Arcaicam Esperantom

Short description: Constructed dialect of Esperanto

Archaic Esperanto
[Arcaicam Esperantom]
Pronunciation	arka'ikam espe'rantom
Created by	Manuel Halvelik
Date	around 1969
Purpose	constructed language International auxiliary language Esperanto Esperantido Archaic Esperanto
Writing system	Latin, Fraktur
Signed forms	Signuno
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Glottolog	None
IETF	eo-arkaika

[Arcaicam Esperantom] (English: Archaic Esperanto; Esperanto: arĥaika Esperanto, arkaika Esperanto), is an auxiliary sociolect for translating literature into Esperanto created to act as a fictional 'Old Esperanto', in the vein of languages such as Middle English or the use of Latin citations in modern texts.

It was created by linguist Manuel Halvelik (eo) as part of a range of stylistic variants including Gavaro (slang) and Popido (patois), forming Serio La Sociolekta Triopo.

Halvelik also compiled a scientific vocabulary closer to Greco-Latin roots and proposed its application to fields such as taxonomy and linguistics. He gave this register of Esperanto the name Uniespo (Uniëspo, Universala Esperanto, 'Universal Esperanto').

The idea of an "old Esperanto" was proposed by the Hungarian poet Kalman Kalocsay who in 1931 included a translation of the Funeral Sermon and Prayer, the first Hungarian text (12th century), with hypothetic forms as if Esperanto were a Romance language deriving from Vulgar Latin.

La Sociolekta Triopo

La Sociolekta Triopo (the sociolect triple) does not create new Esperantidos (e.g. Esperanto II), but its sole purpose—including Arcaicam Esperantom—is to reflect styles in literature translated into Esperanto, like the Berlin Middle-German dialect spoken by characters in Carl Zuckmayer's Captain of Köpenick (Popido), or ancient styles in Walter Scott's Ivanhoe (Arcaicam Esperantom).

La Sociolekta Triopo thus constitutes not three new constructed languages, but constructed auxiliary sociolects for Esperanto, understandable by every reader of Esperanto but still providing the stylistic differences between dialects (Popido), slang (Gavaro), and ancient forms contrasting with Fundamento, standard Esperanto, e.g. in works of Mark Twain (slang and southern dialect) or The Lord of the Rings (Arcaicam Esperantom for the elves, Popido for the Hobbits).

Differences from Esperanto

Manuel Halvelik in 1975.

Spelling

Esperanto/Arcaicam esperantom spellings

Esperanto	Arcaicam Esperantom
c	[tz]
ĉ	[ch]
f	[ph]
ĝ	[gh]
ĥ	[qh]
j	[y]
ĵ	[zh]
ŝ	[sh]
v	[w]

The three following rules are also added:

• g becomes [gu] (before [e, i] ) or [g] (before other letters)
• k becomes [qu] (before [e, i] ) or [c] (before other letters)
• ŭ becomes [ù] (but see below regarding -aŭ adverbs)

diphthongs

• aŭ becomes [aù] (but see below regarding -aŭ adverbs)
• eŭ becomes [eù]

consonant clusters

• dz becomes [zz]
• ks becomes [x]
• kv becomes [cù]

Typography

Halvelik recommends blackletter and uncial types.

Pronouns

Pronouns are changed as:

Pronouns—Arcaicam Esperantom compared to Esperanto

English	Esperanto	Arcaicam Esperantom
I	mi	[mihi]
thou/you (singular)	ci	[tu]
he	li	[lùi]
she	ŝi	[eshi]
it	ĝi	[eghi]
we	ni	[nos]
you (plural)	vi	[wos]
they	ili	[ilùi]
Reflexive pronoun (pronoun)+self*	si	[sihi]

*herself/himself/itself/themselves

• There is an old pronoun [egui] which is a personal, sex-neutral pronoun (utrum). Its intended use is for referring to deities, angels, animals etc.

Verbs

• The infinitive ends in [-ir] , rather than in the -i of modern Esperanto. Ex.: fari becomes [pharir] .
• The verb endings change according to the subject. So it is not necessary to write the subject pronoun, where there is no ambiguity.

