Newsgroups: sci.lang,alt.politics.ec
From: philip@storcomp.demon.co.uk (Phil Hunt)
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!news.mathworks.com!udel!gatech!swrinde!pipex!peernews.demon.co.uk!storcomp.demon.co.uk!philip
Subject: Re: One point against Esperanto
References: <3is8kg$rb@ilex.fernuni-hagen.de>
Reply-To: philip@storcomp.demon.co.uk
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Date: Wed, 1 Mar 1995 01:20:15 +0000
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In article <3is8kg$rb@ilex.fernuni-hagen.de>
           Christian.Bruecker@FernUni-Hagen.de "Christian Bruecker" writes:
> And now my point against esperanto:
> 
> If that mentioned feature of a GROWN language my cause such a 
> big trouble, do you really want to introduce a PLANNED language
> that have this same feature, but so consequent, that it even tells 
> a mother a "female father" ("mother" in Esperanto is "patrino", 
> that literally means "she-father")?
> 
> I think that might cause a revolution..., and, different from
> the case of the grown German language, in this case I'd think
> the feminists beeing right...

I agree. Also in Esperanto there is no pronoun meaning person of
indeterminate gender (like writing "he/she" in English). If Esperanto
was adopted by the EU, I expect that that would be changed, to 
something like this:

     patr-o      parent
     patr-iv-o   father
     patr-in-o   mother

While they're at it they could also abolish the -n accusative ending,
and adjective agreement using -j. And change some spellings to make it
easier to recognise words:

   current   new
   -------   ---
   kv        qu
   k         c 
   ks        x
   s^        sh

So:
    akvo "water" --> aquo
    ekskurso "excursion" --> excurso
    s^ipo "ship" --> shipo

-- 
Phil Hunt...philip@storcomp.demon.co.uk
Majority rule for Britain!
