Hand-book of Volapük/Formation of Adjectivs

by Charles E. Sprague

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FORMATION OF ADJECTIVS.

The “cardinal” numeral adjectivs have been given under numbers.

The ordinal numerals, first, second, third, etc., end in id. First, balid; second, telid; tenth, balsid; eleventh, balsebalid; 377th, kiltumvelsevelid, written 377id. There is also an interrogation form, kimid? “how-many-eth?” for which we have in English no equivalent. „Del kimid mula binom?“ “What day of the month is it?”

These, and all other adjectivs, regularly follow the noun.

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EXERCISE 9.

Balul, January. Telul, February.

In the same manner form the names of the months to September (Zülul) inclusive.

Balsul, October. Babul, November. Batul, December. Balüdel, Sunday. Telüdel, Monday, etc.

Exercises for translation:

Balul binom mul balid. Velul binom mul velid. Kilüdel binom del kilid viga. Batul binom mul balsetelid yela. Düp kilid. Düp kimid binom? Binom düp balsid.

Saturday is the seventh day of the week. November is the eleventh month. It is four o'clock. (It is the fourth hour.)

POSSESSIV PRONOUNS.

The possessivs, my, mine, thy, thine, etc., may be rendered in two ways:

1. By the kimafal of the pronoun; fat oba, my father; fat obas, our father.

2. By the termination -ik, forming a possessiv adjectiv; buk obik, my book; buks omsik, their books; buk at binom olik, this book is yours.

The kimafal is used when otherwise there would be too much repetition of the termination ik.

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EXERCISE 10.

Nelijapük, English language. Nelijel, Englishman.	Flentapük, French language. Flentel, Frenchman.
Sikod, therefore.

Tidel obik tidom pulis lul. Kim binom tidel ola? Tidel obsik labom julelis telsefol. Pük obas binom nelijapük. Fat obik labom sonis kil e jisonis tel; sikod labob blodis tel e jiblodis tel. Binobs cils lul. Fat obsik löfom cilis omik. Mot obsik löfof silis ofa. Fat e mot obsik löfoms cilis omsik.

My teacher reads a book. Your father has four dogs. Who is YOUR teacher? Our teacher is a Frenchman. Our father and mother love their children. Who is our father? Our father is the husband of our mother. Your father and my mother are friends. My teacher's language [language of teacher mine] is French [French language]. Your teacher reads my books.

DEMONSTRATIVS.

The demonstrativ pronouns, which are used as adjectivs, and also by themselvs, are the following:

Emphatic forms,

at, ät,

et, eit,

it, iet,

ot, öt,

ut; üt;

som. söm.

At, this; man at, this man; buks at, these books; del ät, this very day.

Et, that; pul et, that boy; jipuls eit, those very girls.

It, -self; man it, the man himself; vom it, the woman herself; ob it, I myself; obs iet, we our own selves.

Ot, same; tidel ot, the same teacher; tid öt, just the same instruction.

Ut, that, before a relativ; man ut, kel vilom binön libik, that man (or the man) who wishes to be free.

Som, such; dog som, such a dog; kats söm, just such cats.

The emphatic forms are rarely used and may be dispenst with altogether.

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EXERCISE 11.

Laned, country (not the city). Dom, house. Sevob, I know, am acquainted with (not, I know a fact). Zif, town. Lödob, I live, dwell.

Län, country (a division of land). Lödöp, dwelling. Ab, but. No, not, no. Men, human being, person. In, in (followed by the kimfal).

Dom at binom lödöp obsik. Man et labom cilis kil; sevob silis ab no mani it. Zif at labom domis tum e menis veltum. Mans, voms e cils binoms mens. Sevol tideli e tedeli; ob sevob manis ot. Man ut, kel lödom in dom et, binom lautel, e penom bukis.

This country is mine. I live in that house. The men who live in that town know us. We live in the same town. These animals are horses.

THE RELATIV.

