Thursday 22 December 2011

Mondial, Interlingua, Lingua Franca Nova and Occidental

Mondial, Interlingua, Lingua Franca Nova (LFN) and Occidental are all based on Romance languages. No wonder they (except LFN) are so similar and yet each comes with a different flavour. 

Interlingua is so much Italian and French and Spanish at the same time. It is so erudite and cultured.

Mondial is the Romance spirit liberated somewhat from the chains of tradition. It is like a gentle breeze on your face on a hot and sunny day.

The use of so many consonants gives Occidental an English feel; Germanic with a lot of Romance influence.

Despite its Romance origins LFN is so 'other' that you are inclined to discard it as ugly. But then you think of creoles and the vibrant culture many creole speaking societies have and suddenly it starts making sense and what was earlier 'ugly' now becomes 'exotic.'

Here is the part one of the short story The Fairy which I found in Mondial here and translated into Interlingua, Occidental and Lingua Franca Nova (I've never studied Occidental and LFN so kindly let me know if you find a mistake.); and, of course, English.

LE FEA (Mondial)

Un vidua havi du filias. Le plu viel evi si simil al matre per su caracter i face, que chascun, que vidavi lei, povavi pensar, que il vida le matre; li ambe evi si desagreable i si fier, que on non povavi vivar con les.

Le plu jun filia, que evi le plen portrete de su patre selon su bontá i honestitá, evi ultre lo un del mas bel filies, le queles on povavi trovar.

LE FEE (Interlingua)

Un vidua habeva duo filias. Le plus vetere era assi simile al matre per su character e facie, que alicuno, qui videva la, poteva pensar, que illes vide le matre; illes ambe era assi disagradabile e assi fer, que on non poteva viver con les.

Le plus juvene filia, qui era le plen portrait su patre secundo su bonitate e honestitate, era ultra illo un del maxime belle filias, le quales on poteva trovar.

LE FEA (Occidental)
(Corrected by friend Olivier)

Un vidua havet du filias. Li plu etosa esset talmen simil al matre pro su carácter e facie, que chascun, qui videt la, posset pensar, que il videt li matre; li ambas esset talmen desagreabil e talmen fier, que on non posset viver con les.

Li plu yun filia, qui esset li plen portrete de su patre secun su bontá e honestitá, esset ultra to un del maxim bell filias,  queles on posset trovar.

LA FE (Lingua Franca Nova)

Un vidua ia ave du fias. La plu vea ia tal simile a la madre a causa de caracter e fas de el, ce cada un, ci ia vide el, ia pote pensa, ce el vide la madre; los ambos ia tal desplasente e tal orgulos, ce on ia no pote vive con los.

El plu joven fia, ci ia la plen portreta de padre de el seguente bontia e onestasia de el, ia plu un de la plu bela fias, ci on ia pote trova.

THE FAIRY (English)

A widow had two daughters. The disposition and face of the older daughter was so similar to her mother that any one who saw her could think he/she was seeing the mother; they were both so rude and puffed up to live with.

The younger daughter whose kindness and honesty made her a complete portrait of her father was, besides, one of the most beautiful daughters you could find.

11 comments:

  1. Interesting! Thanks for these. I hope you'll allow me to add, below, Zamenhof's version of the story, in Esperanto, from 1905.

    Unu vidvino havis du filinojn. La pli maljuna estis tiel simila al la patrino per sia karaktero kaj vizaĝo, ke ĉiu, kiu ŝin vidis, povis pensi, ke li vidas la patrinon; ili ambaŭ estis tiel malagrablaj kaj tiel fieraj, ke oni ne povis vivi kun ili. La pli juna filino, kiu estis la plena portreto de sia patro laŭ sia boneco kaj honesteco, estis krom tio unu el la plej belaj knabinoj, kiujn oni povas trovi.

    The full Esperanto text, with illustrations, can be found here:
    http://edu.i-lo.tarnow.pl/esp/lern/uem/0037.php

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  2. @ Bill Chapman: I'm glad you found it interesting and thank you for letting me know there already exists an Esperanto translation!

    And I deliberately didn't include Esperanto because it is, though significantly, not solely based on Romance languages. I don't know what category it would fit in? Or perhaps I could have placed it along LFN. I have no idea.

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  3. Sellamat Eto !
    (for Occidental; though the whole grammar is not settled): "havet" instead "hat"; both mean "had", but "have" is for possession and "ha" is the perfect tense auxiliary verb.
    "etosa" instead of "etosi". The "-i" is an adjectival ending while "-a" is for feminine substantives.
    "il videt" instead "li vide". "li" = "the"; "vide" is the present tense.
    "ambas" instead of "li ambi"
    "ultra to" instead of "ultra lo"
    Delete "li" before "queles".
    Recently, I translated a few paragraphs from a French gamebook into Occidental :
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/occidental/message/3023
    For fun, I can translate yor excerpt into Sambahsa:
    "Sem vidva hieb dwo dugters. Id menos ed id lige veuters dugter eent tem samlik aysi mater quem quelkwe vis iam ghohd mehne el eet vidend iam mater; bo eent tant beghsadab ed gururic sei anghen gwivit con ians.
    Yuner dugter quas lutf ed honestia kwohr ex iam id perfect portrait aysios pater eet, eti, oina iam bellsten trehvim dugters."

    Olivier

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  4. @ Olivier: Thank you for correcting me.

    And coming to your translation what does dejunear copiosmen mean?

    And do you know words like 'eent', 'eet' and 'dugters' in the Sambahsa text give you a Dutch feeling, isn't it? :)

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  5. "dejunear" = "to have breakfast"
    "copiosmen" = adverb of "copiosi" = "copious, hearty"
    "Dugter " is Indo-European; Sanskrit has "duhitar", Parsi "dokhtar", nearly like Dutch "dochter".
    "eet"/"eent" is not very Dutch, which has "was/waren". It is from PIE *xéxest/*xéxsent
    (Sanskrit : âsît/âsan)

    Olivier

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  6. Franca Nova ugly? I found it's relative beauty to be it's most striking feature.

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  8. LA FIDO (Elefanto = Lingua Franca Nova + Esperanto)

    Un viduino avis du filinoi. La plu vea tante similis a la madro cause de sua caractero e faridoi, ce cada un, ci vidis le, potis pensi, ce lo vidis la madro; li ambai tante desplasentai e tante orgulosai, ce un no potis vivi con li.

    La plu jovena filino, ci esis la plena portreto de sua padro en boneso e onesteso, esis plue un de la plu bela filinoi, ci on potis trovi.

    http://lfn.wikia.com/wiki/Elefanto

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  9. "LA FEA" 9e no "la fido"...)

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  10. Here is another version for the text in LFN, per favore!

    Un vidua ia ave du fias. La plu vea ia es tan simile a la madre par sua caracter e fas, ce cadun, ci ia vide el, ia pote pensa, ce el vide la madre; ambos de los ia es tan desplasente e tan orgulosa, ce on no ia pote vive con los.

    La fia plu joven, ci ia es un portreta plen de la padre par sua bonia e onestia, ia es en junta un de fias la plu bela ci on ia pote trova.

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