View source for Neo (constructed language)

{{Infobox language
|name     = Neo
|image    = Neologo.png
|imagecaption = 
|imagesize  = 150px
|creator  = Arturo Alfandari
|created     = 1961
|setting  = [[International auxiliary language]]
|speakers = "a small following"
|ref = <ref>[http://www-01.sil.org/iso639-3/cr_files/2011-001_neu.pdf]</ref>
|fam2     = [[International auxiliary language]]
|posteriori = Most of the vocabulary from Romance and some from Germanic languages; phonology from Romance and [[Social:Slavic languages|Slavic languages]]
|agency   = Akademio de Neo (now defunct)
|iso3     = neu
|linglist = neu
|glotto=neoa1234
|glottorefname=Neo (Artificial Language)
}}

'''Neo''' is a constructed [[International auxiliary language|international auxiliary language]] created by Arturo Alfandari, a Belgian diplomat of Italian descent. The language combines features of [[Social:Esperanto|Esperanto]], [[Ido language|Ido]], [[Novial]] and [[Social:Volapük|Volapük]]. The root base of the language and grammar (in contrast to that of Esperanto and Ido) are closely related to that of the [[Social:French language|French language]], with some [[Social:English language|English]] influences.

==History==

The first Neo draft was published in 1937 by Arturo Alfandari but attracted wider attention in 1961 when Alfandari published his books ''Cours Pratique de Neo'' and ''The Rapid Method of Neo''. The works included both brief and complete grammar, learning course of 44 lectures, translations of literary works (poetry and prose), original Neo literature, scientific and technical texts, idioms, detailed bidirectional French and English dictionaries. The total volume of the publications was 1304 pages, with dictionaries numbering some 75,000 words. Such a degree of details was unprecedented among constructed languages of the time.

The language stands in the tradition of international auxiliary languages such as [[Social:Esperanto|Esperanto]] or Ido, with the same goal: a simple, neutral and easy to learn second language for everybody.

Neo attracted the interest of the circle around the ''International Language Review'', a periodical for IAL proponents whose publishers co-founded the international Friends of Neo (''Amikos de Neo'') with Alfandari; the organization also published its bulletin, the ''Neo-bulten''. For a few years it looked like Neo could give some serious competition to [[Social:Esperanto|Esperanto]] and [[Interlingua]].

As Alfandari's health worsened, to avoid disappearance of his language, he founded a second, more serious organization: the Academy of Neo (''Akademio de Neo''), with the task of regulating, nurturing and spreading the language; but the organization was not very successful.  Progress was cut short by Alfandari's death in 1969 and the language was mostly forgotten.<ref>{{cite web
 |last        = Harlow
 |first       = Don
 |title       = How To Build A Language: Neo
 |work        = The Esperanto Book
 |year        = 2000
 |url         = http://donh.best.vwh.net/Esperanto/EBook/chap03.html#neo
 |accessdate  = 2008-11-09
 |url-status     = dead
 |archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120204044938/http://donh.best.vwh.net/Esperanto/EBook/chap03.html#neo
 |archivedate = 2012-02-04
}}</ref>

==Overview==

Grammatically, the language is mostly influenced by Ido and [[Social:Esperanto|Esperanto]]; but also, in some characteristics such as a plural ''-s'' and natural-appearing pronouns, by the naturalistic IALs like [[Interlingua]] and Occidental.
[[Image:Rapid Method of Neo Cover.jpg|thumb|The cover of ''The Rapid Method of Neo'']]
The way of forming the vocabulary and the preference for short, monosyllabic words show a substantial [[Social:Volapük|Volapük]] influence but, unlike the latter's roots which are often changed and mutilated beyond recognition, the Neo roots are easily recognizable as Romance.

It is also notable for its terseness, which exceeds that of English or any [[International auxiliary language]] (IAL) of the ''a priori'' type, which makes it very compact and brief in expression, and for the facility of its grammar whose overview occupies only two pages.