Ex: The modern Esperanto verb esti (to be), present tense:

• mi/ci/li/ŝi/ĝi/si/ni/vi/ili estas

The Arcaicam Esperantom verb [estir] (to be), present tense:

• [(mihi) estams]
• [(tu) estas]
• [(lùi/eshi/eghi/egui) estat]
• [(nos) estaims]
• [(wos) estais]
• [(ilùi) estait]

The other verb tenses behave the same way, as does the conditional mood:

• The future-tense conjugation estos becomes [estoms] , etc.
• The past-tense conjugation estis becomes [estims] , etc.
• The conditional-mood conjugation estus becomes [estums] , etc.

The imperative mood behaves differently from that pattern:

• The imperative form estu stays [estu] for singular subjects, but becomes [estuy] for plural subjects.

Nominals

Language	Nominative		Accusative		Dative		Genitive
	singular	plural	singular	plural	singular	plural	singular	plural
Arcaicam Esperantom	~om	~oy	~on	~oyn	~od	~oyd	~es	~eys
Esperanto	~o	~oj	~on	~ojn	al x~o	al x~oj	de ~o	de ~oj

• -o becomes [om] (sg. noun, nominative)
• -oj becomes [oy] (pl. noun, nominative)
• -on stays [-on] (sg. noun, accusative). Where Esperanto has a direction accusative, the dative is used. E.g.: Esperanto: Tiu virino la drinkemulon venordonis antaŭ la tribunalon, lit. 'That woman ordered the drunkard to come before the tribunal' becomes [Ityu Wirinnom Drinquemulon] wenordiguit [sic] [antez Tribunalod] .
• -ojn becomes [-oyn] (pl. noun, accusative)
• al x-o becomes x[-od] (sg. noun, dative – ex.: al domo becomes [domod] )
• al x-oj becomes x[-oyd] (pl. noun, dative – ex.: al domoj becomes [domoyd] )
• de x-o becomes x[-es] (sg. noun, genitive – ex.: de domo becomes [domes] )
• de x-oj becomes x[-eys] (pl. noun, genitive – ex.: de domoj becomes [domeys] )
• -e becomes [-œ] (adverb) (This is a new phoneme, not present in modern Esperanto. It is pronounced like the German ö.)
• -aŭ becomes [-ez] (-aŭ-adverb such as baldaŭ, etc.)
• -a becomes [-am] (sg. adjective, nominative)
• -aj becomes [-ay] (pl. adjective, nominative)
• A noun is always written with a capital letter. Ex: [Glawom] = (la) glavo.
• The verb infinitive can function as a noun, having the meaning that is carried in modern Esperanto by the root with the suffix -ado. The infinitive functioning as a noun takes, as does any other noun, both a capital letter and a case ending. Ex: [Leguirom] = (la) legado.
• The declension of personal pronouns below, however, differs significantly from declensions of nouns or adjectives. These personal pronouns have their own adjectival forms.

English	Cases				Adjectival form
	Nominative	Genitive	Accusative	Dative
I	[mihi]	[mihes]	[mihin]	[mihid]	[mihiam]
you (sg.)	[tu]	[tues]	[tuin]	[tuid]	[tuam]
he	[lùi]	[lùies]	[lùin]	[lùid]	[lùiam]
she	[eshi]	[eshies]	[eshin]	[eshid]	[eshiam]
it	[eghi]	[eghies]	[eghin]	[eghid]	[eghiam]
we	[nos]	[noses]	[nosin]	[nosid]	[nosam]
you (pl.)	[wos]	[woses]	[wosin]	[wosid]	[wosam]
they	[ilùi]	[ilùies]	[ilùin]	[ilùid]	[ilùiam]
(possessive pron.) + -self	[sihi]	[sihes]	[sihin]	[sihid]	[sihiam]

Correlatives

• ki- becomes [cuy-]
• ti- becomes [ity-]
• i- becomes [hey-]
• neni- becomes [nemy-]
• ĉi- becomes [chey-]
• ali- becomes [altri-]

(Note: Ali-, which in modern Esperanto is not a correlative despite its use in that fashion by some, becomes in Arcaicam Esperantom as [altri-] a full-fledged correlative.)

• -o becomes [-om]
• -a becomes [-am]
• -am becomes [-ahem]
• -e becomes [-œ]
• -om becomes [-ohem]
• (-u stays [-u] )
• (-el stays [-el] )
• the particle ĉi becomes is- (ĉi tiu = [isityu] )

Articles

• The definite article la does not exist in Arcaicam Esperantom. If necessary, a specific person or object can be indicated by means of [ityu] (in modern Esperanto tiu).
• The indefinite article, which modern Esperanto does not have, does exist in Arcaicam Esperantom. The indefinite article is [unn] (which is the same word for the number 1).

