Page:Hand-book of Volapük (Sprauge, 1888).djvu/62

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

„omik“; is "his." This is another form, equivalent to oma ; when the possessor is one of the pronouns ob, ol, om, of, os, on, it may be put in either the adjectiv form or the kimafal ; may end either in ik or in a.

Segun kösöm omik == according to his custom

Valadöl, segun kösöm omik, foginelis == awaiting strangers, according to his custom.

We cannot in English place the phrase "according to his custom," where it naturally belongs. The reason for this is that we have no separate form for the objectiv, and therefore feel a necessity for placing it as close as possible to the verb so that it may be felt as the object. "Awaiting, according to his custom, strangers," would sound awkward.

Al lotadön omis. The ending -ön indicates the infinitiv, and we have seen that al before the infinitiv gives it the meaning "in order to ; " altho' "in order" need not be expressed. If we look up lotad we find that it means hospitality ; but we have in English no verb "to hospitate." We are obliged to use some such phrase as "to give hospitality to," "to receive hospitably." Omis is the same word ,,om" which we have already met several times. This time it is in the kimifal, plural, like foginelis, which, in fact, it replaces.

Al lotadön omis == to offer them hospitality.

This completes the first sentence.

We begin the second by searching as before for a verb, which we may expect to find marked by its tense-vowel at the beginning and its person-ending. We have not far to seek, as ädalogom has the marks. We see at once that (as in äsiedom) the framework is he did something. Dalogön is to perceive, hence ädalogom is he perceived. The subject not being expressed the he must stand in its stead.

Dalog-ön is not a simple word. Da is a prefix, and log is the real root. Log, as a noun. means eye ; log-ön, the verb, is to see. Da, as a prefix, denotes the completion of an action or the attainment of the object sought.