==Orthography and phonology==
===Alphabet===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; table-layout:fixed"
|+ Neo alphabet (+ digraphs)
! Number ||1||2||3||4||5||6||8||8||9||10||11||12||13||14||15||16||17||18||19||20||21||22||23||24||25||26||-||-
|-
!Upper case
|A||B||C||D||E||F||G||H||I||J||K||L||M||N||O||P||Q||R||S||T||U||V||W||X||Y||Z||SH||TS
|-
!Lower case
|a||b||c||d||e||f||g||h||i||j||k||l||m||n||o||p||q||r||s||t||u||v||w||x||y||z||sh||ts
|-
! [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] [[Social:Phoneme|phoneme]]
|{{IPAlink|a}}
|{{IPAlink|b}}
|style="background-color:#fcc"|{{IPAlink|t͡ʃ}}
|{{IPAlink|d}}
|{{IPAlink|e}}
|{{IPAlink|f}}
|{{IPAlink|g}}
|{{IPAlink|h}}
|{{IPAlink|i}}
|style="background-color:#fcc"|{{IPAlink|d͡ʒ}}
|{{IPAlink|k}}
|{{IPAlink|l}}
|{{IPAlink|m}}
|{{IPAlink|n}}
|{{IPAlink|o}}
|{{IPAlink|p}}
|style="background-color:#fcc"|kw
|{{IPAlink|r}}
|{{IPAlink|s}}
|{{IPAlink|t}}
|{{IPAlink|u}}
|{{IPAlink|v}}
|{{IPAlink|w}}
|style="background-color:#fcc"|ks
|style="background-color:#fcc"|{{IPAlink|j}}
|{{IPAlink|z}}
|style="background-color:#fcc"|{{IPAlink|ʃ}}
|style="background-color:#fcc"|{{IPAlink|t͡s}}
|}

Neo uses the 26 letters of the standard Roman alphabet: five vowels and 21 consonants. When spelling a word, the letters have an -e ending:

a, be, ce, de, e, fe, ge, he, i, je, ke, le, me, ne, o, pe, qe, re, se, te, u, ve, we, xe, ye, ze.

===Pronunciation===

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
|+ '''Examples:'''
! Neo !! How to pronounce
|-
| c (ch) || '''ch'''air, su'''ch'''
|-
| g || '''g'''arden, lo'''g'''
|-
| j || '''j'''ewel, ba'''dg'''e
|-
| q (kw) || '''qu'''art, li'''qu'''id 
|-
| s || '''s'''ome, ma'''sh'''
|-
| sh || '''sh'''all, ma'''sh'''
|-
| ts || '''ts'''etse, lo'''ts'''
|-
| w || '''w'''ing, south'''w'''est
|-
| x (ks) || o'''x'''en, ta'''x'''es
|-
| y || '''y'''arn, '''y'''ogurt
|}

The ''c'' has the same pronunciation as the digraph ''ch''; both are pronounced as in English words like '''''ch'''alk'' or '''''ch'''imney'', and in borrowed Italian words like '''''c'''iao'' or ''boccon'''c'''ini'', never with the 'k' sound in ''care'' or the 's' sound in ''certain.'' The ''g'' always has the “hard” pronunciation, never the “soft” pronunciation of '''''g'''em'' or '''''g'''iant''. The ''s'' is always unvoiced, never pronounced with the 'z' sound in ''ro'''s'''e'' or the 'zh' sound in ''lei'''s'''ure.''

Other letters, including the vowels, are pronounced as in [[Social:Esperanto|Esperanto]]. Words with the letters ''q'' (not pronounced 'kjoo' but as in English 'qu') and ''x'' (pronounced 'ks' without an initial vowel) may optionally be spelled with ''kw'' and ''ks'', respectively. Each letter is always spoken in the same way, except that final ''h'' is silent in a few borrowed words like pasha''h'', mufti''h'', kadi''h'', papa''h'', mama''h''.

===Spelling===
All words are written with initial small letters (minuscules), except for proper nouns and the first word of a sentence.

