Irregularities and exceptions in Interlingua: Difference between revisions

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This page describes the irregularities in the [[auxiliary language]] [[Interlingua]]. Most of these irregularities also exist in the [[Romance languages]] which Interlingua uses as its source material.

{{Interlingua sidebar|expanded=Language}}

The term '''irregularities or exceptions in Interlingua''' refers to deviations from the logical rules in a few grammatical constructions in the [[international auxiliary language]] [[Interlingua]]. These oddities are a part of the standard grammar. These special cases have crept into the language as a result of the effort to keep it naturalistic. Most of these irregularities also exist in Interlingua's source languages; [[English language|English]], [[French language|French]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], and to a lesser extent [[German language|German]] and [[Russian language|Russian]]. This feature of the language makes Interlingua more familiar to the speakers of source languages. And at the same time, it makes the language more difficult for others.

The speakers of the source languages do not perceive all deviations as irregular. For instance, Interlingua has three different words for English "am" (''so''), "is" (''es'') and "are" (''son''). While most English speakers will not find any thing abnormal about it, speakers of a few other languages may find the use of three words to express the concept of 'simple present' as unnecessary.

Interlingua is notable in the sense that most languages intended as [[auxiliary language|auxiliary languages]] seek to minimise or eliminate any irregular aspects. The below irregularities and exceptions are a compromise to make the language appear more familiar to speakers of [[Romance languages]], in which many of the below verbal irregularities can be found.

Interlingua is notable in the sense that unlike most auxiliary languages, that seek to minimise or eliminate any irregular aspects, Interlingua takes a flexible approach. It is mandatory to use certain exceptions in Interlingua while others have been kept optional.

On the other hand, Interlingua specifies that these irregularities are optional, so that their use or otherwise is not mandated by the language.

==Mandatory exceptions==

==Required==

===Pronunciation===

Interlingua does not have a 'one letter one sound' orthography. As in English, several letters can be pronounced in different ways; depending on where they are in a word. For instance, the letter '''C''' can be pronounced as either /k/ (''canto'') or /ts/ (''cento''). Here is a list of other mandatory exceptions in pronunciation:

*If ''c'' is succeeded by ''e'', ''i'' or ''y'', it is pronounced as '''s''', '''ts''', or like the English '''ch''' [tʃ] (instead of ''k'').

*"ch" is pronounced as in "e'''ch'''o" or "'''ch'''rome".

*"rh" is pronounced as '''r'''.

*"sh" is pronounced as in English.

*"th" is pronounced as '''t'''.

*"ph" is pronounced as '''f'''.

*If ''i'' is unstressed before a vowel, it is pronounced like in "on'''i'''on" or "phob'''i'''a" (instead of like in "mach'''i'''ne").

*If "ti" is unstressed before a vowel and not preceded by ''s'', it is pronounced like "'''tsy'''" in "ge'''ts y'''ou", "'''sy'''" in "pa'''ss y'''ou" or "'''ty'''" in "le'''t y'''ou" (instead of as "'''ti'''").

*If ''u'' is unstressed before a vowel, it is pronounced like in "pers'''u'''ade" or "superfl'''u'''ous" (instead of like in "pl'''u'''ral").

*If ''y'' is unstressed before a vowel, it is pronounced like in "'''y'''es" (instead of like in "mach'''i'''ne").

*There exist unassimilated guest words which retain their original pronunciation and spelling minus all redundant diacritical signs.

{| class="wikitable"

===Other===

|-

*The sequence "de le" is replaced by "'''del'''".

! Letter / Digraph

*The sequence "a le" is replaced by "'''al'''".

! Possible Pronunciations<ref>{{cite web|url=http://members.optus.net/~ado_hall/interlingua/gi/spelling/spelling_&_pronunciation.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040724184617/http://members.optus.net/~ado_hall/interlingua/gi/spelling/spelling_%26_pronunciation.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2004-07-24|author=Alexander Gode & Hugh Blair|title=Grammar of Interlingua (Second Edition)|date=2011-10-23|access-date=2020-01-26}}</ref>

*If noun ends with a consonant, it takes plural in '''-es''' (instead of -s).

! Rules

*If noun ends with ''c'', it takes plural in '''-hes''' (instead of -s or -es).

! Examples

*Not all adverbs are derived from adjectives.

|-

*If adjective ends with -c, adverb derived from it takes '''-amente''' (instead of -mente).

| c

*If verb ends with -ir, present particle replaces it with '''-iente''' (instead of -inte).

| /k/ <br> /ts/ (or /s/)

*If verb ends with -er, past particle replaces it with '''-ite''' (instead of -ete).

| /k/ when ''c'' is followed by ''a'', ''o'', ''u'' or any consonant'<br> /ts/ (or /s/) when ''e'', ''i'' or ''y'' come after ''c''

*10 is "'''dece'''" (instead of "unanta" as derived from "un").

| ''camera'', ''crear'' <br> ''acido'', ''Cinderella''

*20 is "'''vinti'''" (instead of "duanta" or "danta" as derived from "duo").

|-

*30 is "'''trenta'''" (instead of "tresanta" as derived from "tres").

| ch

*40 is "'''quaranta'''" (instead of "quatranta" as derived from "quatro").

| /k/ <br> /tʃ/ <br> /ʃ/

*10¹²=10^2*6 is "'''billion'''" (instead of "dillion" as derived from "duple").

| like /k/ in words of Greek origin <br> /tʃ/ only in a few words (very rare) <br> /ʃ/ in several words that come from the French

*10¹⁵=10^2*6+3 is "'''billiardo'''" (instead of "dilliardo" as derived from "duple").

| ''cholera'', ''chrome'' <br> ''Chile'', ''cochi'' <br> ''machine'', ''chef''

