Comprehensive Volapük Grammar/Part 1

by Alfred A. Post

Layout 2

PART I.—GRAMMATICAL FORMS.

ALPHABET.

Roman characters, and has 19 consonants, 8 vowels.

The consonants are the same as the English, but q and w are omitted. They are sounded as in English, except—

c	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	pronounced as is	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	j	in	jet.
g				g	“	get.
h				h	“	he.
j				sh	“	she.
x				gs	“	tags.
y				y	“	yes.
z				dz	“	adze.

The vowels are

a	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	pronounced as is	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	a	in	far.
e				a	“	rate.
i				ee	“	see.
o				o	“	no.
u				u	“	truth.
ä				a	“	fare.
ö				u	“	urn.
ü				u	“	impugn.

(See note 1, page 13.)

Every letter is sounded, and its sound is invariable and unaffected by associate letters. There are no diphthongs and no double consonants.

ACCENT.

Is invariably on the final syllable, but non-coalescent endings are not regarded as word-syllables.

ARTICLE.

Is not recognized in Volapük (see note 2, page 13), but the indefinite pronoun sembal (a certain) may be used, if needed lo particularize a noun; thus—

Man,	a	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ man:	Man sembal, a certain man.
	the

NOUN.

Is of one uniform declension in four cases: nominative (subject); genitive (possessive); dative (indirect objective); accusative (direct objective); thus—

	Singular.			Plural (see note 4, page 13).
Nom.	Dom	a	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ house.	Doms the houses.
		the
Gen.	Doma of $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	a	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ house.	Domas of the houses.
		the
Dat.	Dome to $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	a	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ house.	Domes to the houses.
		the
Acc.	Domi	a	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ house.	Domis the houses.
		the

Every noun in the language follows this declension; i. e. the nominative is changed by a, e, and i to the genitive, dative, and accusative respectively, and s added to each case gives its plural.

(See page 33.)

PRONOUNS.

(a) Personal.

Singular.		Plural.
Ob	I	Obs	We
Ol	Thou (you)	Ols	You
Om	He	Oms	They (masc.)
Of	She	Ofs	They (fem.)
Ok	Self	Oks	Selves
On	One	Ons	You (form of etiquette, rarely used)
Os	It

(These follow the declension of nouns, and ol (thou) should be used when a single person is meant.)

(b) Possessive.

Is formed by adding ik to the personal pronoun; thus: Obik, obsik, My, our, etc. They are used adjectively (in which case they follow the noun and are not declined) and pronominally (in which case they are declined); thus —

Adjectively. Mot e fat obik, My mother and father.

Pronominally. Löfob flenis obik e olikis, I love my friends and yours.

(See note 3, page 14.)

(c) Interrogative.

Masc. $\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	Kim?	fem. $\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	kif?	neut. $\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	kis? (pronom. and adj.)
	Kiom?		kiof?		Kios? (pronominal only.)

Examples.

Kim

Kif binol? Who are you?

Kis binos? What is it?

Kiom flenas obik binom malädik? Which of my friends is sick?

Kiofi lädas ekidols? Which of the ladies have you kissed?

Podi kiom efidom? Which apple has he eaten?

Jipuli kiof löfom? Which girl does he love?

Labom vabis kil; kiomi desidol? He has three carriages; which do you wish?

(It will be seen that, when used adjectively, these follow the nouns and are not declined.)

(d) Relative.

Kel, Who or which (used for all genders).

Kelof, Who or which (feminine form, when necessary for clearness).

Kelom, Who or which (masculine form, when necessary for clearness).

Kelos, That (neuter only).

{{c|(These are declined. See page 34.)

(e) Demonstrative.

At, This; the latter	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ used adjectively.
Et, That; the former
Atos, This; the latter	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ used substantively.
Etos, That; the former
It, self: ot, same: ut, the one: som, such.

(See note 5, page 14.)

As adjectives these follow their nouns and are not declined. As pronouns they are declined. Ut replaces a noun and is declined; thus—

These houses are those (the ones) of his wife, Doms at binoms uts jimatela omik.

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Balmil jöltum züls telul balsezülid (or, telul 19, 1890).

February nineteenth, eighteen hundred and ninety (or, February 19, 1890).

Complements of time, measure, weight, etc., are expressed by the nominative; thus —

Oblibobs is dels fol, We shall stay here four days.

Melavegam älevelom vigs tel, The voyage lasted two weeks.

Paun de kaf kostom sentabs kils, A pound of coffee costs thirty cents.

Duration of time may be expressed also by the use of the preposition du (during); as —

Oblibob in London du muls fol.

I shall remain in London four months.

Or by the accusative case —

Oblibob in London mulis fol.

CONSTRUCTION.

Of Volapük is very similar to that of English, the order being —

1st. The subject, followed by its modifiers in the order of their importance.
2d. The verb, followed by its qualifiers.
3d. The object, followed by its modifiers.
4th. The direct precedes the indirect object, unless the latter is a single pronoun.
5th. Adverbs of time are placed immediately after the verb.
6th. Except when the conjunction das introduces it, a subordinate clause may either precede or follow the principal clause.
7th. A noun in the possessive case follows the governing noun.

Examples in Construction.

Simple affirmative.	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	Fat löfom soni.
		(the) Father loves (the) son.

Affirmative with modifiers.	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	Fat gudik givom ofen bukis gletik sone omik.
		(the) Father good gives often books large (to) son his.

Direct and indirect objects, the latter a single pronoun.

Interrogative with noun for subject.

Interrogative with j pronoun for subject. (

Interrogative word as a subject. i

Negative.

Negative

interrogative.

Subordinate clause, without "das."

Subordinate clause, with "das."

Noun in possessive

case governed by

another noun.

Egivom obe bukis.

He has given {to) me [some) books.

Fat gudik li-givom ofen bukis gletik sone omik?

{the^ Father good {does) he give often books large {to) son his ?

Li-ols ed ob givobs ome bukis gletik.?

Yott and I {do) we give {to) him books large ?

Kiiip fat gudik givom bukis sone?

When {the) father good {does) he give books {to the)

son ?

Fat no givom ome bukis.

{the) Father not gives {to) me books.

Fat no li-givom bukis sone.?

{the) Father not {does) he give books {to the) son ?

Ven olabob moni, ogivob bukis sone, or Ogivob bukis sone, ven olabob moni. / shall give the so7i books when I have money,

Bometob das ogivob bukis sone ven olabob moni.

I promise that I will give books {to the) son when I have money.

Buks lonoms mote cilas.

{the) books belong {to the) mother {of the) children.

If (if) except following the conditional imperfect or pluperfect, and ven (when), are followed by the future or future-perfect indicative; thus—

If he comes {shall come), I shall tell him, if ok6mom, osagob ome.

If he comes {shall have come) before / f If ukomom biifo omogolob, leave {shall leave), I shall tell him, 1 osagob ome.

When I meet {shall meet) her, I shall i ^^^ okokSmob ofi okidob ofi. ktss her, (