The International Auxiliary Language Esperanto Part 10

kolonelo, _colonel_, eks-kolonelo, _ex-colonel_.

edzigo, _a wedding_, eks-edzigo, _a divorce_.

GE- Denotes persons of both s.e.xes taken together (par. 286):

patro, _a father_, ge-patroj, _parents_, or _father and mother_.

mastro, _a master_, ge-mastroj, _master and mistress_.

MAL- Denotes the direct opposite of any idea (mal-e, _on the contrary_), (par. 289):

forta, _strong_, mal-forta, _weak_.

estimi, _to esteem_, mal-estimi, _to despise_.

MIS- Denotes mis-, amiss, wrongly, erroneously.

RE- Denotes, as in English, repet.i.tion, again, back (re-e, _again_), (par. 290):

iri, _to go_, re-iri, _to go again_.

diri, _to say_, re-diri, _to repeat_.

55 (_a_). PREPOSITIONS AND OTHER ROOTS USED AS PREFIXES.

On reference to par. 254, it will be seen that prepositions are frequently used as prefixes. A good many other particles also are used in the same way, e.g.:--

CEF par. 272 (_g_) DUON par. 286 FI par. 270 FOR par. 287 FUS par. 270 MEM par. 291 SIN par. 291 PRA par. 286 VIC par. 292

ELISION (Elizio).

56. Elision is not common in Esperanto, except in poetry, where it is used, when required, for the purpose of rhythm. Some prose writers use it, but it is better to avoid its use.

57. The letter _A_ in the article la may be elided when the article is preceded by a preposition ending in a vowel, for then the _L_ of the article can be sounded with the preposition and the full p.r.o.nunciation given to the first letter of the following word, e.g., de l' kreo de l' mondo (for de la) = _since the creation of the world_. (p.r.o.nounce de l' as del).

In poetry the letter _A_ of the article is occasionally elided before a word beginning with a vowel.

The final _O_ of the substantive may also be elided, e.g., kant'

(for kanto) = _a song_. The tonic accent (par. 17) remains on the same syllable on which it would fall if no elision had taken place.

Note that kant' may not be used as an abbreviation of anything else but kanto. Thus, it cannot represent kanton, kantoj, kante, kantas, etc.

The dropped letter is in all cases noted by an apostrophe.

_Gis la bela songo de l' homaro_ (_de l'_ for _de la_) _Por eterna ben' efektivigos_ (_ben'_ for _beno_).

Till the beautiful dream of humanity Shall be realized for an eternal blessing.

_Pri l' tempoj estontaj pensante_ (_pri l'_ for _pri la_) Thinking of times to be.

_L' espero, l' obstino kaj la pacienco._ Hope, tenacity, and patience.

INTERROGATION (Demandado).

58. Questions are asked in two ways, viz.--either by the interrogative adverb cu = _whether_, or by one of the interrogative words kia = _what kind of_, kial = _why_, kiam = _when_, kie = _where_, kiel = _how_, kies = _whose_, kio = _what_, kiom = _how much_, or _how many_, kiu = _who, which_.

(_a_). Cu is used when none of the other words in a sentence are used in an interrogative sense. It is, in fact, the general word for interrogations answerable by "yes" or "no."

Examples.--_Cu vi komprenas?_ = Do you understand? _Cu li legas?_ = Does he read? _Cu vi havas mian libron?_ = Have you my book? _Cu vi havas tion, kion mi bezonas?_ = Have you what (that which) I want?

_Cu Johano iris lernejon?_ (or, _al lernejo?_) = Did John go (_or_, has John gone) to school? _Cu vi pruntos al mi krajonon?_ = Will you lend me a pencil? _Cu li estos foririnta, antau ol vi alvenos?_ = Will he have gone away before you (will) arrive? _Cu vi estus tion farinta, se mi estus tie?_ = Would you have done that if I had been there?

When the verb following cu is in the Imperative mood, it shows the ellipsis of some other verb expressing "wish, desire, etc."

(see pars. 200, 237 (_m_)).

Examples.--_Cu mi iru kaj kunpremu la gorgon de tiu ci hundo...?_ (Zamenhof, "La Rabistoj") = Shall I go and squeeze the throat of this dog...? Here the full phrase would be, _Cu vi volas, ke mi iru...?_ = Do you wish me to go...? _Cu mi acetu por vi libron?_ = Shall I buy you a book? _Cu ni luu fiakron?_ = Shall we take a cab?

The verb is sometimes omitted when a question is preceded by an a.s.sertion.

Examples.--_Hodiau estas merkredo, cu ne?_ (or, _cu ne vere?_) = To-day is Wednesday, isn't it? _Ili diris al vi la veron, cu ne?_ = They told you the truth, didn't they? _Ili ne diris al vi la veron, cu?_ = They didn't tell you the truth, did they?

(_b_). The following examples show the use of the nine interrogatives kia, kial, kiam, etc.

Examples.--_Kian leteron vi skribis?_ = What kind of letter did you write? _Kial vi ne respondis?_ Why did you not answer? _Kiam li alvenos?_ = When will he come? _Kie estas la postoficejo?_ = Where is the post-office? _Kiel vi faris tion?_ = How did you do that?

_Kies domo estas tiu?_ = Whose house is that? _Kion vi konsilas al mi fari?_ = What do you advise me to do? _Kiom da cevaloj estas tie?_ = How many horses are there? (at that place)? _Kiom kostas tio?_ = How much does that cost? _Kiu estas en la gardeno?_ = Who is in the garden? _Kiun vi vidis en la pregejo?_ = Whom did you see in the church? _Kiu estas tie?_ = Who is there?

(_c_). Of the above, those ending in a consonant are invariable.

Those ending in a vowel can take the accusative _N_, but kia and kiu are the only words which take the plural _J_ (par. 142).

Examples.--_Kien vi iras?_ = Whither are you going? _Kiajn trancilojn vi bezonas?_ = What kind of knives do you need? _Kiujn librojn vi acetis?_ = Which books did you buy? _Kiuj estas la tagoj de la semajno?_ = Which are the days of the week?

(_d_). From kiom the adjective kioma = _how much, how many'th_ is formed, and this also may be used as an interrogative.

Example.--_Je kioma horo vi venos?_ = At what o'clock (hour) will you come?

(See correlative words, pars. 147-157. For further examples see pars.

64, 170. For place of interrogative see par. 91.)

NEGATION (Neado).

59. Double negatives are hardly ever used in Esperanto, for, if employed, they would, as in English, have an affirmative meaning.

(_a_). Ne = _no_, _not_, is the word in general use to imply negation. It immediately precedes the word or words it modifies.