The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-05-24
WHAT is VOLAPUK9

An Account Of the Origin of the New Language.
This aspirant for international use is named
for two elementary words, U0L world, aud pak,
language. In this situation the letter "a
means Of, aud the result of the combination
vo-a-puk implies Language of the world"
At the very beginning one is impressed with
the uniformity and clearness of the whole
scheme, the product Of old Father SChleyer's
mind, who, while modeStly performing the
duties of priest, was busily studying Ian
guages and finally brought to perfection this
unique and ingenious system.
It's distinguishing features are facility of ac-
QUESTION freedom from obscurity and excep-
tons and the presence of the clearest and most
striking points in other languages.
Since English is spoken by so large a majority
of the worlds population he has wisely and
magnanimOusly drawn most largely from
thence the radicals of the new language, 40 per
cent coming from this source alone: He is
guided by another thought-to take the brefest,
most distinct and most easily enuuciated words.
For example, he refuses the word house be-
cause certain natiOns-the Italians Spaniards
and PoTtuguese-cannot pronounce that word,
so he prefers another radical which we know in
the word domestic" and therefore dom
stands among VolapukrOo implying house or
dwelling.
The tense, gender, number, case, person,
voice, degree, have the same significance as in
not by separate Connectives but by modfca-
tions in the form Of the word and these
notifications follow a simple and inVariable
order Nouns have four cases; nominative,
unmodifed for all genders; genitive ending in
a." datiye in e." accusatve in a." To
form the plural we add IS " for the terminal
vowel thus recalling the regular order Of the
vowes "a" &c" 3" j." we have command of all
the relations which noun may sustain to other
words in a sentence
There is no article and the adjective has
neither gender nor infection.
The nine numerals all end in al" are com
posed of three letters, and the central one of
the first is "a,p Of the second Z" e." of the third
"i, +" and so on. With these numerals he names
the days and months, balul from "bal one
and "mul " month, indicates the first month
of the year, January bal DEL" the first day,
Sunday.
By a set of terminals one radical does large
service, thus shortening the vocabulary and
aiding the memory.
The root baev," with an added, refers to a
person, and means an old man. With al, form
ing balevat, we have the abstract noun anti
guilty; with ak, the adjective aged. Again take
the root It'd. Add oa we have the infuitive in
teach; tidik means instructive; tidel, teacher;
tidup, lesson time; tidem, instruction.
An important national society for its study
has been formed ia France, among whose mem
bers some of the first scholars Of the age.
One hundred and twenty-eight societies Of
Volapuk are in existence, - journals and more
than 100000 students in Europe aud our own
country. Ninety books have been published
on the subject, and magazine articles without
number.
There have been two general assemblies Of
the advocates, and there will be third held in
Paris in 1889. An organized academy has a
central organ, of which Father Schleyer is
editor. 1t win edit the standard books and
dictionaries, none Of which latter is yet to be
procured.
Whatever the success or failure of the Ian
guage in being adopted as a means of interna-
| tioual correspondence, every student of VIOLA
puk will bear testimony to the facility with
which it can be acquired, and the tender regard
which he feels for the dear old man, who has
been studying and waiting in his home in
KOnstanz with no income but the small PEN
sion of Curate of the Roman Catholic Church.