Bonto to Peano
Idiom Neutral
Amsterdam, 3 yanuar 1904.
Verhulst-Straat 134.
Sinior estimed,
Mi deb kredar a influens de fluid.[1] Lektante libr dokumentos de siniori Coutourat e Leau, mi avav intension skribar a vo relativu votr artikl „De latino sine flexione”, kause it es multe resent.[2] Sitempe vo av mited it sekuantu inisiativ[3] propr, e fasied plesir grand a mi. Mersi sinser pro ist afablitet.
Regardu solusion per latin simplifiked e modernifiked, mi av otr idei kuale vo.[4] It es posibl ke tal solusion atrakt latinisti. Ma in nostr period personi sivilised mult no av aprended latin, p.e. injenieri, arkitekti, komersanti, jurnalisti, ofiseri de rels-rut. E ipse personi keli ante temp brev esav obliged konosar el lingu: in nostr land on potes deveniar medik, sine ke on av pased gimnas e aprended latin e gresik. Un demi de instruksion mediik es organised sine lingui klasik.
Eske vo no volu interesar vo pro nostr solusion? Latin av truved plas grand in it, e it sembl a mi ke „idiom neutral” es fasile skribabl e komprendabl. Relativu eradi e nefasiliteti, keli es ankor present, venia e indika ili. Akademi internasional de lingu universal akseptero e studiero ili sine dubi.
If et vo no av simpati pro „idiom neutral”, mi salut vo kuale ko-kombatant pro idé kel viktoriero future. Kordiale,
votr,
W. Bonto van Bÿlevelt
Lingu anglik
Amsterdam, 3 January 1904.
Verhulst-Straat 134.
Esteemed sir,
I must believe in the influence of fluid. While reading Coutourat and Leau's book full of documents, I had the intention to write to you regarding your article “Latino sine flexione”, because it is very recent. Now you've sent it of your own accord and done me a great pleasure. Sincere thanks for this kindness.
Regarding the solution through simplified and modernised Latin, I have different ideas than you. It's possible such a solution attracts Latinists. But in our period, many civilised persons have not learnt Latin, e.g., engineers, architects, merchants, journalists, railroad officers. And even persons who a short while ago were obliged to know that language: in our country, one can become a physician without passing high school and learning Latin and Greek. One half of medical instruction is organised without the classical languages.
Do you not want to interest yourself in our solution? Latin has found a large place in it, and it seems to me that “Idiom Neutral” is easily writable and understandable. Regarding errors and difficulties which are still present, come and point them out. The International Academy of the Universal Language will, without a doubt, accept and study them.
Even if you do not have sympathy for “Idiom Neutral”, I salute you as a co-combatant for an idea which will be victorious in the future. Cordially,
Yours,
W. Bonto van Bÿlevelt
NOTES:
[1] Properly speaking, fluid is an adjective (as a noun, Idiom Neutral has fluidad). The use of kredar a for “believe in” reflects the use of this construction in European languages such as German (glauben an) and French (croire en/à); however, the form listed in the dictionary is kredar in. The fluid referred to could be the universal aether (for which Idiom Neutral already has a word: eter).
[2] Resent does not appear in the dictionaries of classic Neutral (1902) or Reform-Neutral (1912). However, its use does follow the rules for the formation of words in Gramatik §§71-79. See: recent (e), récent (f), reciente (s), recente (i), recens (l).
[3] Inisiativ does not appear in the dictionaries of classic Neutral (1902) or Reform-Neutral (1912). However, see: initiative (e f d), iniciativa (s), iniziativa (i), инициатива (iniciativa) (r).
[4] The phrase otr... kuale... (lit. other... as...) appears to be a calque of German anders als (different from) or Dutch anders als/dan.
