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Fantasy Magazine, v. 4, issue 4, whole no. 28, February-March 1935
Page 91
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FANTASY UNIVERSAL LANGUAGES by FORREST J. ACKERMAN I know of six artificial languages proposed for worldwide use. They are Ro, Novial, Perfecto, Volapuk, Basic, and Esperanto. Basic is a reduction of the English vocabulary to 850 words. Volapuk is the oldest, it was invented in 1879 by Johann Martin Scheyler of Constance, Baden, after twenty years of labor. Its meaning in English is "world-speech"; vol, world; puk, speech. In structure it is said to be simple and extremely regular, and the spelling entirely phonetic. Ro was originated more recently, and is a domestic product. It rejects "all root words and is based solely on the letters of the alphabet, making these absolutely phonetic." E. P. Foster of Ohio proposed it as an international language in 1910. But always Esperanto seems most popular, invented about 1887 by Dr. L. L. Zamenhof of Warsaw, it superseded Volapuk. Esperanto means "One Who Hopes." Dr. Zamenhof was a hoper, and every day, slowly but surely, his hopes are coming true. His daughter speaks Esperanto as he would have been proud for her to do. And thruout the world progressive-minded pioneers are learning. There is no argument but what we must one day have a universal tongue. Esperanto has 2,642 root-words. There are twenty-seven letters in the alphabet, but no q, w, x, or y. Every noun ends in 'o'. Every plural ends in the Esperanto 'j', which is like an English 'y' as in 'boy'. All verbs of the present end in 'as', future 'os', ktp. (ktp. is Esperanto for 'etc.') Spoken Esperanto is pleasing and rhythmic. And what does this Universal Language look like in print? Well, see if you can understand this: Fantazio Reveuo, 'La Resumo de Imagena Fikcio,' Forrest J. Ackerman, Scienco-Filmo Redaktisto. Cu (do) vi (you) komprenas (understand)? Certe! I have seen Esperantists and heard them speak. I saw a little girl, two and a half years old, who speaks only Esperanto. She knows no English. And she is teaching all the children around the neighborhood Esperanto, because they must learn it to udnerstand what she is saying! The language is valuable not only for intercommunication, but for thinking. Many Esperantists think solely in Esperanto. It offers an easy flow of thot such as no natural language can. H. G. Wells' 'The Sleeper Wakes' and other scientifiction works are to be had in Esperanto editions. Let us hope we speak Esperanto when a rocket brings bck a man from Mars. Our ioss, should the first interplanetary venturers be French, German, or Japanese, and the Martian greets us with "Mesdames et Messieurs: comment allez vous?" or "Ein sehr Herzlichen Gruss vom Euer Nachbar Planete!" or something!
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FANTASY UNIVERSAL LANGUAGES by FORREST J. ACKERMAN I know of six artificial languages proposed for worldwide use. They are Ro, Novial, Perfecto, Volapuk, Basic, and Esperanto. Basic is a reduction of the English vocabulary to 850 words. Volapuk is the oldest, it was invented in 1879 by Johann Martin Scheyler of Constance, Baden, after twenty years of labor. Its meaning in English is "world-speech"; vol, world; puk, speech. In structure it is said to be simple and extremely regular, and the spelling entirely phonetic. Ro was originated more recently, and is a domestic product. It rejects "all root words and is based solely on the letters of the alphabet, making these absolutely phonetic." E. P. Foster of Ohio proposed it as an international language in 1910. But always Esperanto seems most popular, invented about 1887 by Dr. L. L. Zamenhof of Warsaw, it superseded Volapuk. Esperanto means "One Who Hopes." Dr. Zamenhof was a hoper, and every day, slowly but surely, his hopes are coming true. His daughter speaks Esperanto as he would have been proud for her to do. And thruout the world progressive-minded pioneers are learning. There is no argument but what we must one day have a universal tongue. Esperanto has 2,642 root-words. There are twenty-seven letters in the alphabet, but no q, w, x, or y. Every noun ends in 'o'. Every plural ends in the Esperanto 'j', which is like an English 'y' as in 'boy'. All verbs of the present end in 'as', future 'os', ktp. (ktp. is Esperanto for 'etc.') Spoken Esperanto is pleasing and rhythmic. And what does this Universal Language look like in print? Well, see if you can understand this: Fantazio Reveuo, 'La Resumo de Imagena Fikcio,' Forrest J. Ackerman, Scienco-Filmo Redaktisto. Cu (do) vi (you) komprenas (understand)? Certe! I have seen Esperantists and heard them speak. I saw a little girl, two and a half years old, who speaks only Esperanto. She knows no English. And she is teaching all the children around the neighborhood Esperanto, because they must learn it to udnerstand what she is saying! The language is valuable not only for intercommunication, but for thinking. Many Esperantists think solely in Esperanto. It offers an easy flow of thot such as no natural language can. H. G. Wells' 'The Sleeper Wakes' and other scientifiction works are to be had in Esperanto editions. Let us hope we speak Esperanto when a rocket brings bck a man from Mars. Our ioss, should the first interplanetary venturers be French, German, or Japanese, and the Martian greets us with "Mesdames et Messieurs: comment allez vous?" or "Ein sehr Herzlichen Gruss vom Euer Nachbar Planete!" or something!
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