Just in the same way as part five follows the last part of our coursein Volapük, so does one hour, one day, one week, one month, one yearsucceed the previous one. As time passes, there is no doubt whatever thatour present is becoming less and less, while our past is gradually becomingand more, and still more.
logob = I see (now)
elogob = I've seen,
or I saw (a moment ago/yesterday/last week/lastmonth/last year)
In Volapük, events are considered either to be still happening,or else to have already happened within a longer or shorter time span.In order to fully appreciate all this, ideally we get into our special'time capsule' and become 'part of the action.' In fact, the word 'tense'is how we describe the 'time factor' in words called VERBS (denoting status, being, becoming or action)
In the example given above, elogob (I've seen/I saw) impinges muchmore on the present. For this reason, it is used for chatting about every-dayhappenings: it is essentially the PAST connected with the PRESENT for us.
However, there is another kind of PAST which is more remote: if we say"I saw him last year", the same excitement seems to have beenlost somewhat; perhaps it's another way of saying "I used to see him",or even "I had seen him". In fact, it is the past becoming evermore and more remote, even becoming in our judgment historical. Look atthese two examples:
Adelo logob oli = To-day I see you (now);
Klu,
elogob oli = so, I've seen you! (just finished)
Ädelo älogob oli = Yesterday I saw you (at that
time);
Klu, ilogob oli = I'd seen you! (over and done with)
Do you see now the first couple refer to the 'here and now' and the'immediate past', whereas the second couple concern the more distant past?
We therefore see that the PRESENT TENSE has no initial vowel to signalthe here and now; this is reserved in modern Volapük for words whichsignify the idea of time in themselves, such as del = day in the examples.As we know already, the PRESENT PERFECT is indicated by the initial vowelE- and now we learn that the vowel Ä- indicates the PAST DEFINITE aand the vowel I- takes us still further back into the past!
Again, just to recap, if the ACTOR (I/we; you, he/she; one; it/they)is doing something to the VICTIM (animate/inanimate beings or things);this is termed ACTIVE, whereas if we prefer to say "you are seen (byme)", then it is no longer active, but PASSIVE! We are familiar withthe Passive in Volapük already - now just see how all the rest followson so regularly:
Palogol (fa ob) = you are seen (by me);
Pelogol
(fa ob) = you've been seen (by me);
Pälogol (fa
ob) = you were seen (by me);
Pilogol (fa ob) = you
had been seen (by me)
Thus does the PRESENT merge into the IMMEDIATE PAST, then into the DEFINITEPAST, and finally into the COMPLETE PAST How time flies!
Welcome to the fifth part of our rapid, inter-active course in VolapükVifik in which we start, as usual, with some more words for you to practiseout loud:
bäldik = old bäldot = age (= number of years) bel = a mountain benö! = fine! bevü = between boso = somewhat bukiselidöp = a bookshop dalabön = to own, to possess das (conjunction) = that demü = on account of dilekanef = management domio = (to) home dönulogö! = au revoir! düp = an hour düpalaf = half-an-hour fiam = a firm fino = at last foldeg = forty foldil = a quarter fümo = for sure glid = a greeting glidön = to greet golön = to go jenöfo = in fact jinön = to appear, to seem juitön = to enjoy kif ?/kim? = who? (masc. and fem.) kikodo? = why? kipladio? = where to? whither? klülön = to be clear kodü = because of kolkömön = to meet kotenükön = to satisfy, make happy laidareman = a regular buyer läbik = lucky, happy länädio = (into) the country (side) liegikan = a rich person |
löfäb = a loved one lomio = homewards lut = air mated = a marriage matikön = to get married matirajanan (hi/ji) = a fiancé(e) memön = to remember mon = cash, money mödikna = many times mödo = a great deal, a lot mu = extremely neai = never no latikolöd = don't be late! no nog = not yet patik = special pos = after (=time) poso = afterwards pöfikan = a poor person primön = to begin, to start prüdö! = take care! pul (hi/ji) = a youngster, a youth sevön = to know spelön = to hope spidön = to hurry spikot = a conversation sülö! = good heavens! suvo = often takädön = to relax tävön = to travel te = only tedabüsid = (general) business tikön = to think tü = at, on (= time) us = there (in) valem = (in) general ye = however yel = a year |
SPIKOT BEVÜ PULS TEL
DAVID: Glidis, o Katlin!
