MORE ABOUT ESPERANTO.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81914, 7 January 1907, Page 2

MORE ABOUT ESPERANTO.

"Arapeti" writes to the Editor from Auckland as follows: Sir,—Whilst passing through Tanv niiki on my way to Wellington to spend my holidays, I, like everybody else oil tiic train, bought a copy of the "Tarauaki Daily News," and being an E-perantist, was greatly surprised to see in it a letter on "ilia kara lingo," so unknown and so wonderful. To me the letter was of double interest; firstly, because 1 myself was at one time,' like many people, much against this'new language; and. secondly, because I happen to be a persona! friend of the worthy professor men tioned. Perhaps he is well known to you, so there is no harm in disclosing | ; his name—.Mr Maurice 11. Kccsing, a truly brilliant linguist, and the master of twelve spoken languages. When 1 last saw him ho was learning Dalmatian, in order to teach some Austrian English! It is quite true that he could read Esperanto in a quarter of an hour; and although it may seem incredible to many, it is possible for any person of average intelligence to read Esperanto at iirst sight, and master it thoroughly in three months. This, of course, would be impossible witn anv other language. If it is not j encroaching upon you too much, 1 will give a small outline of the grammar, which, incredible as it may seem, can be mastered in an hour. In the lirst place, all the rules that are laid down are invariable, with no exceptions I whatever. The words, too, are spelt phonetically, and to this ~i„| a number of additional letters are used to represent sounds such as "sh." "ch/' and "gli." The additional letters to correspond with the example, given are ''s," "c," and "g," each with a eiieumllex. There is no liidelinite article, and the definite article is "la," which does not vary for masculine, feminine, or plural. All, nouns end in - 'o," ail adjectives ill "a," and all ail verbs in"c," and all plurals of nouns and adjectives, which, by the wav, always agree, end in "j," pro nounccd hue English "v." bo that "Honii" means good, "bone" means we'd, "bonaj" means goods, and "bona] bonoj" means good goods. The nouns have only two cases, nominative and objective, the other cases be ing supplied by the use of prepositions. The objective* is formed by the addition of "n" to the nominative. For example, "dom-" is tin; root meaning house, "domo" is the noun house, and "\'i havas domon" means, "ion have a house." The feminine of nouns is formed by allixing "in" at the end ot the masculine root, as "homo," man, '•hoinino,' woman. The doer of any action is denoted by allixing "ist," as "Esperanto," Esperanto, "Esperantisto," one who knows Esperanto, and ■■Esperaiitistimo," a lady who spoails Esperanto. The comparative and su- * " of adjectives are do jig the word "pli' «"d ' (ly before the positive jye, as "bona," good, fliid "plejbouai ,'elix^gMMHS