Re: Esperantist lies (Re: Learning a language)

From: Dmitri (uiesperanto_at_aol.com)
Date: 06/24/04 

Date: 24 Jun 2004 06:23:46 GMT

>[2] Good god! I didn't realize Esperanto had more than just <kv> as a
>possible terrible cluster. And initial <kn-> is not a rare cluster,
>but appears in what would seem to be rather common words like <knabo>
>and <knabino> ('boy' and 'girl', repsectively).[3]

Let's try your little game with knabo, shall we?

abo, babo, blabo, brabo; nothing
dabo, drabo; nothing (unless you want to count the gambling game played on the
space station in the Star Trek series DS9....but I suppose you're too hoi
polloi for such nonsense)
fabo; one........flabo, frabo; nothing.

Count so far: new word with changed consonant: 1, no new word: 9.

gabo, glabo, grabo gvabo; nothing
gxabo, habo, jabo, jxabo; nothing.
kabo; two.

count so far: new word: 2, no new word: 17.

klabo: 3, krabo: 4, kvabo: nope.

count: new word: 4; no new word: 18

labo, mabo: zip: 4 to 20.

nabo? 5 to 20..........ooh, a whole one quarter of the possibilities so
far.....that's SO confusing!!

pabo, plabo, pnabo, prabo, psabo: zilch; score: 5 to 25.......d'oh! down to a
fifth!

rabo: not in the dictionary but perfectly acceptable within the word building
rules: score= 6 to 25.

sabo, scabo, sfabo, skabo, sklabo, skrabo, skvamo, slabo, smabo, snabo, spabo,
splabo, sprabo: nothing. 6 to 38.

stabo....another one! 7 to 38

strabo, svabo: nope. 7 to 40

sxabo, sxlabo, sxmabo, sxnabo, sxpabo,sxprabo, sxrabo, sxtabo, sxvabo,
let's see, that makes 7 to 49.

tabo, tjabo, trabo......ope! another one!

8 to 51
vabo, vjabo, vlabo; MIA
 
8 to 54

zabo,

That comes to 8 out of 55 substitutions that end up being another word.....that
comes out to 14.5%.

Now, I'm not going to go thru every single word in the language, but I'm sure
that there would be a comprable number of instances where there is no new word
made by substitution.

Besides, ANYONE can readily hear a difference in MOST pairs of consonant
changes. One canNOT say the same for lexical tone, even if there ARE only a
few instances in which a subsitution of tones would actually make a new word
(which scenario I highly doubt. Anti-Esperantists are just as (if not more so)
"notorious" for their own "lies" as we are supposed to be).

Dmitri
Iowa City, IA

Views expressed in this post are not necessarily the official views of the
Eastern Iowa Esperanto League, the Esperanto League for North America or even
the Esperanto movement as a whole. Supposed rudeness is mine alone. (DRM)

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Language un-upmanship
    ... > Dmitri> the concept of lexical tone. ... >Any scientific evidences for your claim? ... Eastern Iowa Esperanto League, the Esperanto League for North America or even ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: Learning a language
    ... it is an expression, an idiom. ... Eastern Iowa Esperanto League, the Esperanto League for North America or even ... Supposed rudeness is mine alone. ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: Learning a language
    ... 05:45:03 PST with his completely snide and opinionated comment on the supposed ... Eastern Iowa Esperanto League, the Esperanto League for North America or even ... Supposed rudeness is mine alone. ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: I think I am a language geek :)
    ... in every case it was as a result of extreme provocation. ... Eastern Iowa Esperanto League, the Esperanto League for North America or even ... Supposed rudeness is mine alone. ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: Esperantist lies (Re: Learning a language)
    ... Tell me what an anaphora is and also a quantifier ... that's just two verbs) verses 6 for ALL verbs. ... Eastern Iowa Esperanto League, the Esperanto League for North America or even ...
    (sci.lang)