===Stress===
Words ending in a vowel have a stress accent on the second-last syllable. Words ending in a consonant have a stress accent on the last syllable.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
|+ '''Examples:'''
! Neo !! English meaning
|-
| l'''i'''bro || book
|-
| p'''a'''tro || father
|-
| kem'''i'''o || chemistry
|-
| f'''o'''lyo || leaf
|-----
| gard'''e'''n || garden
|-
| am'''i'''k || friend
|}

The plural '''-s''' or '''-os''' does not affect the stress accent.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
|+ '''Examples:'''
! Neo !! English meaning
|-
| l'''i'''bros || books
|-
| gard'''e'''nos || gardens
|-
| am'''i'''kos || friends
|}

In the combinations '''uo''', '''au''' and '''eu''', the vowels are to be pronounced separately, not as diphthongs. Nevertheless, the stress accent does not fall on the '''u''' in such vowel combinations.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
|+ '''Examples:'''
! Neo !! English meaning
|-
| l'''i'''nguo || language
|-
| '''a'''uto || automobile
|-
| n'''e'''utra || neuter (grammatical gender)
|}

==Grammar==

The articles are invariable:
* '''lo''' (the) : lo frato, lo soro, lo arbro → l'arbro
* '''un''' (a/an) : un arbro

Adjectives end in ''a'' and are invariable:
* un bona soro, un bona frato, lo bona fratos (no ''s'' added to ''lo'', nor to ''bona'')

Adverbs end in ''e'' and are invariable:
* bon → bone

Singular nouns end in ''o'', which can be dropped, as long as the pronunciations remain very easy.<ref>Rapid Method of Neo, p. 10: not "tabl" or "libr" which may be difficult to pronounce</ref> Plural nouns end in ''os''.
;* arbro, frat(o), sor(o), arbros

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
|+ '''Pronoun declension:'''
! English !! Subject !! Object !! Possessive
|-
| I || mi || me || ma
|-
| you || tu || te || ta
|-
| he || il || le || la
|-
| she || el || le/ley || la
|-
| it || it || le/it || la
|-
| (reflexive) || so || se || sa
|-
| we || nos || ne || na
|-
| you || vu || ve || va
|-
| they (m.){{source needed|reason=masculine or common gendered? p. 10 of rapid method doesn't say it's masculine. though, considereing ziel, this is probably the case?|date=April 2019}} || zi || ze || za
|-
| they (f.) || zel || ze/zey || za
|}

There is also the pronoun '''ziel''' for mixed-sex group.<ref>Rapid Method of Neo, p. 16</ref>

* ''Mi vidar te'' = I see you
* ''Tu vidar me'' = You see me

Verbs:
* Present: '''ar''' → mi vidar (I see)
* Past: '''ir''' → mi vidir (I saw/have seen)
* Future: '''or''' → mi vidor (I will see)
* Conditional: '''ur''' → mi vidur (I would see)
* Imperative/infinitive: '''iu''' or '''u''' (the latter for polysyllabic verbs) → vidu! (See!)
* Past participle: '''at''' → vidat (adjective: vidata) (seen)
* Present participle: '''ande''' → vidande (adjective: vidanda) (seeing)
* Future participle: '''inde''' → vidinde (adjective: vidinda) (will be seen)

==Samples==
'''The Lord's Prayer:'''

:Na Patro ki sar in cel,
:siu ta nom santat.
:Venu ta regno.
:Siu fat ta vol,
:asben in cel, as on ter.
:Na shakida pan ne diu oje.
:E ne pardonu na debos,
:as nos pardonar na deberos.
:E no ne induku in tentado,
:mo ne fridu da mal.

'''Sentences:'''

:Look before you leap. = Miru pri salti.
:Goodnight, Miss Wilson. = Bonnox, Damel Wilson.
:What do you call this in Neo? = Kom namar vu eto nee?
:Where are you going? = Qo tu?
:It's none of my business. = Eto no ma eco.

'''Numbers:'''

:1 un, 2 du, 3 tre, 4 qar, 5 qin, 6 sit, 7 sep, 8 ot, 9 non, 10 is
:11 isun, 12 isdu
:20 duis, 21 duisun, ... 30 treis, 40 qaris
:100 ek, 1000 mil
:5184 qinmil ek otisqar
:3522 tremil qinek duis du

'''Wanderer's Nightsong''' ({{lang-de|Wanderers Nachtlied}}) by [[Biography:Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]]:

{{col-begin}}
{{col-3}}

:'''Noxkant del wander'''

:On tot cimos sar
:Ripozo,
:In tot et lokos
:Tu sentar
:Apene un soplo;
:Nel bosko l'ezetos tacar.
:Duldu, sun tu
:An ripozor.

{{col-3}}

:'''Wanderer's Nightsong'''

:Up there all summits
:are still.
:In all the tree-tops
:you will
:feel but the dew.
:The birds in the forest stopped talking.
:Soon, done with walking,
:you shall rest, too.

