The International Auxiliary Language Esperanto Part 22

Examples of Infinitive.--_Estas bone ne trompi_ (_ke oni ne trompu_) _sin_ = It is well not to deceive oneself. _La patrino lasis Marion legi_ (_ke si legu_) _sian libron_ (Mary's book); _sian libron_ (the mother's book). _La oficiro petis Auguston rigardi_ (_ke li rigardu_) _lin_ (him) _sin_ (himself). _La patro petis sian filon, helpi_ (_ke la filo helpu_) _sian_ (the son's) _amikon_; _lian_ (the father's) _amikon_.

Examples of Participle.--_La rego ordonis, ke ciuj renkontante_ (_kiam ili renkontis_) _lin, eliru. La princo montris viron, starantan post li. La knabo vidis siajn fratinojn, ludantajn_ (_kiuj ludas_) _per sia_ (their own) _pupo_--_per lia_ (with his) _pupo. La rego forveturis, ne sciiginte_ (_kaj ne sciigis_) _sian ministron pri sia_ (the king's) _devo_--_pri lia_ (the minister's) _devo._

(_d_). Boirac names _lia_, _sia_, _gia_, etc., the direct or normal form of the p.r.o.noun, "_La rekta formo_," and _sia_ the secondary or accessory form, "_flanka kaj akcesora_." He points out that where the use of the normal form could cause no possible ambiguity, the use of the reflexive form, though always advisable if justified by rule, is nevertheless not _obligatory_. It is even possible, as shown by Millidge, that the non-use of si may in some cases be felt to be somewhat clearer than its use, e.g., "_La Hino legas siajn skribajn signojn en sia dialekto, kaj la aliaj popoloj de Azio legas tiujn samajn signojn en ilia_ (instead of _sia_) _lingvo_ (_F.K._, p. 258).

In any case it is better, in case of doubt, to use the normal form.

It is worse to use the reflexive form when it should not be used, than to omit it when it might be used.

CORRELATIVE WORDS. (Korelativaj Vortoj.)

139. The 45 correlative words (see table, par. 147) form a very important part in the construction of the Esperanto language. Their uses and meanings are very easily learnt and remembered, since they have been exceedingly cleverly devised on a simple and uniform plan.

They are all to be found in the list of Primary Words given in Part V.

140. They consist of nouns, adjectives, p.r.o.nouns, and adverbs. Many of them can be applied to denote not only one word, but also expressions which require several English words to define clearly.

141. The words in the table (par. 147) are placed in series horizontally and vertically. All the words in each of the vertical series commence with the same letter, and all in each horizontal series have the same termination. It will be seen that the letter _I_ is the first letter in the first vertical series, and that this is a central letter in each of the other words in the table. The first letter of a word conveys an idea of its meaning, and the terminal letters following _I_ show how that idea is applied, and consequently the full meaning of the word.

(_a_). The initial letters convey the following ideas:--

I- that the word is "indefinite."

C- that the word is "distributive" or "collective."

K- that the word is "interrogative" or "relative."

NEN- that the word is "negative" (nen- = ne, _not_, and _N_ added for euphony).

T- that the word is "demonstrative."

(_b_). The terminal letters following _I_ denote that the idea is to be applied, in accordance with the termination, as follows:--

-A in relation to "quality" or "the kind of" (adjectival).

-AL in relation to "motive" or "reason for" (adverbial).

-AM in relation to "time" (adverbial).

-E in relation to "place" (adverbial).

-EL in relation to "manner" (adverbial).

-ES in relation to "possession" (p.r.o.nominal).

-O in relation to "a thing" (substantival or p.r.o.nominal).

-OM in relation to "quant.i.ty" or "number of" (adverbial).

-U in relation to "person" or "thing specified". (p.r.o.nominal or adjectival).

142. The correlative words are all complete in themselves, but some of them can be used as root-words, taking grammatical terminations when required by the sense to be conveyed. Those ending in the vowels _A_, _E_, _O_, _U_, must not _necessarily_ be presumed to be the parts of speech these letters indicate; the letters are not _grammatical_ terminations, they simply show, as before stated, how the idea conveyed in the preceding letters is to be applied. Those ending in a vowel all take the accusative _N_, and those ending in _A_ and _U_ also take the plural _J_.

Theoretically it is possible for the words ending in _O_ also to take the plural _J_; but in practice this is seldom useful.

143. The demonstrative p.r.o.nouns, tio = _that_ (thing), tiu = _that one_, _the former_, and sometimes cio, are followed by the separate word ci = _near_, to express the demonstrative p.r.o.noun, "this." Ci is invariable, but tio and tiu can be inflected as before stated. Thus tio = _that_ (thing), tio ci = _this_ (thing) (lit., "that here"), tion ci (accusative) = _this_ (thing). Tiu = _that one_, _the former_, tiu ci = _this one_, _the latter_. Tiuj = _those_, tiuj ci = _these_ (lit., "those here"). Often ci is placed first, as:--Ci tiu = _this one_. In fact, other things being equal, it is preferable to place ci before rather than after the t- word, though both forms are equally correct. Cio ci = _all this_.

