ig-ej-o Krankenhaus -ul (characteristic) mal-san-ul-o ein Kranker -ebl (possibility) (mal)-san-ig-ebl-a (un)heilbar -ar (collective) mal-san-ul-ar-o Gesamtheit der Kranken ge- (both s.e.xes) ge-mal-san-ul-ar-o die Kranken beider Geschlechter -in (feminine) san-ig-ist-in-o Arztin -edz (married) san-ig-ist-edz-in-o Frau des Arztes

AFFIX ESPERANTO ENGLISH

lern-i to learn -ig (causative) lern-ig-i to teach lern-ig-a educative -ej (place) lernej-o school -ant (pres. part.) lern-ant-o pupil ge- (of both s.e.xes) ge-lern-ant-oj pupils of both s.e.xes -ar (collective) lern-ant-ar-o cla.s.s -an (appertaining) lern-ej-an-o schoolboy -in (feminine) lern-ej-an-in-o schoolgirl -estr (chief) lern-ej-estr-o headmaster -ist (agent) lern-ej-ist-o schoolmaster lern-ej-ist-in-o schoolmistress -ajo (concrete) lern-aj-o (learnt-stuff) subject lern-aj-ar-o curriculum -em (inclination) lern-em-a studious mal- (opposite) mal-lern-em-a idle -ig (causative) lern-em-ig-i to stimulate lern-ig-o instruction (act) lern-ig-aj-o instruction (teaching given)

AFFIX ESPERANTO FRENCH

lern-i apprendre -ig (causative) lern-ig-i enseigner lern-ig-a educateur -ej (place) lernej-o ecole -ant (pres. part.) lern-ant-o eleve ge- (of both s.e.xes) ge-lern-ant-oj eleves des deux s.e.xes -ar (collective) lern-ant-ar-o cla.s.se -an (appertaining) lern-ej-an-o ecolier -in (feminine) lern-ej-an-in-o ecoliere -estr (chief) lern-ej-estr-o proviseur -ist (agent) lern-ej-ist-o inst.i.tuteur (professeur) lern-ej-ist-in-o inst.i.tutrice -ajo (concrete) lern-aj-o (learnt-stuff) matiere d'enseignement lern-aj-ar-o ensemble des matieress d'enseignement -em (inclination) lern-em-a applique mal- (opposite) mal-lern-em-a paresseux -ig (causative) lern-em-ig-i mettre en train lern-ig-o instruction lern-ig-aj-o enseignement

AFFIX ESPERANTO GERMAN

lern-i lernen -ig (causative) lern-ig-i lehren lern-ig-a erzieherisch -ej (place) lernej-o Schule -ant (pres. part.) lern-ant-o Schuler ge- (of both s.e.xes) ge-lern-ant-oj Schuler and Schulerinnen -ar (collective) lern-ant-ar-o Kla.s.se -an (appertaining) lern-ej-an-o Schulknabe -in (feminine) lern-ej-an-in-o Schulmadchen -estr (chief) lern-ej-estr-o Direktor -ist (agent) lern-ej-ist-o Lehrer lern-ej-ist-in-o Lehrerin -ajo (concrete) lern-aj-o (learnt-stuff) Lehrstoff lern-aj-ar-o (Studien)- Laufbahn Schulprogramm -em (inclination) lern-em-a fleissig mal- (opposite) mal-lern-em-a faul -ig (causative) lern-em-ig-i anregen lern-ig-o das Unterrichten lern-ig-aj-o Unterricht

(_b_) PARTICIPLES AND AUXILIARIES

The following table ill.u.s.trates the perfect simplicity and terseness of the Esperanto verb.

Every tense, active and pa.s.sive, is formed with never more than two words. Every shade of meaning (continued, potential, etc., action) is expressed by these two words, of which one is the single auxiliary _esti_ (itself conjugated regularly). The double auxiliary-"to be" and "to have"-which infests most modern languages, with all its train of confusing and often illogical distinctions (cf. French _je suis alle_, but _j'ai couru_), disappears. Contrast the simplicity of _amota_ with the c.u.mbersome periphrasis _about to be loved_; or the perfect ease and clearness of _vi estus amita_ with the treble-barrelled German _Sie wurden geliebt worden sein_.

This simplicity of the Esperanto verb is entirely due to its full participial system. There are six participles, present, past, and future active and pa.s.sive, each complete in one word. The only natural Aryan language (of those commonly studied) that compares with Esperanto in this respect is Greek; and it is precisely the fulness of the Greek participial system that lends to the language a great part of that flexibility which all ages have agreed in admiring in it pre-eminently.

Take a page of Plato or any other Greek author, and count the number of participles and note their use. They will be found more numerous and more delicately effective than in other languages. Esperanto can do all this; and it can do it without any of the complexity of form and irregularity that makes the learning of Greek verbs such a hard task. Bearing in mind the three characteristic vowels of the three tenses-present _-a_, past _-i_, future _-o_ (common to finite tenses and participles)-the proverbial schoolboy, and the dullest at that, could hardly make the learning of the Esperanto participles last him half an hour.

It would be easy to go on filling page after page with the simplifications effected by Esperanto, but these will not fail to strike the learner after a very brief acquaintance with the language. But attention ought to be drawn to one more particularly clever device-the form of asking questions. An Esperanto statement is converted into a question without any inversion of subject and verb or any change at all, except the addition of the interrogative particle _cu_. In this Esperanto agrees with j.a.panese. But whereas j.a.panese adds its particle _ka_ at the end of the sentence, the Esperanto _cu_ stands first in its clause. Thus when, speaking Esperanto, you wish to ask a question, you begin by shouting out _cu_, an admirably distinctive monosyllable which cannot be confused with any other word in the language. By this means you get your interlocutor prepared and attending, and you can then frame your question at leisure.

