Nequa; or, The Problem of the Ages

by Alcanoan O. Grigsby; Mary P. Lowe

We assented and were at once conducted to our apartments. Iola presented each of us with just such a bookcase and library as Polaris had shown us, on her airship. As she opened one of these cases and displayed the contents, she said:

"You will find here everything needed in order to acquire an accurate understanding of our language. It has been prepared under the direction of MacNair and myself by the publishing department, particularly for the use of English speaking people who might succeed in getting through the ice barriers. These cards contain the English alphabet with our corresponding characters printed on the right. The only difference is that we have a character for each sound while you have a number of sounds to one character. When you have learned our alphabet you will be able to read our language. If there should be any difficulty with the pronunciation all you have to do is to formulate the word by pressing the characters on this keyboard and you will hear every sound clearly enunciated. Every word thus formed is inscribed on a cylinder and after the sounds have been recorded all you have to do is to increase the speed of the clock work in order to have the word pronounced just as it is spoken in ordinary conversation. This instrument is called a Phonographic Enunciator and it records the sound of every character by means of a simple but most delicately constructed mechanical contrivance which has been carefully adjusted to the tones of the human voice. The sounds thus recorded by the use of the sound characters on the keyboard are then pronounced audibly on the principle of our old fashioned phonograph.

"You will find that the definition of the words and the grammatical structure of our language are very easy to learn. This small dictionary of root words, defined in English, contains the key to the definition of every word in our language. When you have committed these definitions to memory you will not find it difficult, even without a teacher, or lexicon, to define every word compounded from them. The grammar, as you will see, is not essentially different from your own, except that we have simplified its treatment. We recognize but four parts of speech; nouns, verbs, modifiers and connectives. The study of our language is further facilitated from the fact, that when its fundamental principles are fully understood, you will naturally have a word for every meaning, instead of a variety of meanings for one word. Our Altrurian language has been repeatedly revised by carefully selected committees of eminent scholars, with a view to making it so easy to learn that it would become universal, a result that was accomplished several hundred years ago."

"Polaris showed me a school library something like this," said I, "but it was adapted to pupils who wanted to study English."

"Yes," remarked Iola, "we have been urging her for a long time to study English, but we never could induce her to make the effort. But," she added, smiling, "no doubt she now regrets it. I predict that it will not be long before she is speaking English as glibly as she does her mother tongue. But I must go now. If you need any help, just touch that button and I will come at once."

She bade us adieu, and we went to work to master the language. As Iola and MacNair had informed us, we found it remarkably easy. We had been well trained from childhood in distinguishing all these sounds, and our eyes soon became familiar with the characters by which they were represented, and before we retired to rest after our first day's study, we were practicing the pronunciation of words, and committing definitions to memory.

We soon had quite a vocabulary of words at our command, which we introduced into our ordinary conversation. This could be the more readily done, because of the grammatical construction of the language being so similar to the English. Associated as we were, with a number of highly educated people, who understood both languages, our progress was very rapid, and in a short time we could express all of our wants in the language of the country, and when we did not have the right word we substituted English, knowing it would be understood, and also, that some one would supply the right word. We determined from the beginning, to use no language but the Altrurian, just as rapidly as we could acquire it. We used it in reading, writing and conversation, and soon we scarcely thought of our mother tongue, except when we heard it spoken.

MacNair and Iola were engaged with their classes an average of two hours a day, and we ordinarily spent our leisure and recreation time together. Our home was also District Headquarters, and here we were continually meeting with representatives from every home in the district, and our acquaintance was rapidly extended. We often visited other homes, sometimes by electric carriage or airship, and sometimes we would walk for miles. When tired, we could always hail a car or carriage. Thus, we were by our associations continually improving in the use of the language, while we were adding to our fund of knowledge concerning the country, by observation and conversation with the people.