John Charles O'Connor

“ Such persons, at the sight of so short a grammar, with rules so simple and so readily intelligible, will be ready to regard it with a contemptuous glance, never considering the fact—of which a little further reflection would convince them—that this simplification and bringing of each detail out of its original complicated form into the simplest and easiest conceivable was, in fact, the most insuperable obstacle to be overcome. ”

“ I need not here point out the considerable importance to humanity of an international language—a language unconditionally accepted by everyone, and the common property of the whole world. How much time and labour we spend in learning foreign tongues, and yet when travelling in foreign countries we are, as a rule, unable to converse with other human beings in their own language. ”

“ Books being the same for everyone, education, ideals, convictions, aims, would be the same too, and all nations would be united in a common brotherhood. Being compelled, as we now are, to devote our time to the study of several different languages, we cannot study any of them sufficiently well, and there are but few persons who can even boast a complete mastery of their mother-tongue. On the other hand, languages cannot progress towards perfection, and we are often obliged, even in speaking our own language, to borrow words and expressions from foreigners, or to express our thoughts inexactly. ”

“ Everyone knows the impossibility of communicating intelligibly with a foreigner by the aid of even the best of dictionaries, if one have no previous acquaintance with the language. In order to find any given word in a dictionary, we must know its derivation, for when words are arranged in sentences, nearly every one of them undergoes some grammatical change. ”

“ By the help of these rules, and others, which will be found in the grammar, the language is rendered so exceedingly simple that the whole labour in learning consists in committing to memory some 3,000 words—which number includes all the grammatical inflexions, prefixes, etc. With the assistance of the rules given in the grammar, anyone of ordinary intellectual capacity may form for himself all the words, expressions, and idioms in ordinary use. Even these 3,000 words, as will be shown directly, are so chosen that the learning them offers no difficulty to a well- educated person. ”

“ Anything whatever, written in the international tongue, can be translated, without difficulty, by means of the vocabulary alone, no previous study being requisite. The reader may easily convince himself of the truth of this assertion by experimenting for himself with the specimens of the language appended to this pamphlet. A person of good education will seldom need to refer to the vocabulary, a linguist scarcely at all. ”

“ The greater part of the world was not in the slightest degree interested in the prospect of a new language, and the persons who really cared about the matter thought it scarcely worth while to learn a tongue which none but the inventor could understand. When the whole world, said they, has learnt this language, or at least several million people, we will do the same. ”

“ Before proceeding to enlighten the reader as to the means employed for the solution of the problems, I would ask of him to reconsider the exact significance of each separately, so that he may not be inclined to quibble at my methods of solution merely because they may appear to him perhaps too simple. I do this because I am well aware that the majority of mankind feel disposed to bestow their consideration on any subject the more carefully, in proportion, as it is enigmatical and incomprehensible. ”

“ Amongst the numberless projects submitted at various times to the public, often under the high-sounding but unaccountable name of "universal languages," no one has solved at once more than one of the above-mentioned problems, and even that but partially. ”

“ This I accomplished by the introduction of numerous prefixes and suffixes, by whose aid the student is enabled to create new words for himself, without the necessity of having previously to learn them. For example:—
(1) . The prefix mal denotes the direct opposite of any idea. If, for instance, we know the word for "good," bon'a, we can immediately form that for "bad," mal' bon'a, and hence the necessity of a special word for "bad" is obviated. ”

“ After this alteration, a word often bears not the least resemblance to its primary form, so that without knowing something of the language beforehand, we are able to find hardly any of the words occurring in a given phrase, and even those we do find will give no connected sense. ”

“ How different would the case be had we but two languages to learn; we should know them infinitely better, and the languages themselves would grow richer, and reach a higher degree of perfection than is found in any of those now existing. ”

“ That it has been prepared to supply a want is not a mere façon de parler. Prior to the appearance of the first edition hundreds of inquirers, from most widely separated sections at home and abroad had written urgently requesting a grammar suitable for English students. ”

“ Anyone who did not speak or understand German, after searching for each word separately in a dictionary, would produce the following farrago of nonsense: "I; white; not; where; I ;—; stick; dispassionate; property; to have; she, they, you; ”

“ Kaj la ter'o est'is sen'form'a kaj dezert'a, kaj inal'lum'o est'is super la profund'a'ĵo, kaj la anim'o de Di'o si'n port'is super la akv'o. Kaj Di'o dir'is: est'u lum'o; kaj far'iĝ'is lum'o. Kaj Di'o vid'is la lum'o'n ke ĝi est'as bon'a, kaj nom'is Di'o la lum'o'n tag'o, kaj la mal'lum'o'n Li nom'is nokt'o. Kaj est'is vesper'o, kaj est'is maten'o—unu tag'o. Kaj Di'o dir'is: est'u firm'aj'o inter la akv'o, kaj gi apart'ig'u akv'on de akv'o. Kaj Di'o kre'is la firm'aĵ'o'n kaj apart'ig'is la akv'o'n kiu est'as sub la firm'aĵ'o, de la akv'o kiu est'as super la firm'aĵ'o ”

“ Mr. Joseph Rhodes, F.J.S., President of the Esperanto Society, Keighley, Yorks (the first society established for the study of the language in England) , who, despite his many literary duties, has given me valuable assistance in revising this new edition ”