Page:International Language.djvu/31
A little reflection will make this truth so absurdly obvious, that the only wonder is, not that it is now beginning to be recognized, but that any one could have ever derided it.
That the "unnecessary" difficulties of a natural language are more than one-half of the whole is certainly an under-estimate ; for some languages the proportion would be more like 3:4 or 5:6. Compared with these, the artificial language would be three times to five times as easy.
Take an illustration. Compare the work to be done by the learner of (a) Latin, (b) Esperanto, in expressing past, present, and future action.
(a) Latin:
Present tense active is expressed by—
| 6 endings in the 1st regular conjugation. |
| 6 endings„ 2nd conjugation„ |
| 6 endings„ 3rd endings„ |
| 6 endings„ 4th endings„ |
Total regular endings: 24.
To these must be added a vast number of quite different and varying forms for irregular verbs.
(b) Esperanto :
Present tense active is expressed by—
1 ending for every verb in the language.
Total regular and irregular endings: 1.
It is exactly the same for the past and future.
Total endings for the 3 tenses active:
(a) Latin: 72 regular forms, plus a very large number of irregular and defective verbs.
(b) Esperanto: 3 forms.
Turning to the passive voice, we get—
(a) Latin: A complete set of different endings, some of them puzzling in form and liable to confusion with other parts of the verb.