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When Zamenhof published his original book introducing Esperanto, he had
boiled it down to sixteen rules to illustrate its simplicity. In the years that
followed, the language grew and changed, and from that growth came additional
rules and exceptions. Today it is simply impossible to correctly summarize
Esperanto in 16 scant rules. (In fact,
Being Colloquial in Esperanto,
by David K. Jordan, requires over 100 pages to summarize its grammar.) Yet
Esperantists still offer that original list of 16 rules as implication that that
is all one needs to know.
So, if Salveto were to oversimplify in the same way that Esperanto
oversimplifies about its 16 rules, Salveto would only have 12 rules!
What does that mean? Only that both languages are far more complex than a
mere handful of rules can express. But a brief glance at the red boxes below
should illustrate that Salveto is at least somewhat more streamlined.
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Esperanto |
Salveto |
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1.
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There is no indefinite article. There is only one definite article, la, which is the same for all genders, cases, and numbers.
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There is no definite article. There is only one indefinite article, un, which is the same for all genders, cases, and numbers.
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2.
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All nouns take the ending '-o.'
All plurals take the ending '-j.'
There are only two cases: nominative and accusative.
The accusative takes the ending '-n.'
Other cases can be expressed through prepositions: genitive 'de,' dative 'al,' ablative 'per,' etc.
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Nouns take the ending '-e' (neuter), '-a' (feminine), or '-o' (masculine).
All plurals take the ending '-s'.
There is only one case: nominative. Accusative case is indicated by word order: subject before object.
Other cases can be expressed through prepositions.
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3.
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All adjectives take the ending '-a.'
In case and number, adjectives are congruent with their substantives.
To make the comparative, 'pli' is used.
To make the superlative, 'plej' is used.
For expressions of comparison, the preposition 'ol' is used.
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Modifiers (adjectives, adverbs, and nouns used as adjectives) end in any consonant except 's' and generally precede their substantives.
Modifiers are absolute, and do not require any congruence with their substantives.
To make the comparative, 'plus' or 'minus' is used.
To make the superlative, 'masim' or 'minim' is used.
For expressions of comparison, the preposition 'al' is used.
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4.
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The cardinal numbers are not declined, and are unu, du, tri, kvar, kvin, ses, sep, ok, naux, dek, cent, mil. All numbers below one million are formed by joining these words.
For ordinal numbers, the adjectival ending is used.
For multiples, the suffix '-obl' is used.
For fractions, the suffix '-on' is used.
For rates, the preposition 'po' is used.
The numbers can be used as nouns and adverbs.
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The cardinal numbers are not declined, and are une, du, tri, cuar, cuin, sis, sep, oc, nov, dec, cent, mil.
11-19 add '-ce'. 20 is 'vint'. The numbers 30-90 add '-ant' to 3-9.
All numbers below one million are formed by joining these words.
For ordinal numbers, the suffix '-em' is used.
For multiples, the word '???' is used.
For fractions, a cardninal numerator and an ordinal denominator are used.
For rates, the preposition '???' is used.
The numbers can be used as nouns and adverbs.
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5.
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Personal pronouns are mi, vi, li/sxi/gxi, ni, vi, ili, oni.
Possessive pronouns are formed by the addition of the adjectival ending.
Pronouns are declined as substantives.
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Personal pronouns are me, te, ilo/ila/ile, mes, tes, ilos/ilas/iles.
There are no possessive pronouns; instead, the verb 'patinar' is used.
Pronouns are declined as substantives.
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6.
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Verbs do not vary with person and number.
Verb endings are: present '-as,' past '-is,' future '-os,' conditional '-us,' imperative '-u,' infinitive '-i.'
Active participles are: present '-ant,' past '-int,' future '-ont.'
Passive participles are: present '-at,' past '-it,' future '-ot.'
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Verbs do not vary with person and number.
Verb endings are: present/imperative '-u,' past '-i,' infinitive '-ar.' Helping words 'va,' 'vi,' vo' are used to establish future, past, and conditional tenses respectively.
There is one active participle: present '-ant.'
There is one passive participle: past '-id.'
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7.
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Adverbs take the ending '-e.' Comparatives are the same as for adjectives.
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(this rule is not required -- Salveto does not differentiate adverbs from adjectives)
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8.
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Prepositions always govern the nominative.
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(this rule is not required -- Salveto only has the nominative case)
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9.
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All words are pronounced as they are spelled.
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(same)
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10.
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The accent of every word falls on the penult (second to last syllable).
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(same)
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11.
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Compound words are formed by joining the root words, with the main word at the end.
Suffixes and prefixes can be used as self-standing words.
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Compound words are formed by joining the root words, with the main word at the end.
Suffixes and prefixes generally cannot be used as self-standing words.
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12.
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There is no double negative.
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(same)
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13.
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To show motion toward, the accusative is used.
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(this rule is not required -- Salveto has no accusative form; see also #2 & #14)
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14.
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All prepositions have a fixed meaning.
If no preposition is suitable, the preposition 'je,' which has no fixed meaning may be used, or the accusative without a preposition.
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Most prepositions have a fixed meaning.
Some prepositions have more general meanings, such as 'a' (to/toward) and 'de' (of/from). Unless a specific preposition is required, use of the more general ones is encouraged.
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15.
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Foreign words may be received into the language with no change except
for conformity with the language's orthography.
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(same)
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16.
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The '-o' ending can be left off, and 'la' abbreviated (l').
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(this rule is not required -- Salveto's '-e' ending is less abrasive than '-o' and can simply be pronounced softly; feminine and masculine endings should not be elided for obvious reasons)
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