Contrast Esperanto and English in the ease with which they respectively convert a statement into a question.

English: You went-did you go?

Esperanto: Vi iris-cu vi iris?

This particle may be considered the equivalent of the initial mark of interrogation used in Spanish, and serves to remove all complications in connexion with word order.

ESPERANTO ENGLISH

amanta loving aminta having loved amonta about to love amata being loved amita (having been) loved amota about to be loved mi estas aminta I have loved vi estis aminta you had loved li estas amanta he is loving si estis amata she was being loved ni estos amintaj we shall have loved vi estas amataj you are loved ili estas amitaj they have been loved mi estus aminta I should have loved vi estus amita you would have been loved li estas foririnta he has gone away ili estus foririntaj they would have gone away

ESPERANTO FRENCH

amanta aimant aminta ayant aime amonta devant aimer amata etant aime amita (ayant ete) aime amota devant etre aime mi estas aminta j'ai aime vi estis aminta vous aviez aime li estas amanta il est aimant si estis amata elle etait en train d'etre aimee ni estos amintaj nous aurons aime vi estas amataj vous etes aimes ili estas amitaj ils ont ete aimes mi estus aminta j'aurais aime vi estus amita vous auriez ete aime li estas foririnta il s'en est alle ili estus foririntaj il s'en seraient alles

ESPERANTO GERMAN

amanta liebend aminta der geliebt hat amonta der lieben wird amata der geliebt wird amita der geliebt worden ist amota der geliebt werden soll mi estas aminta ich habe geliebt vi estis aminta Sie hatten geliebt li estas amanta er ist liebend si estis amata sie war im Zuge geliebt zu werden ni estos amintaj wir werden geliebt haben vi estas amataj Sie werden geliebt ili estas amitaj sie sind geliebt worden mi estus aminta ich wurde geliebt haben vi estus amita Sie wurden geliebt worden sein li estas foririnta er ist fortgegangen ili estus foririntaj sie wurden fortgegangen sein

This chapter on labour-saving may fitly conclude with an estimate of the amount of mere memorizing work to be done in Esperanto.

Since this is almost _nil_ for grammar, syntax, and idiom, and since there are no irregularities or exceptions, the memory work is, broadly speaking, reduced to learning the affixes, the table of correlatives, and a certain number of new roots. This number is astonis.h.i.+ngly small. Here is an estimate made by Prof. Macloskie, of Princeton, U.S.A.:

Number of roots new to an English boy without Latin, about 600*

" " " " " with " " 300 " " " a college teacher " 100

*i.e. about one-third of the whole number in the _Fundamento_.

IV

HOW ESPERANTO CAN BE USED AS A CODE LANGUAGE TO COMMUNICATE WITH PERSONS WHO HAVE NEVER LEARNT IT

Technically speaking, Esperanto combines the characteristics of an inflected language with those of an agglutinative one. This means that the syllables used as inflexions (_-o_, _-a_, _-e_, _-as_, _-is_, _-os_, _-ant-_, _-int-_, _-ont-_, etc.), being invariable and of universal application, can also be regarded as separate words. And as separate words they all figure in the dictionary, under their initial letters.

Thus anything written in Esperanto can be deciphered by the simple process of looking out words and parts of words in the dictionary. For examples, see pieces 1 and 2 in the specimens of Esperanto, pp. 167-8 [Part IV, Chapter II], and read the Note at the beginning of Part IV. As the Esperanto dictionary only consists of a few pages, it can be easily carried in the pocket-book or waistcoat pocket.

Thus, while to the educated person of Aryan speech Esperanto presents the natural appearance of an ordinary inflected language, one who belongs by speech to another lingual family, or any one who has never heard of Esperanto, can regard every inflected word as a compound of invariable elements. By turning over very few pages he can determine the meaning and use of each element, and therefore, by putting them together, he can arrive at the sense of the compound word, e.g.

_lav'ist'in'o_. Look out _lav-_, and you find "wash"; look out _-ist_, and you find it expresses the person who does an action; look out _-in_, and you find it expresses the feminine; look out _-o_, and you find it denotes a noun. Put the whole together, and you get "female who does was.h.i.+ng, laundress."

Suppose you are going on an ocean voyage, and you expect to be shut up for weeks in a s.h.i.+p with persons of many nationalities. You take with you keys to Esperanto, price one halfpenny each, in various languages.

You wish to tackle a Russian. Write your Esperanto sentence clearly and put the paper in his hand. At the same time hand him a Russian key to Esperanto, pointing to the following paragraph (in Russian) on the outside:

"Everything written in the international language can be translated by the help of this vocabulary. If several words together express but a single idea, they are written in one word, but separated by apostrophes; e.g. _frat'in'o_, though a single idea, is yet composed of three words, which must be looked for separately in the vocabulary."

After he has got over his shock of surprise, your Russian, if a man of ordinary education, will make out your sentence in a very short time by using the key.

As an example Dr. Zamenhof gives the following sentence: "Mi ne sci'as kie mi las'is la baston'o'n: Cu vi gi'n ne vid'is?" With the vocabulary this sentence will work out as follows:

Mi mi = I I ne ne = not not sci'as sci = know as = sign of present tense do know kie kie = where where mi mi = I I las'is las = leave is = sign of past tense have left la la = the the baston'o'n baston = stick o = sign of a noun n = sign of objective case stick cu cu = whether, sign of question whether vi vi = you you gi'n gi = it n = sign of objective case it ne ne = not not vid'is vid = leave is = sign of past tense have seen

It is obvious that no natural language can be used in the same way as a code to be deciphered with a small key.

German French

Ich I je I weiss white ne not nicht not sais ?