Esperanto: 6 Week Challenge (Language Learning Log) Language Learning Forum

Esperanto: 6 Week Challenge
Tags: 6 Weeks Challenge (6WC) \| Esperanto
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24 messages over 3 pages: 1 2 3

awake
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Message 17 of 24

18 April 2007 at 2:55pm | IP Logged

It might be worth dropping a note to the Lernu support staff and suggest they change that to make it more clear. It may interest (or amuse) you to note that Zamenhof actually suggested breaking up written esperanto by syllables with an apostrophe.

So the word malsanulejo (hospital) would be written as:

mal'san'ul'ej'o

mal = prefix indicating opposite
san = health
ul = person (usually an affix for a person who exhibits the quality expressed by the root)
ej = place (usually an affix for the location the root)
o = noun indicator

thus mal'san'ul'ej'o is a noun, which is a place for people who are not healthy...a hospital. This apostrophe approach, while great for beginners, is a bit cumbersome; so the practice was not adopted by the esperanto community. It's not a bad thing to do for yourself when you're just learning though.

Also, another useful feature of Esperanto is that all those affixes you learn can be used as independent words. Thus, ejo can be used as a word for place.

mala (MAH-lah) can be an independent adjective which means opposite or contrary. For example, mala opinio would be "an opposite opinion"

male (MAH-leh) can be an adverb which means, "On the contrary" or "taking the opposite (view, approach, etc.)"

Ari wrote:

Ah, I see, thanks. In this case, it might have been better, seeing as it's a beginner's text and this is the first compound word that appears, to use some longer word, or at least keep the -o. I never made the connection am - amo.

However, I do love this text. "Gerda Malaperis", it's on Lernu. I haven't needed to even glance on the sixteen grammar rules, since the text introduces the grammar gradually and in context. I can figure out for myself "ah, that must be the imperfect ending". And the dialogues are much more fun than usual (that guy in the corner is putting something in that girl's glass when she's not looking). Good stuff. There should be more instructive texts like this, though the approach might be more difficult with irregular languages.

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Ari
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Message 18 of 24

20 April 2007 at 1:02am | IP Logged

Sprachprofi wrote:

:-) Gerda malaperis is a course aimed at intermediate learners. I guess if you like being thrown into cold water rather than get eased into it, you can also use it as a first text. By the way, this story has been turned into a DVD.

Is it really? I guess it's about right for me as a beginner's text since I know French, but I honestly don't find it very difficult. As I said, I've yet to look at any grammar rules of Esperanto. In the first text, everything is in present tense, singular, and so on. Then they start to slowly introduce past tense, plurals, etc. It's very pedagogical.

On another note, doing half an hour a day is quite difficult, I've noticed. I was thinking of doing exactly that, at first, but life does throw me off at times. I'll still be doing 3.5 hours a week, though. Just have to do some weekend catch-up.
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Shinn
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Message 19 of 24

08 May 2007 at 3:58am | IP Logged

Well I just started learning Esperanto and this challenge seems a great idea. I'm using this 10 lesson Esperanto course so that I get a basic idea first and build up a framework before adding to my knowledge from other sources.
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awake
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Message 20 of 24

08 May 2007 at 11:49pm | IP Logged

The ten lesson course is a pretty good overview. It hits you with all the
basics pretty fast, and gives you a useful vocabulary of a few hundred words
or so. Have you been assigned a course tutor? That's what really makes the
course useful. There are a lot of good follow up courses you can try at
lernu.net such as the gerda malaperis course. In any case, welcome to
Esperanto :)

Shinn wrote:

Well I just started learning Esperanto and this challenge
seems a great idea. I'm using this esperanto/course/bonvenon?2007-05-07-80165020">10 lesson Esperanto
course so that I get a basic idea first and build up a framework before
adding to my knowledge from other sources.

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Shinn
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Message 21 of 24

09 May 2007 at 11:06am | IP Logged

[QUOTE=awake] The ten lesson course is a pretty good overview. It hits you with all the
basics pretty fast, and gives you a useful vocabulary of a few hundred words
or so. Have you been assigned a course tutor? That's what really makes the
course useful. There are a lot of good follow up courses you can try at
lernu.net such as the gerda malaperis course. In any case, welcome to
Esperanto :)

Yes I have been assigned a tutor. My first exercise was perfect so here's hoping that I gain some degree of fluency after 6 weeks :)
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luke
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Message 22 of 24

12 May 2007 at 7:43pm | IP Logged

Here is an unabridged mp3 called La Donaco de la Magoj, which is translation of The Gift of the Magi. You can find the text for it in English through that link. There is a translation of the text in Esperanto available too.

Edited by luke on 12 May 2007 at 7:52pm
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Sprachprofi
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Message 23 of 24

19 May 2007 at 6:45am | IP Logged

Here's a little video on Farbskatol' that every Esperanto learner here should already find easy to understand: http://farbskatol.net/dotclear/index.php?q=futbalo.
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Volte
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Message 24 of 24

19 May 2007 at 9:04am | IP Logged

Sprachprofi wrote:

Here's a little video on Farbskatol' that every Esperanto learner here should already find easy to understand: http://farbskatol.net/dotclear/index.php?q=futbalo.

That was the most laughs I've ever had watching soccer, but the commentary makes normal sports commentary look deep!

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