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Linguistic Evolution and the End of Esperanto Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 24, 2009
It’s a simple fact that languages, given time, will evolve. If ever you have the chance, take a look at the Oxford English Dictionary, and track the evolution of any random word. Sometimes, the years required for a word to radically alter its meaning are few – take today’s contradictory-seeming definitions of the word “oversight,”…
Instruments in Esperanto Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 22, 2009
One of my neighbors will soon graduate with a degree in Music Education. Per her request, here are some words for expressing your choice of musical instrument in Esperanto! I couldn’t hope to represent an entire orchestra’s worth of instruments, but I figured I would offer you a list of some of the more common…
-Isms Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 22, 2009
Perhaps it’s because I’m a student of philosophy, but I find that I deal with lots of “-isms” on a daily basis. Taoism, capitalism, anarchism…There are a great many schools of thought out there. Much like the English suffix “-ism,” there is an Esperanto infix that means virtually the same thing. Try using “-ism-” when…
Medical Terms and Emergencies Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 18, 2009
A recent blood drive I attended has me in a medical mindset. It occurred to me how infrequently I’ve heard medical terms used in Esperanto, since so much of my Esperanto communication over the years has been through writing! Although (with luck!) you may never find yourself in an emergency situation that requires you to…
Read or Die Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 17, 2009
My next-door neighbor in the dorm is a huge fan of all sorts of anime, a term for a lengthy animated series from Japan. I don’t usually partake, but occasionally I catch a glimpse of what he’s watching. Today I became acquainted with his latest pastime, a series known as Read or Die. Under normal…
The Right Way To Write Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 14, 2009
Using your knowledge of Esperanto, you know that “to write” is “skribi.” So, if you wanted to think of what tool you would use when you wish to write something, you might combine the root “skrib-” with the infix for “tool, “-il-,” and finish it off with an “-o.” The end result would be “skribilo,”…
Patience is a virtue… Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 11, 2009
I might have mentioned before that I don’t have control over approving all your comments. Of course, I review all of them, and put in a good word for the better percentage of them! That’s why it sometimes takes a little while for your insightful commentary to appear on the blog. As luck would have…