CORRESPONDENCE NOTES.
In our first issue the hope was expressed that all Esperantists would, without delay, translate the two letters enclosed in the Textbook and send them in for "The Adresaro." Many have already done so, and will no doubt soon commence their foreign correspondence, even if the collecting of picture postcards or postage stamps be the initial incentive. Several translators have experienced slight difficulties in their work, which we now take the opportunity of explaining.
In the first edition of the Textbook the first letter contained the word "propono." Many were unable to translate this, the meaning of which is "proposal." "Ekskolonelo" also presented difficulty to many. The meaning is simply "ex-colonel"!
The more recent letters seem to contain but one point of difficulty—the wonderful ever-recurring word "samideano" (which was here put in the feminine through an oversight). We have not yet discovered an apt translation for this most useful term. One of our members has put "friend in Esperanto," whereas others describe it as "kindred spirit" or "fellow-thinker." The literal meaning is of course "one who shares the same idea as yourself."
A most interesting letter has come to hand from one of our enthusiastic members. We here print it at length:—
"Dear Sir,—I am reluctant to encroach upon your time, but I feel I must write to congratulate you upon the get-up, the good printing, and the general excellence of your first number. It is far and away the best Esperanto journal I have seen.
"One of your correspondents, I see, urges that her age (71) precludes the possibility of her doing much for Esperanto. I hope not. If she has the same good health as I have, she may have several years before her yet. I am in my 81st year, and though I have a very busy life, I take a great delight in our "Kara Lingvo," and can read it with tolerable ease ... I am puzzled about the sound of "Eŭ," "Ej," and "Uj" ... I cannot make out the last line but one on page 9.
Yours, etc.,
E.D.R."
We heartily thank E.D.R. for his interesting and cheering letter. Certainly we all hope to have plenty of time before us in which to propagate "La Karan Lingvon."
To deal with the last point first, it was one of the printer’s errors which one must inevitably find in a journal printed in a new language. "Firmo firinoj" should have been the one word "Firmoj." Our good colleague, Mr. Ahlberg, is thus fully exculpated from what at first sight must have seemed to our readers as "very original Esperanto" on his part. In apologising for the error, we would again call the attention of our readers to the motto at the top of page 1.
The Eŭ is very rare, generally found in Eŭropo, which is pronounced as Ay-oo-roh-po, just as if the ordinary u had been used. The letter ŭ has no individual sound, as was explained in our last issue. Ej in plej, and all other cases, has the value of the ayi in playing. Uj as in ruin. Take for example the word Patrujo. This is spoken Pah-troo-yo. Similarly Lernejo is Lairn-eh-yo.
J.H.M. of Walthamstow writes a congratulatory letter in Esperanto, concluding with the request that we explain the etymology of three words used in the Gazette. "Klopodi," meaning "to busy one’s self about something," is derived from the Polish: klopotac sie. "Ĉerpi," meaning "to exhaust," comes from the Polish: czerpac. "Varbi," "to enrol," from the German: bewarben.
N.B.—It is remarkable, considering that Dr. Zamenhof is a Pole, that there are not more Slavonic words in Esperanto.
Philologists will find the Universal Dictionary (in Esperanto, French, English, German, Russian, and Polish) a useful work. Price 1s., post free.
Friends have written suggesting that we should have monthly competitions for the best translations from given passages in English literature. The idea is an excellent one, but we cannot adopt it at present, as our time is too fully occupied to enable us to give the requisite amount of care to the competitors’ efforts. Nevertheless, we hope for an interesting competition in the near future. We need original work, however, more than translations. Meanwhile we offer a Prize (the Will o’ the Wisp English-Esperanto Dictionary, which really ought to be ready by Christmas) to all friends who can send us the annual subscriptions of ten new subscribers. Of course secretaries and officials of groups are not included in this offer.
We are glad to state that we have received numbers of interesting letters. Our inveterate foe, space, forbids our printing all we wish. We trust that our friends will be satisfied with the written replies which are generally sent when their letters are crowded out.