KATLIN: Glidis ole, o David! Kipladio golol-li?
DAVID: Golob domio ela Samül - ed ol-li?
KATLIN: Ün timül at, golob
lomio; poso spelob ad visitönziomi oba.
DAVID: Lio panemom-li?
KATLIN:
Panemom Karl e binom liegikan.
DAVID: Binom-li bäldik? Klülos, das labom
moni mödik.
KATLIN: Fümo no binom pöfikan; ye vobom ai: labom domi nilüzif, e
tävom suvo länädio ad juitön belaluti us.
DAVID: Lifayelis liomödotik
labom-li?
KATLIN: Tikob, das labom bäldoti yelas foldeg.
DAVID: Binom-li
matan?
KATLIN: No nog, bi neai binom libü tedabüsid; ab fino labomjifleni mu
patiki - binons anu matirajanans!
DAVID: O löfäbs läbik! Benö! Düp kinid
binos-li?
KATLIN: Binos düpalaf pos lul. Kikodo?
DAVID: Sülö! Mutob
spidön, bi vilob kolkömöneli Samül tü foldil bü düp mälid.
KATLIN: Dönulogö!
No latikolöd! Prüdö!
1. Translate the above dialogue into English.
2. Answer the following questions in Volapük:
3. Describe KARL in twenty words in Volapük.
4. In Volapük this is how we count from 20 to 30:
Teldeg; teldegbal; teldegtel; teldegkil; teldegfol; teldeglul; teldegmäl;
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
teldegvel; teldegjöl; teldegzül; kildeg.
27 28 29 30
And still further and further from forty to ninety:-
foldeg; luldeg; mäldeg; veldeg; jöldeg; züldeg
40 50 60 70 80 90
Write in Volapük: 32, 45, 57, 68, 71, 84, 99
VOLAPÜK VIFIK
David: Glidis dönu! Ya sevol obi: panemob David e binobbalan flenas ela Samül. Ädelo ägolob domio oma,ven ekolkömob jieli Katlin; omemol sio, das binof flen jielaJanin, söra ela Samül.
Benö! Bi äbinos te düp lulid soara, eprimobs ad spikönode dö balan röletanas ofa. Jinos, das man at ya labom moni mödik,ed etuvob lifi omik mu nitediki!
Jenöfo, tü düpalaf pos lul emutob spidön!
Katlin: Glidis dönu! I sevol obi ya! Binob Katlin, balanflenas ela Janin.
Ädelo ekolkömob eli David, kel ägolom domio flenaomik, ed eprimobs ad bespikön dinis in valem. Poso, ye, emäniotob,das spelob ad visitön hikösti liegik oba, hieli Karl,ed el David ävilom sevön bosi plu tefü om. Jenöfo,äspikobs ode dü düpalaf lölik; Sekü atos, el Davidämutom spidön ad no latikön!
Karl: Glidis! Nem oba binon Karl; binob blod yunik de fat elaKatlin, e lödob in zif gretik nilo, kö dalabob domi smalik.Binob büsidan, e kodü at, vobob mödo, bi bilob ai kotenüköni laidaremanis, i dilekanefi fiama: labob bäldoti yelas foldegkil.
Mödikna tävob ko matirajanan oba länädio ad juitönbelaluti us.
Maxin: Glidis! Panemob Maxin. Binob jiflen patik hiela Karl- jenöfo binob matirajanan oma!
Labob lifayelis kildegjöl e vobob ün timül at as yufanin bukiselidöp, bi enitedälob ai demü buks valasotik!
Karl ed ob, spelobs ad matikön ünü yels tel.El Karl neai binom libü tedabüsid, ab suvo tävobslänädio ad juitön luti gudik us, e ad takädönboso in top jönik at. Dalabom domi in zif, e pos mated obas, desinobsad lödön us.