Volapük Vifik: Lärnod Velid

Your number's up - everyone for him/her/themselves!"


If you remember, we could only count up to 999 in Volapük at thelast count, so we are going to complete our counting skills.

Mil is the word for ONE THOUSAND. This is a useful piece of knowledge,because by means of it, we can now say DATES out loud in Volapük.For example, the year 1950 is quite simply: mil zültum luldeg. Easy,when you know how!

A million, just in case you come up on the National Lottery is balion.If you won the handsome sum of 7,142,857, this would be expressed in Volapükas velbalion baltum foldeg telmil jöltum luldeg vel.

As it is unlikely that you would need to count above such a nurnberas this, perhaps we could leave it there!

HOW WOULD YOU WRITE IN VOLAPÜK: 1995, 1874, 1483, 12, 928, 561,7, 564, 138?

Some time ago you learnt how to tell the time on the hour. Now letus become a little more ambitious by mastering the various quarters, halvesand minutes on the clock!

BINOS MINUTS DEG POS DÜP BALID = It's 1.10
BINOS FOLDIL POS DÜP BALID = It's 1.15
BINOS DÜPALAF POS BAL = It's 1.30
BINOS MINUTS TELDEG BÜ DÜP TELID = It's 1.40
BINOS FOLDIL BÜ TEL = It's 1.45
BINOS SEKUNS KILDEG BÜ DÜP TEL = It's thirty seconds to two o' clock

As you will see, the system is very flexible. There's a long way round(pos/bü düp balid) or a short way round (pas/bü bal) depending on your preference. To express a.m. simply say göda = of the morning; tto express p.m. say poszedelo = after the middle of the day. The continental system works just as well, and saves a word or two. Thus 15.35 is Binos minuts teldeglul bü düp degmäl. Again, use whatever suits you best!

In answer to the question DÜP KINID BINOS-LI? give the followingclock times:

(It's) 4 o'clock; 4.05; 3.15; 2.20; 1.15; 5.40; 6.45; 7.50; 8.10 a.m.9.25 p.m. 17.55; 18.44.

If in Volapük we need to say: "he sees himself", we must say Logom oki,because the om in logom, and the person seen are THE SAME. If we said Logom omi, then we should mean that he sees someone else - in fact the second om is another person. Similarly for logof oki (= the same 'she') and logof ofi (= an entirely different 'she').

In fact, the REFLEXIVE FORM can also be PLURAL, or take any other case.Look at the following examples:

Lavom oki = He washes himself / Lavom omi = He washes him (someone else)
Stunidof oki = She admires herself / Stunidof ofi (= someone else)
Flapons okis = They hit themselves / Flapons onis (= someone or something else).

As we said above, everyone for him/her/themselves!


VOLAPÜK VIFIK

As we embark on the seventh part of our course, here are some more wordsfor you to look at and speak out loud:

balan = one (person) 
beigolön = to go past 
cödöp = a court (of law) 
demü = on account of
det = right-hand 
detü = on the right of 
dilekan = a director, a manager 
dokan = a doctor 
dredöfik = shy, timid 
fagotü = far from 
flekön (oki) = to turn, to bear 
flenöfik = friendly, kind 
fredön = to be happy, to be glad 
fredükön = to make happy/glad 
futaglöpäd = football (game) 
gadacif = a supervisor (gardening) 
gadav = horticulture 
geidian = a guide (brochure) 
gespikön = to reply 
go = absolutely 
jü = up to 
jüesa = up to and including 
jünu = up to now 
keproan = a fan, a supporter 
kredön = to believe 
ladöfiko = sincerely 
lädül = a young lady 
lebonedön = to subscribe to 
ledino = mainly, principally 
legad = a park 
lelogöfik = really worth seeing 
lom = a hearth, a home 
lükömön (lü) to arrive at, to get to 
mälat = half-a-dozen
mekavik = artificial, man-made 
mödikna = many times 
nedet = left-hand 
neflifed = antiquarian 
neläbo = unfortunately 
ninükön = to enclose 
noe ... abi = not only ... but also 
nilü = near to 
plagik = practical 
plidön = to like 
plimön = to compliment 
pon = a bridge 
potöp = a post office 
pükav = linguistics 
reig = mastery 
selibik = single, unmarried 
selidöpan = a (shop) assistant 
stajonao = from the station 
staudöp = a restaurant 
steifülön = to attempt, to try 
step = a pace, a step 
sufälik = patient 
süperiko = superbly 
süt = a street 
tefü = about, regarding 
töbo = barely, scarcely 
topäd = a region 
travärön = to cross 
valemapük = a universal language 
vilöfo = willingly 
vomül = a young woman 
yufü = with the help of 
zilik = enthusiastic 
zu = in addition


HERE IS THE REPLY TO JANIN'S LETTER - BUT IS IT THE ANSWER TO HER DREAMS?

Tü del 2id gustula, yela 19...

O jispodan löfik Janin!

Kio äfredob dö pened nitedikün de ol dätü delteldegid yulula! Ereidob oni jünu mödikna, bi töbo kredob,das vomül so flenöfik äs ol vilof spodön ko yunan sodredöfik äs ob! Dani gudikün ole, o flen gudik!

Balido plimob oli ladöfiko demü reig ola Volapüka; spelob,das okanobs spodön as flens bevünetik medü valemapükmekavik balid at.

Labob lifayelis teldeglul, binob selibik e vobob in legad zifa as balangadacifas us; fat obik binom dokan, e mot obik binof selidöpan neflifedabukasnilü dom obas. Neläbo no labob gemi. Nitedälob vemo tefü gadav; desir oba gretikün binon ad vedön «Dilekan Legadas»! Ünü yels nog kils ulabobplaki saidik plagikum; fümo gads fo e po dom obsik binons jöniks,bi noe ob it, abi pals obik binobs ziliküns gadans! Zuo, labob livüpajäfis ledino telis: plidob vemo pükavi. Atimo jäfob me stud mekavapükas jüesa tim nuik; kodü at, lebonedob eli «Vög Volapüka» zu binob keproan zilikfutaglöpäda! Ye, go vilöfo, yufü lädül sufälik, osteifülob ad gudükumön nitedis obik valemik, täno spelabo usteifülob,yufü ol, süperiko!

Ninükob geidiani smalik ad nitedön oli; topäd lölikvo binon lelogöfik; ad lükömön lü dom obsik, stajonao,flekoy oki lü nedet jü potöp; beigoloy staudöpi detücödöp, traväroy süti, flekoy oki ai lü det jüpon, ed - ekö! fagotü mälat stepas: lom obsik stadon!

Gespikolös penedi oba suno, o Janin, begö! Ed ofredükolobi vemo!

Valikosi gudikün ole ed olikanes,

sedom flen ola

VIKTOR


1. Now that you have enjoyed reading Victor's letter, why not make agood translation of it into English?

2. Using some, or all, of the directions given in Victor's letter, tellme how I could get to your house from the station.

3. Last of all, write in your own name a letter in reply to either Janine's,or Victor's letter.