Ch 12 · Lesson 17Esperanto · Chapter 12 · Lesson 17 · Grammar primer
Kabei, Esperantujo and fina venko
The translator who became a verb, the land with no map, and a long-running argument: what Esperanto is for.
The short version
Kabei: a whole piece of history in one verb
kabeis pasintjare.
Why?Hide
was a leading early Esperanto translator who vanished from the movement overnight in 1911 and never came back. His name became the verb for doing exactly that - quitting suddenly and completely - and Esperantists still use it today about anyone who disappears from a club or server without warning.
and raŭmismo: what is Esperanto for?
finvenkisto, raŭmisto.
Why?Hide
, the final victory, is the day Esperanto becomes everyone's second language; a finvenkisto works for it. Raŭmismo takes its name from the Manifesto of Rauma, issued at the international youth congress in Rauma, Finland, in 1980: the speakers are a community with a culture worth having for its own sake. Plenty of speakers hold a bit of both.
kabei: the man who became a verb
was the pen name of Kazimierz Bein (1872-1959), a Polish eye doctor and a celebrated early translator. He was vice-president of the Academy of Esperanto. Then, in 1911, he left the movement abruptly, with no explanation, and never came back.
1904Kabe’s translation of Sieroszewski makes his name
1906vice-president of the Academy
1911he leaves without a word
1931tells Literatura Mondo he no longer sees Esperanto as the answer
The community made a verb of him. Kabei is to quit the movement suddenly and completely after being active in it:
kabeis.- He quit Esperanto for good.
It conjugates like any verb: kabei, kabeis, kabeos. It names a clean exit, not a drift: a member who skips a few meetings has not done it.
Esperantujo and samideano
is the Esperanto world: the clubs, congresses, hosts and online groups, treated as a country with no map. The suffix -- makes a land from its people or a container from its contents:
| Word | Pieces | English |
|---|---|---|
| -- | the world |
| -- | a purse |
!- Welcome to the Esperanto world!
Its citizens call each other , people of the same idea: the traditional word, still used to open letters and speeches.
fina venko and raŭmismo
Two words name a long-running argument in the movement: what is Esperanto for?
| Word | Means |
|---|---|
| the final victory: everyone's second language |
finvenkisto | someone who works for it |
raŭmismo | the view in the Manifesto of Rauma |
raŭmisto | someone who holds it |
The Manifesto of Rauma came from the international youth congress in Rauma, Finland, in 1980. Its claim: official adoption is neither likely nor necessary, and the speakers are a community with a culture worth developing for its own sake. Plenty of speakers hold a bit of both views.
finvenkisto, raŭmisto.- She is a finvenkisto, but her brother is a raŭmisto.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Avoid | Better | Why |
|---|---|---|
| | |
, ! | , ! | |
kabei for an absence | | kabei is to leave for good |
Going further: mojosa: cool and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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7-question session
One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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