144. The adverb, tie = _there_, is also followed by ci to denote "here." Thus tie = _there_, tie ci = _here_, tien (accusative) = _thither_, tien ci = _hither_. Occasionally ci is placed first, thus: ci tie, ci tien.

145. The interrogative or relative series (viz., those commencing with _K_) may be followed by the word ajn = _ever_, as kia ajn = _whatever kind of_, kial ajn = _for whatever reason_, kiam ajn = _whenever_, kie ajn = _wherever_, kiel ajn = _however_, kies ajn = _whosesoever_, kio ajn = _whatever_, kiom ajn = _however much_, _whatever quant.i.ty_, kiu ajn = _whoever_, _whichever_.

Some writers use ajn after other correlatives, but Dr. Zamenhof himself has rarely used it except after the series _kia_, _kial_, etc. However, he does not say it is wrong to extend its use, for when asked the question whether it could be employed after the series _ia_, _ial_, etc., he replied that it could, because, in Esperanto, any word could be combined with any other. See par. 158 (_c_) (_d_).

146. Grammatical terminations and suffixes may be added to the correlatives if required, thus making them nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, etc., as shown in the following examples. The hyphens are given to show the construction of the words, but should not be used in writing.

_Ciam-a_ = Everlasting, continual. _Ciam-e_ = Everlastingly, forever. _Cie-a_ = Of everywhere. _Ci-tie-a_ (_ci tiea_) = Of here. _Tie-a_ = Of there. _Ci-tie-ulo_ (_ci tieulo_) = A man of this place. _Tie-ulo_ = A man of that place. _Kiom-a_ = Of what quant.i.ty. _Kioma horo estas?_ = What time is it? _Neni-igi_ = To reduce to nothing, to destroy completely. _Neni-igi_ = To become nothing, to vanish. _Tiam-a_ = Of then, of that time. _Tiam-ulo_ = A man of that time, a contemporary. _La kial-o_ = The why and wherefore, the reason (cause). _Tiel-e_ = In that way.

147. TABLE OF CORRELATIVE WORDS.

Indefinite. Distributive, Interrogative Negative. Demonstrative.

General or and Relative.

Collective.

Quality IA CIA KIA NENIA TIA Kind of some (any) kind every kind of what kind of? no kind of that kind of (adjectival) or sort of every of what kind? no, no such such a some (any) of every kind what a! of no kind of that kind of some kind ... as (not any kind of)

Motive IAL CIAL KIAL NENIAL TIAL Reason for for some (any) for every for what for no for that (adverbial) reason or cause reason/cause reason/cause reason/cause reason/cause for all why? wherefore therefore reasons

Time IAM CIAM KIAM NENIAM TIAM (adverbial) at some always at what time? at no time at that time (any) time every time when never then ever for all time once ever

Place IE CIE KIE NENIE TIE (adverbial) in some in every place in what place in no place in that place (any) place everywhere where nowhere there somewhere (not yonder (anywhere) anywhere)

Manner IEL CIEL KIEL NENIEL TIEL (adverbial) in some (in) every in what in no in that manner/way manner/way manner/way manner/way manner/way somehow (in) every way how? nohow thus, so, (anyhow) all ways ... as by no means like (that) (in any manner) like not at all as ...

in such a manner

Possession IES CIES KIES NENIES TIES (p.r.o.nominal) somebody's everybody's whose no one's that one's (someone's) everyone's of which n.o.body's of that (anyone's) each one's of none of those of each, of all

Thing IO CIO KIO NENIO TIO (not specified) something everything what (thing) nothing that (thing) (substantival (anything) all things which not anything or p.r.o.nominal) all

Quant.i.ty IOM CIOM KIOM NENIOM TIOM (adverbial) some quant.i.ty every quant.i.ty what quant.i.ty no quant.i.ty that quant.i.ty somewhat all, the whole how much none so much/many rather, some all of it how many none at all as much/many a little, at all (any)

Individuality IU CIU KIU NENIU TIU Person or thing some one each one, each which one no one that one (p.r.o.nominal or (anyone) everybody who, he who n.o.body the former adjectival) _ciuj_=all, which, that all the ...

Examples of the Use of Correlative Words.

148. In the following examples (pars. 149-157) we have taken the correlative words in the table in the nine horizontal series, since in this way we can best show how some of the words are used in pairs.

149. Series ending in A (quality, kind of), adjectival.

Ia = _some sort of_, _some_, _a_, _an_.

Cia = _every_ (_each_) _kind of_, _every sort of_.

Kia = _what a_! _what kind of_? _of what kind_, _... as_.

Nenia = _no_, _no such_, _no kind of_, _of no kind_, _not any kind of_.

Ia ajn, _of any kind_ (_whatever_).