{{col-3}}

:'''Wanderers Nachtlied'''

:Über allen Gipfeln
:Ist Ruh,
:In allen Wipfeln
:Spürest du
:Kaum einen Hauch;
:Die Vögelein schweigen im Walde.
:Warte nur, balde
:Ruhest du auch.

{{col-3}}

{{col-end}}

'''The Task''' by Douglas Blacklock:

{{col-begin}}
{{col-3}}

:'''Lo Tasko'''

:Vortos sirvar asben informo
:As tromplo e traplo.
:Deo volvar lo kor del omos
:Dal veg de sklavos
:Al veg de Frido.
:Lo brev simpla vortos de Neo
:Utin ne inspiru
:L'uto justa
:De Parlo e Skribo.

{{col-3}}

:'''The Task'''

:Words are used both to inform
:And to deceive and ensnare.
:God turns mens hearts
:From the path of slavery
:To that of Freedom.
:The unadorned short words of Neo
:May become an inspiration
:To the rightful use
:Of Speech and Writing.

{{col-3}}

{{col-end}}

'''Lo diplomata linguos'''

Latin sir, us l'endo del issepa seklo, l'oficala linguo de diplomatio. Latine so redaktir lo tratalos e l'akordos e so skambir lo komunikos inte governos. Lo last gran tratal ridaktat latine sir lo de Westfalio, in 1648; depdan kauzel preeminenta plas trenat pe Franso, Latin pokpoke cedar plas a fransal; e fransal restar us l'enso d'et seklo - us 1918 - lo diplomata linguo, lo linguo de tot internasyona medos.

Ab 1918, lo diplomata linguos jar du: fransal e anglal. In et du linguos, sir meant lo negosados pol Versailles-Tratal e pol osa paxtratalos de 1919 e sir ridaktat et tratalos, amba linguos fande fid; dok no sen inkonvenos, lo du textos pande somyes determeni def interpretazos.

Do 1945, espanal, rusal e cinal sir an admitat as oficala linguos. Nos nun nel epok de tradukeros e interpretos.

(Gino Buti)

'''Ka sor l'avena diplomata linguo?'''

Sar nel internasyona riunos, konferensos e kongresos, dey num pluar idide, ke lo neso d'un monda adlinguo se far senti pluste.

Nilo samtempe plu groteska e plu afligifa qam lo spekto ofrat pel kongresistos munat kon udokaskos, ki tentar, sen sem riusi, kapi lo diskorsos pronuncat in def lingoes. Diskorsos tradukat aste pe interpretos, dey lo melestas sar force, konforme l'itala dikton: tradukeros, trazeros.

Es so exijur dal parpreneros lo kono d'un komuna adlinguo, ke zi pur apreni kon infana izeso, so fur ilke un enorma ekonomio de temp, dengo ... e de malkomprenos.

(Arturo Alfandari)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*[http://www.box.net/shared/static/1ixe21haq6.djvu Arturo Alfandari, ''Cours pratique de NEO''], Brussel, Éditions Brepols, 1961. (DJVU 23,3 Mb)
*[http://www.box.net/shared/static/xjfr6qbcmf.djvu Arturo Alfandari, ''Méthode rapide de NEO''], Brussel, Éditions Brepols, 1965. (DJVU 4,5 Mb)
*[http://www.box.net/shared/static/istqzad97o.djvu Arturo Alfandari, ''Rapid method of NEO''], Brussel, Éditions Brepols, 1966. (DJVU 4,7 Mb)

==External links==
*[http://www.connectedglobe.com/mmm/neo.html Neo - a language conceived by Arturo Alfandari]
*[https://groups.yahoo.com/group/FriendsOfNeo/ Friends of Neo] - a Yahoo Group dedicated to Neo
*[http://neo-nel-mond.blogspot.com/ A blog in and on Neo]
*[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Neo_in_two_pages.jpg A two-page overview]
*[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_30_pages_of_The_Rapid_Method_of_Neo.djvu The first 30 pages of The Rapid Method of Neo]

{{Constructed languages}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neo (Constructed Language)}}
[[Category:Constructed languages]]
[[Category:International auxiliary languages]]

{{Sourceattribution|Neo (constructed language)|1}}