Volapük Vifik: Lärnod Velid

Your number's up - everyone for him/her/themselves!"

If you remember, we could only count up to 999 in Volapük at thelast count, so we are going to complete our counting skills.

Mil is the word for ONE THOUSAND. This is a useful piece of knowledge,because by means of it, we can now say DATES out loud in Volapük.  For example, the year 1950 is quite simply: mil zültum luldeg. Easy,when you know how!

A million, just in case you come up on the National Lottery is balion.  If you won the handsome sum of 7,142,857, this would be expressed in Volapük as velbalion baltum foldeg tel mil jöltum luldeg vel.

As it is unlikely that you would need to count above such a number as this, perhaps we could leave it there!

HOW WOULD YOU WRITE IN VOLAPÜK: 1995, 1874, 1483, 12, 928, 561,7, 564, 138?

Some time ago you learnt how to tell the time on the hour. Now letus become a little more ambitious by mastering the various quarters, halves and minutes on the clock!

BINOS MINUTS DEG POS DÜP BALID = It's 1:10
BINOS FOLDIL POS DÜP BALID = It's 1:15
BINOS DÜPALAF POS BAL = It's 1:30
BINOS MINUTS TELDEG BÜ DÜP TELID = It's 1:40
BINOS FOLDIL BÜ TEL = It's 1:45
BINOS SEKUNS KILDEG BÜ DÜP TEL = It's thirty seconds to two o' clock

As you will see, the system is very flexible. There's a long way round (pos/bü düp balid) or a short way round (pos/bü bal) depending on your preference. To express a.m. simply say göda = of the morning; tto express p.m. say poszedelo = after the middle of the day. The continental system works just as well, and saves a word or two. Thus 15:35 is Binos minuts teldeglul bü düp degmäl. Again, use whatever suits you best!

In answer to the question DÜP KINID BINOS-LI? give the following clock times:

(It's) 4 o'clock; 4:05; 3:15; 2:20; 1:15; 5:40; 6:45; 7:50; 8:10 a.m.; 9:25 p.m.; 17:55; 18:44.

If in Volapük we need to say: "he sees himself", we must say Logom oki, because the om in logom, and the person seen are THE SAME. If we said Logom omi, then we should mean that he sees someone else - in fact the second om is another person. Similarly for logof oki (= the same 'she') and logof ofi (= an entirely different 'she').

In fact, the REFLEXIVE FORM can also be PLURAL, or take any other case.  Look at the following examples:

Lavom oki = He washes himself / Lavom omi = He washes him (someone else)
Stunidof oki = She admires herself / Stunidof ofi (= someone else)
Flapons okis = They hit themselves / Flapons onis (= someone or something else).

As we said above, everyone for him/her/themselves!

VOLAPÜK VIFIK

As we embark on the seventh part of our course, here are some more words for you to look at and speak out loud:

balan = one (person) 

beigolön = to go past 

cödöp = a court (of law) 

demü = on account of

det = right-hand 

detü = on the right of 

dilekan = a director, a manager 

dokan = a doctor 

dredöfik = shy, timid 

fagotü = far from 

flekön (oki) = to turn, to bear 

flenöfik = friendly, kind 

fredön = to be happy, to be glad 

fredükön = to make happy/glad 

futaglöpäd = football (game) 

gadacif = a supervisor (gardening) 

gadav = horticulture 

geidian = a guide (brochure) 

gespikön = to reply 

go = absolutely 

jü = up to 

jüesa = up to and including 

jünu = up to now 

keproan = a fan, a supporter 

kredön = to believe 

ladöfiko = sincerely 

lädül = a young lady 

lebonedön = to subscribe to 

ledino = mainly, principally 

legad = a park 

lelogöfik = really worth seeing 

lom = a hearth, a home 

lükömön (lü) to arrive at, to get to 

mälat = half-a-dozen

mekavik = artificial, man-made 

mödikna = many times 

nedet = left-hand 

neflifed = antiquarian 

neläbo = unfortunately 

ninükön = to enclose 

noe ... abi = not only ... but also 

nilü = near to 

plagik = practical 

plidön = to like 

plimön = to compliment 

pon = a bridge 

potöp = a post office 

pükav = linguistics 

reig = mastery 

selibik = single, unmarried 

selidöpan = a (shop) assistant 

stajonao = from the station 

staudöp = a restaurant 

steifülön = to attempt, to try 

step = a pace, a step 

sufälik = patient 

süperiko = superbly 

süt = a street 

tefü = about, regarding 

töbo = barely, scarcely 

topäd = a region 

travärön = to cross 

valemapük = a universal language 

vilöfo = willingly 

vomül = a young woman 

yufü = with the help of 

zilik = enthusiastic 

zu = in addition

HERE IS THE REPLY TO JANIN'S LETTER - BUT IS IT THE ANSWER TO HER DREAMS?

Tü del 2id gustula, yela 20—

O jispodan löfik Janin!

Kio äfredob dö pened nitedikün de ol dätü del teldegid yulula! Ereidob oni jünu mödikna, bi töbo kredob,das vomül so flenöfik äs ol vilof spodön ko yunan so dredöfik äs ob! Dani gudikün ole, o flen gudik!

Balido plimob oli ladöfiko demü reig ola Volapüka; spelob,das okanobs spodön as flens bevünetik medü valemapük mekavik balid at.

Labob lifayelis teldeglul, binob selibik e vobob in legad zifa as balan gadacifas us; fat obik binom dokan, e mot obik binof selidöpan neflifedabukas nilü dom obas. Neläbo no labob gemi. Nitedälob vemo tefü gadav; desir oba gretikün binon ad vedön «Dilekan Legadas»! Ünü yels nog kils ulabob plaki saidik plagikum; fümo gads fo e po dom obsik binons jöniks,bi noe ob it, abi pals obik binobs ziliküns gadans! Zuo, labob livüpajäfis ledino telis: plidob vemo pükavi. Atimo jäfob me stud mekavapükas jüesa tim nuik; kodü at, lebonedob eli «Vög Volapüka» zu binob keproan zilik futaglöpäda!  Ye, go vilöfo, yufü lädül sufälik, osteifülob ad gudükumön nitedis obik valemik, täno spelabo usteifülob, yufü ol, süperiko!

Ninükob geidiani smalik ad nitedön oli; topäd lölik vo binon lelogöfik; ad lükömön lü dom obsik stajonao, flekoy oki lü nedet jü potöp; beigoloy staudöpi detü cödöp, traväroy süti, flekoy oki ai lü det jü pon, ed - ekö! fagotü mälat stepas: lom obsik stadon!

Gespikolös penedi oba suno, o Janin, begö! Ed ofredükol obi vemo!

Valikosi gudikün ole ed olikanes,

sedom flen ola

VIKTOR

1. Now that you have enjoyed reading Victor's letter, why not make agood translation of it into English?

2. Using some, or all, of the directions given in Victor's letter, tell me how I could get to your house from the station.

3. Last of all, write in your own name a letter in reply to either Janine's or Victor's letter.