Page:Hand-book of Volapük (Sprauge, 1888).djvu/59



PARABLE
translated by Schleyer

ABRAHAM E BÄLEDAN.
'''Abraham äsiedom vöno len yan teneda oma, valadöl (segun kösöm omik) foginelis al lotadön omis. Ädalogom bäledani blegöl oki su staf e kömöl al omi. Bäled e töbs ifenoms omi. Abraham älasumom omi fleno ; äbegom omi siadönok, ävatükom futis oma, ed äblinom flukis e vati flifik. Ab logöl das bäledan äfidom ed ädlinom nes sagön pleki, äsäkom omi kikod no äleplekom Godi süla. Bäledan ägepükom das äleplekom te Fili e das no äsevom godi votik. Abraham äzunom sovemo demü gesag at das äjokom bäledani mofü tened.  Ven at igolom, God ävokom Abrahami ed äsäkom omi kiöp foginel äbinom. Ägesagom: ,,ejokob omi mofü tened, bi no leplekom oli.&quot; God äsagom täno ome: ,,esufob omi du yels tum do änestimom obi ; ed ol no-li äkanol suföm omi du neit bal ven no ätupom oli?&quot; Na Abraham ililom vödis at, ägevokom bäledani, älinkipom omi lotado ed ägivom ome tidamis sapik.  Dunolöd id also e pomesedol fa God Abrahama.''' = MODEL OF TRANSLATION AND GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS =

I give an analysis of the above parable, taking it sentence by sentence, and showing how a person, ignorant of the words, would go to work and ascertain the meaning by the aid of the vocabulary. Persons familiar with other languages, and hence accustomed to translation, may obtain a general idea of the structure of Volapük by following this analysis even before they have at all studied the grammar. Beginning with the first sentence, we look for the verb. When we come to äsiedom, we know it to be a verb because it has a tense-vowel ä as a prefix (of the series a, ä. e, i, o, u), and a person-ending om (of the series -ob, -ol, -om, -of, -os, -on). As om means he, we know that the verb is in the third