Arcaicam Esperantom

Arcaicam Esperantom (English: Archaic Esperanto; Esperanto: Arĥaika 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.

Arkaika Esperanto
Arcaicam Esperantom
Created by	Manuel Halvelik
Date	around 1969
Users	not applicable (but same as Esperanto readers)
Purpose	constructed language International auxiliary language Esperanto Arkaika Esperanto
Writing system	Latin
Signed forms	Signuno
Language codes
ISO 639-3	epo
Glottolog	None
IETF	eo-arkaika

It was created by Manuel Halvelik 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 to Esperanto the name Uniespo (Uniëspo, Universala Esperanto, "Universal Esperanto").[1]

The idea of an "old Esperanto" was proposed by the Hungarian poet Kalman Kalocsay[2] 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 Zuckmayers "Captain of Köpenick" (Popido), or ancient styles in Walter Scott's Ivanhoe (Arkaika Esperanto).[3]

"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 stylistical 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 Lord of the Rings (Arĥaika Esperanto 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

Pronouns

Pronouns are changed as:

Pronouns Arcaicam Esperantom compared to Esperanto

English	Esperanto	Arkaikam esperantom
I	mi	mihi
you (singular)	vi	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.

Nouns, adjectives, adverbs

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.[4] 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.[5]
• -ojn becomes -oyn (pl. noun, accusative)
• al x-o, kun x-o becomes x-od (sg. noun, dative – ex.: al domo becomes domod)
• al x-oj, kun 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.

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.

Romeus ed Yulieta

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 vi, servanto ŝia, jam Pli bela ol ŝi mem estas. Ne estu plu Ŝia servanto, se ŝi vin 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 Belostocom 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 Ovid
• Amom cheyon wencat. – Virgil
• Ityel pasat mondes Glorom. – Sic transit gloria mundi Thomas à Kempis
• Ritmom estat in Tempom cuyom estat Simetrom in Spatzom. – Cicero
• 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.

1. http://www.universala-esperanto.net/
2. Elektronika Bulteno de EASL includes the short story La Mezepoka Esperanto from Lingvo Stilo Formo, 2nd cheap edition, Kalman Kalocsay, Budapest, Literatura Mondo, 1931.
3. "Arkaika Esperanto", p.12 et seq.
4. Arkaika Esperanto. 2010. p. 30. [...]dativo. La lasta funtsias [sic] kiel la kutima “direkta akuzativo” :
5. Arkaika Esperanto. 2010. pp. 67–68.

External links

• Arcaicam Esperantom at the Conlang Atlas of Language Structures.