Volapük has what is called an agglutinative language system, that is to say, it makes use of affixes - PREFIXES and SUFFIXES - letters attached to the beginning and/or end of words. This modifies their essential meaning, sometimes in a very subtle way. You are already familiar with the prefixes: A-, Ä-, E-, I-, O-, Ö-, U- and Ü- used to denote TIME or VERB TENSES.
Here are a few more PREFIXES with their meanings:
DÄ- = broken into pieces; DEI- = until death; DO- = downward motion; DU- = movement through; FA- = absence; FE- = complete consumption; FI- = to the end; completion; FÄI- = shut; LA- = raising up; LÄX- = ex-; emeritus; NI- = interior object; NÜ- = movement into; PLÖ- = exterior object; RU- = primitive; SÄ- = remission |
There are not as many SUFFIXES, but here are few of them, again with their meanings:
-ÄB = recipient of -EL = maker of; -EP = plant; -ER = content(s); -IÄL = tendency; -IÄR = container; -OV = possibility; -ÜD = compass point |
In order to become more familiar with the use of these affixes, here are some sentences:
Now for a little practice. First of all, write out the above eighteen sentences in Volapük. Underline the PREFIXES once, and the SUFFIXES twice. Lastly, make a translation of each sentence into ENGLISH; you will find that you really have to give this exercise some thought, which is good, because in doing so, you enrich your knowledge of our your own language!
The true strength of any international, auxiliary language consistsin its flexibility, precision and ability to change with the times, without, however, losing its own real identity.
For this very reason we salute: VOLAPÜK, ITS INVENTOR, ITS REJUVENATOR,BUT MOST OF ALL ITS ADHERENTS!
Here we are at the end of our course of ten units. You have gained agood working knowledge of the language. Like any other language, however,it moves with the times. Never forget that we are always delighted to assistyou in any way we can. Good luck to you now as you speak out loud the followingwords!
alna dönu = all over again atan = the latter (person) ba = maybe, perhaps benö! = fine! bluvik = astounded bos = anything, something dabinön = to exist dalön = to allow (= may, ought) desumön = to take away diled = a piece, a scrap dodön = to make excuses dotimik = sceptical dotön = to doubt duinön = to do, to work out ekö! = behold! see! fagikumio = further (afield) fam = fame, renown fäg = capability ga = certainly, indeed gegolön = to return to go back gesagön = to reply gid = justice gitöfik = legal, rightful go = very much in tef at = in this respect it = itself, oneself jenön = to happen, to occur jinön = to appear, to seem jüs = until, as far as, up to kalkul = a calculation kalkulavan = an arithmetician keblünön = to contribute kemen = (one's) fellow-man klänöfik = secret klülabik = evident kod = a reason kotenükam = satisfaction küpädik = remarkable laidulön = to persist latik = late (= not on time) lejonod = (the) teaching lelilön = to hear (everywhere) lukofiko = in derision; mockingly lätik = last (of all) ma = according to milag jönik! = some miracle! moikön = to disappear, to destroy neföro = never nemödikam = decrease, diminution nendas = without (that.. ) neodü = for need of numön = to count, to enumerate nunön = to announce, to inform piano = gradually plak = experience pö tum oka = in his/her turn sakrifot = a sacrifice sevädan = an acquaintance soäsä = just as stib = a pencil stunik = amazed sunädo = immediately tumyel = a century vegü = on the way to vero = in truth veütik = important vö! = really and truly! zuo = furthermore, in addition |
NO NEED TO ASK ABOUT THE OUTCOME OF LISABET'S STORY - HERE IT IS!
SAPAN FOTA (FIN)
Blods äprimoms ad numön. änumoms, ed änumoms dönu,äreidoms alna dönu tästumi fata oksik. Jevods ämutonspadilön ad laf, ad kildil bal, e ad züldil bal.
Laf degjöla äbinon zül; kildil bal degjöla äbinonmäl; züldil bal degjöla zuo äbinon tel. Dot no ädabinon:alan omas igetom dilodi gitöfik oka, e ga jevod sapana äreton.äbinos klülabik: milag ijenon!
Kludo blods äspidoms ad golön ko jevod lü sapan fota.Atan äjinom go no stunik, ven älogom omis. Te äsmililom,äröbülom balibi oka, ed äsäkom: "Benö!o cils! ekanols-li dilön nimis ad kotenükam olas?"
"Si!" blods äsagoms, "e vö! milag ejenon! Alan obasegetom dilodi nu gitöfiki oka, ab jevod olik, o sapan! refon ai!"
"O cils oba!" ägesagom sapan, "binonös atos lejonodpro ols! ägivob oles vero jevodi lätik oba ad nätükönpüdi bevü ols; ab i esagob, das Büologal binon gid it, edas ögegivon pötatimo obe jevodi obik, if atos binonöv VilOna in tef af. E soäsä logols: Büologal ya egegivon obejevodi obik, nendas edesumon oles ga bosi - kelos lejonon oles, das neförodaloy dodön ad keblünön sakrifoti neodü kemen okik."
Blods bluvik ägegoloms lomio, ed änunoms plaki küpädikoksik valikes flenes e sevädanes okas. Ed atans, pö turn okas,äkonons oni dönu fagikumio; e piano, vol lölik älelilondö sapan gretik e dö milag, keli idunom me jevods degvel.
E fam sapana älaidulon nen nemödikam dü tumyels, jüskalkulavan dotimik äsumom stibi e papüri, ed äduinom kalkuliklänöfik. Täno äsagom lukofiko: "Ekö! Milagjönik!"
Diled et papüra ye emoikon, sodas nu alan, kel ba doton tefüfäg sapana fota ad dunön milagis, muton duinön oke it kalkulistefü din at!
1. Read the above story, then make a translation of it into ENGLISH:
2. Answer the above questions in VOLAPÜK:
3. Translate the following passage into ENGLISH:
Jiflen omik opotof penedi sunädo, bi äpromof, das öpotofoni; if no nog egetom penedi ofik, kod no ubinon, das no upotof oni, abdas potadins adelo binons suvo latiks. Ven ipromof, das üpotof penediat vegü bür, no idotom, das üpotof penedi so veütikima prom oka.