The relativ pronoun is kel, who, which, what. It has the force of a conjunction and a pronoun. It is used independently or as an adjectiv.

THE INTERROGATIV.

The interrogativ pronoun is kim? kif? kis? when used independently, and kiom? kiof? kios? when used as an adjectiv.

THE ADJECTIV IN -IK.

All other adjectivs are formed from nouns by adding the ending -ik. Gud, goodness; gudik, good. Löf, love; löfik, dear; löflik, lovely. Yel, year; yelik, pertaining to the year; yelsik, yearly. Any word with the end-syllable -ik is surely an adjectiv.

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EXERCISE 12.

Sevob, I know.	Läd, lady, Madam.	Din, thing.
Lautob, I compose [a book].

Sevob mani, kel penom bukis at. Man, keli sevob, penom bukis at. Kim penom bukis? Lautel. Kis binom lautel? Lautel binom man ut, kel lautom bukis. Kif binof läd et, kel labof dogi? Läd et binof jisanel B——; matel ofa binom sanel obsik.

I see the man who gives money to the boys. Who knows the author of this book? The doctor's wife knows the man who is the author of the book. What is a merchant? A merchant is a man who buys and sells things. Who is that woman? That woman is a teacher, who teaches boys and girls.

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EXERCISE 13.

Gudik, good. Gud, goodness. Lonedik, long. Manik, male, masculin. Gletik, great, large. Mödik, many, much. Saunik, well, healthy. Löfik, dear, [beloved].	Badik, bad. Bad, badness. Blefik, short. Jilik, female. feminin. Smalik, small little. Nemödik, a few. Valik, all. Delidik, dear, [costly].	Spelob, I hope. Das, that. Lad, heart. Ladlik, hearty, cordial. Subsat, noun. Neudik, neuter. Neit, night. Te, only. Nedelidik, cheap.
Ed, used before a vowel, means and.

Man at binom gudik. Mans gudik laboms flenis mödik.—O söl löfik! penob ole penedi blefik e spelob das binol saunik. Binob flen volapüka e sagon das volapük labom flenis mödik in län olsik.—Men ut, kel labom ladi badik, labom neflenis mödik.—Subsats in nelijapük binoms manik, jilik e neudik; in volapük ed in flentapük binoms manik e jilik.—In batul labobs delis blefik e neitis lonedik.

My dear friend: [use kimafal to avoid repetition of ik] Your letter is short and cordial. I have a few friends who write to me long letters.

CAUTION.—Adjectiv after noun. But with two adjectivs, you may put one before and one after, to avoid ik in succession. Give to the first the same termination as the noun. Ex.: “Of many men,” „manas mödik;“ “of many good men,” „mödikas manas gudik.“

All good men have good hearts, and love good things. God is the father of all men [human beings]. All men who love God are good. God is the author of all good things. I am your cordial friend, who hopes that you are well. The letters which YOU write to us are short. Who is the lady to whom you write long letters? That lady is the wife of Doctor B——; she, herself, is not [no binof] a physician.

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EXERCISE 14.

Hereafter, many of the words used in the exercises will have to be looked for in the vocabulary at the end of the book.

Si, yes. No, no or not; when it means not, it is placed next before the verb which is denied.

Lesi, yes indeed. Leno, not at all, by no means.

God no löfom menis badik. Mens badik no löfoms Godi—Subsats in volapük no binoms neudik; laboms genis te tel, no kil. Dins nelifik binoms gena manik.—Tedels, kels sevoms volapüki, spodoms ko vol lölik. Kims sevoms volapüki? Valiks mens estudik in vol lölik.

I do not see my three books. Which book [book which] is good? This book is not bad. I have not many good books. How many genders are there in Volapük? [“Genders how many are in Volapük” Omit “there” in “there is,” “there are.”] There are two genders [two genders are] in Volapük and in French; there are three genders in English and in German. One (not bal, 1) studies Volapük in all countries of the whole world.