Ch 24 · Lesson 9Esperanto · Chapter 24 · Lesson 9 · Grammar primer
Ĥ or k: kemio, ĥemio and the words that kept ĥ
has been official beside since 1974; where k is taken the alternative changes shape (, koruso); and have no accepted alternative.
The short version
-
Why?Hide
In 1974 the officialised six k-forms, including , arkitekturo and mekaniko, as parallel to the ĥ-spellings, which stay correct. PMEG says both words of such pairs are generally fully usable, and the choice is taste. Where k would collide, the alternative takes another shape: (a choir) becomes koruso, because is a heart.
Where k is taken, ĥ stays
.
Why?Hide
Speakers have built k-forms beside ĥ words since the early years: beside , arkitekturo beside arĥitekturo. But some words have no accepted alternative: (a Czech) cannot become ĉeko, which is a cheque, and (an echo) has no generally accepted one either. Learn to say ĥ once and these words stop being scary.
Ĥ or k: both are usually right
PMEG records the trend: since the earliest years there has been a tendency to create alternatives to ĥ words, mostly with k, because k is made in the same place in the mouth.
PMEG adds a rule that covers a whole family: every root with ĥ straight after r has a k form.
| ĥ-form | k-form | English |
|---|---|---|
arĥeologio | arkeologio | archaeology |
arĥitekto | | an architect |
monarĥo | monarko | a monarch |
What the did. Its Eighth Official Addition (1974) officialised six k-forms as parallel to the existing ĥ-forms, each printed as (modern form of) its ĥ-spelling:
| k-form (1974) | Beside the ĥ-form | English |
|---|---|---|
alkemio | alĥemio | alchemy |
arkaismo | arĥaismo | an archaism |
arkitekturo | arĥitekturo | architecture |
| | chemistry |
mekaniko | meĥaniko | mechanics |
monarko | monarĥo | a monarch |
The same list gives kirurgo with ĥirurgo in brackets, a surgeon. Parallel means parallel: the ĥ-forms were not withdrawn, and is in the itself. PMEG's verdict:
aj.Generally both words of such pairs are fully usable.
It adds that the choice is a matter of taste:
.- I study chemistry..- I study chemistry.
Where k cannot go
A plain swap fails when the k-word already means something else. PMEG's examples:
| ĥ-form | k would give | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| | koruso |
ĥolero | | kolerao |
ĥino | kino, the cinema | |
With (a Chinese person) the ĥ-form has gone: PMEG advises using only , unless you want to sound deliberately old-fashioned.
And some words have no generally accepted alternative at all. PMEG names two:
an echo
a Czech
a monk
- a Czech. The k-form would beĉeko, which is a cheque.- an echo.- a monk. A variantmonakoexists, butnotes it is scarcely used and easily confused with Monaco.
How alive the ĥ spelling is varies word by word:
- ĉinoĥino has gone
- kemio / ĥemioboth fully usable
- monaĥomonako barely used
- eĥo, ĉeĥono accepted alternative
The ĥ question: keep it or let it go?
Should Esperanto keep ĥ in the words that have a k-form? Speakers disagree, and both sides can point to the record:
| Side | Argument |
|---|---|
| Keep ĥ | it is in the Fundamento's alphabet |
| Keep ĥ | Fundamento roots include |
| Keep ĥ | PMEG: rarity, not the sound, is the problem |
| Prefer k | k-forms have been built since the early years |
| Prefer k | the officialised six in 1974 |
| Prefer k | ĥino has already given way to |
What is not in dispute: the letter stays in the alphabet, the 1974 k-forms were added beside the ĥ-forms rather than instead of them, and in 1982 the found that no spelling change is necessary or desirable, a resolution its 2007 statement builds on. Pick one spelling per word and use it consistently.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
. | . | for the choir: |
ĉeko. | . | for a Czech: ĉeko is a cheque |
kino. | . | for a Chinese man: kino is the cinema |
Going further: What ĥ sounds like and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
Practise this lesson
9-question session
One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
Esperanto · Free printables
Worksheets for this lesson
Worksheets with answer keys built in. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekLesson 9 of 25 in this chapter