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Post by StoneRoad on Jan 2, 2012 12:52:53 GMT -4
With all good wishes for the New Year - have a good one, folks!
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Post by StoneRoad on Jan 18, 2011 14:30:42 GMT -4
On that basis I think I would much rather have the sixth "holiday" in the middle of the better mid-summer weather, if that is all right with the southern hemisphere inhabitants.
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Post by StoneRoad on Dec 11, 2010 17:54:29 GMT -4
If you want to, it is possible to learn the basics ie the 16 grammatical rules and a basic vocabulary in two weeks. There is a twelve lesson "postal" course, plus various teach yourself books and several websites. All of which will give you the language as written. It is harder to practice verbal skills, unless you have access to a "phonefriend" and the big advantage of verbalising Esperanto words is that each letter is always sounded exactly the same - no silent letters and no "mutations" as in Welsh - and national or regional accents virtually disappear. I know that from speaking - in Esperanto - to Poles, Scots, Brazillians, French, Germans, Welsh and Americans whilst at the International events I mentioned before.
I am a "komencanto" that is a beginner, as I need more spoken practice! but I can read and write with a reasonable level of skill, yet I have not deliberately studied the language, just picked it up piecemeal from others. Yet even though I spent five or was it six years seriously trying with French I never managed any significant level of competence - I am not a linguist!
Jokes are like beauty - only in the eyes of the beholder. What is very, very funny to one person is offensive to another. Having refreshed my memory of the joke in the OP. I would say that it is equally rude about men and ladies (and also rude about computers!)
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Post by StoneRoad on Dec 11, 2010 12:51:49 GMT -4
Nope, Esperanto is very easy to learn.
It has 16 rules - and there are no exceptions! (so, for example all verbs are regular!), and with a vocabulary of about 2,500 words - which includes prefixes and endings etc with which you can build up words youself.
To give an example "fervojistino" directly translates as a lady professionally involved with railways.
If you want an esperanto font, there are several available to download, which give the accents "ready placed", or you can use one of the established work-arounds, which came about in the days before wordprocessors when special typewriters were produced. (Mia patro havas una dum sepdeckvin jaroj = My father has one for (during) 75 years)
A number of studies have shown that teaching esperanto for one year greatly helps with learning another language in the next four years. (And I have real difficulty with French as a comparison)
I have been to a couple of international gatherings, where over 2000 participants from 80 nations are all able to chat away to each other, is quite something to attend. I was able to chat to several myself, and I only go with my 90 year old father as his helper!
*gets off soapbox* I wonder if this ought to be split off into another thread??
Back to topic, That is a good joke, Can I "pinch" it for my own ends.....
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Post by StoneRoad on Dec 10, 2010 16:20:28 GMT -4
Solution for the problem of gender in nouns.
Learn Esperanto. There is the definite article "The" in English, which is "la" in Esperanto, and all nouns end in -o (-oj if plural) and no gender!
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Post by StoneRoad on Oct 4, 2010 14:41:47 GMT -4
I wonder how long I'll have to wait - good ol' blighty, well down the queue as usual!
Pity. as it sounds to be worth watching!
StoneRoad
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Post by StoneRoad on Sept 7, 2010 15:14:00 GMT -4
Not only fun, but instructive as well. With a few surprises along the way, no doubt. I think I'll spend a bit of time on a large monitor to study this in more detail. I like it!
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Post by StoneRoad on Aug 31, 2010 15:55:01 GMT -4
Although I do know a tiny, very little bit about the rules of cricket: what perplexes me is how the actions of one or two players are supposed to "fix" the result. Last time I looked, first class / international matches had two teams of eleven players, all playing to win??? (this also applies to allegations of football match fixing....)
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Post by StoneRoad on Aug 30, 2010 14:36:32 GMT -4
Hi y'all,
Signed up a sort while ago, and thought I ought to do my "introducing StoneRoad" post.
When I have had a chance to read a few more threads, then I feel sure that I'll be ready to post my two penn'orth!
In the meantime, Take Care Regards StoneRoad
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