Examples

The Lord's Prayer

[Patrom nosam, cuyu estas in Chielom, Estu sanctiguitam Tuam Nomom. Wenu Tuam Regnom, Plenumizzu Tuam Wolom, Cuyel in Chielom, ityel anquez sobrez Terom. Nosid donu hodiez Panon nosan cheyutagan, Ed nosid pardonu nosayn Pecoyn, Cuyel anquez nos ityuyd cuyuy contrez nos pecait pardonaims. Ed nosin ned conducu in Tentod, Sed nosin liberigu ex Malbonom. Amen.]

Version with cognates in standard Esperanto: Patro nia, kiu estas en Ĉielo, Estu sanktigita Cia Nomo. Venu Cia regno, Plenumiĝu Cia volo Kiel en Ĉielo, tiel ankaŭ sur Tero. Al ni donu hodiaŭ panon nian ĉiutagan, Kaj al ni pardonu niajn pekojn Kiel ankaŭ ni tiujn, kiuj kontraŭ ni pekas, pardonas. Kaj nin ne konduku en tenton Sed nin liberigu el malbono. Amen.

Romeo and Juliet

Arcaicam Esperantom		Esperanto: Romeo kaj Julieta		Shakespeare: R&J II, 2 (Lines rearranged to correspond)
[Sed haltu: cuyam Lumom ityun Phenestron Traradiat? Yemen Orientom, Ed Yulieta memes Sunom estat! Lewizzu, belam Sunom, ed mortigu Enwian Lunon, cuyu tristœ palat, Char tu, Serwantom eshiam, yamen Plid belam ol eshi memes estas. Ned estu plud Eshiam Serwantom, se eshi tuin enwiat: Eshiam westalam Robom werdam Ed malsanetzam estat, ed solœ Pholuloy Wolontœ eghin portait. Eghin phorjetu. Yemen Damom miham; ho, yemen Amom miham! Se solœ ityon eshi stziut!]		Sed haltu: kia lumo tiun fenestron Traradias? Jen oriento Kaj Julieta mem suno estas! Leviĝu, bela Suno, kaj mortigu Envian Lunon, kiu triste palas, Ĉar ci, servanto ŝia, jam Pli bela ol ŝi mem estas. Ne estu plu Ŝia servanto, se ŝi cin envias: Ŝia vestala robo verda Kaj malsaneca estas, kaj sole frenezuloj Volonte ĝin portas. Ĝin forĵetu. Jen mia Damo; ho, jen mia amo! Se sole tion ŝi scius!		But, soft ! what light through yonder window breaks? / It is the east, and Juliet is the sun! — / Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, / Who is [already] sick and pale with grief, / That thou her maid (yet) art [far] more fair than she: / Be [not] (no more) her maid, since she is envious; / Her vestal livery [is but sick and green], (green and sick is) / And none but fools (willingly) do wear it; cast it off. — / It is my lady; O, it is my love! / O, that she knew she were! —

Phrases

• [Salutoyn cheyuyd! Cuyel phartais wos?] –'Hello everyone, how are you?'
• [Lùi ex Byelostocom wenat] . – 'He comes from Białystok.'
• [Cuyel nomizzas] ? – 'What is your name?'
• [Nomizzams Petrus] . – 'My name is Peter.'
• [Ityon comprenams bonœ] . – 'I understand that well.'
• [Unn Manom altrian Manon lawat] . – 'One hand washes the other (hand).'
• [Tempom phughat] . – 'Tempus fugit' (Vergil)
• [Ityel pasat mondes Glorom] . – 'Sic transit gloria mundi' (Thomas à Kempis)
• [Wenims, widims, wenquims] . – 'Veni, vidi, vici' (Julius Caesar)
• [Homom Homoyd Lupom estat] . – 'Homo homini lupus' (Plautus)

See also

• Proto-Esperanto
• Esperantido

References

• Arkaika Esperanto : Arcaicam Esperantom. Brugge: Sonorilo, 1969. 122 pages.
• Arkaika Esperanto : Arcaicam Esperantom. 2010 edition. 258 pages. Downloadable as a 9MB PDF file.

External links

• Arcaicam Esperantom at the Conlang Atlas of Language Structures.