*10²⁴=10^4*6 is "'''quatrillion'''" (instead of "quadrillion" as derived from "quadruple").

|-

*10²⁷=10^4*6+3 is "'''quatrilliardo'''" (instead of "quadrilliardo" as derived from "quadruple").

| h

*A power of 1,000 above 1,000 has "'''de'''" between it and the counted objects.

| /h/ <br> silent

| silent after ''r'' and ''t''

| ''horologio'' <br> ''rhetoria''

|-

| rh

| /r/

| pronounced as the "r" in Spanish ''caro''

| rhetorica, rheumatic

|-

| sh

| /ʃ/

| pronounced as "sh" in English

| Shakespeare

|-

| th

| /t/

| always pronounced like /t/

| ''theatro''

|-

| ph

| /f/

| always pronounced like /f/

| ''photographia'', ''photosynthese''

|-

| t

| /t/<br>/ts/

| pronounced as /t/ except when followed by an ''i'' and a second vowel in an unstressed syllable, in which case it is realized as /ts/

| ''tourista''<br>''creation''

|-

| u

| /u/<br>/w/

| /u/ except when unstressed before a vowel, in which case it can be realized as /w/

| ''luna'', ''plural'' <br> ''persuader'', ''superflue''

|-

| y

| /j/<br>/i/

| /j/ when unstressed before vowels<br> other like /i/

| ''Yugoslavia'', ''yoga''<br>''tyranno'', ''typo''

|}

Besides, there are also unassimilated loan words that retain their original pronunciation and spelling.

Diacritics are permitted when they do not influence the pronunciation of the word borrowed into Interlingua. Common examples of such words are ''radios Röntgen'' (X rays) and ''kümmel''.

===Contractions===

Just as in English, where ''I am'' is usually contracted to ''I'm'' and ''he is'' to ''he's'', such contractions are also found in Interlingua and these two are compulsory to observe:

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Words

! Contraction

! Example

|-

| ''de'' (of) + ''le'' (the)

| ''del''

| ''del matre'' (of the mother)

|-

| ''a'' (to) + ''le'' (the)

| ''al''

| ''al luna'' (to the moon)

|}

===Plurals===

Plurals can be formed in three different ways depending on the ending of a noun.

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Ending

! Add

! Example

|-

| ends in a consonant other than ''c''

| ''-es''

| ''conversation'' - ''conversationes'' <br> ''pais'' - ''paises''

|-

| ends in ''c''

| ''-hes''

| ''roc'' - ''roches'' <br> ''choc'' - ''choches''

|-

| ends in a vowel

| ''-s''

| ''radio'' - ''radios'' <br> ''academia'' - ''academias''

|}

There are also irregular plurals that occur in loan words. The common ones are ''tests'' (from 'test'), ''addenda'' (from 'addendum') and ''lieder'' (from 'lied').

===Numbers===

{|class="wikitable"

|-

! Numbers

! Logical Name

! Name used

|-

| 10

| ''unanta''

| ''dece''

|-

| 20

| ''duoanta''

| ''vinti''

|-

| 30

| ''tresanta''

| ''trenta''

|-

| 40

| ''quatranta''

| ''quaranta''

|-

| 13

| ''tresdece''

| ''tredece''

|-

| 14

| ''quatrodece''

| ''quattuordece''

|-

| 15

| ''cinquedece''

| ''quindece''

|-

| 16

| ''sexdece''

| ''sedece''

|}

===Parts of speech===

* Not all adverbs are derived from adjectives.

* If an adjective ends with -c, an adverb derived from it takes ''-amente'' (instead of ''-mente'').

* ''Sia'' is the imperative form of ''esser'' ('to be'): ''Sia contente!'' 'Be content!'

==Optional==

===Pronunciation===

*if ''s'' is between vowels, it can be pronounced {{IPA|[z]}}, like in "the'''s'''e" (instead of likethe in{{IPA|[s]}} of "'''s'''tay")

*if ''x'' is between vowels, pronouncedit can be spoken like the {{IPA|[ɡz]}} in "e'''x'''act" (instead of like the {{IPA|[ks]}} in "fo'''x'''")

===Verbs===

====Optional short forms====

*'''ha''' for ''habe'', 'has', 'have'

*'''va''' for ''vade'', 'goes', 'go'

*'''es''' for ''esse'', 'is', 'am', 'are'

====Alternative forms of ''esser''====

:''Note. These forms are rarely used.''

*'''so''' for ''(io) es''

*'''son''' for ''(nos/vos/illes/-as/-os) es''

*'''era''' for ''esseva''

*'''sera''' for ''essera''

*'''serea''' for ''esserea''

===Comparative and superlative adjectives===

*''(le)'' '''minor''' instead of ''(le) plus parve''

*''(le)'' '''major''' instead of ''(le) plus magne''

*''(le)'' '''melior''' instead of ''(le) plus bon''

*''(le)'' '''pejor''' instead of ''(le) plus mal''

*'''minime''' instead of ''le plus parve'' or ''le minor''

*'''maxime''' instead of "le plus magne" or "le major"

*'''optime''' instead of ''le plus bon'' or ''le melior''

*'''pessime''' instead of ''le plus mal'' or ''le pejor''

===Other=References==

<references/>

*"'''es'''" as present tense of "esser" (instead of "esse")

*"'''son'''" as plural present tense of "esser" (instead of "esse")

*"'''era'''" as past tense of "esser" (instead of "esseva")

*"'''sia'''" as subjunctive of "esser" (instead of "esse")

*"'''ha'''" as present tense of "haber" (instead of "habe")

*"'''va'''" as present tense of "vader" (instead of "vade")

*"'''(le) minor'''" instead of "(le) plus parve"

*"'''(le) major'''" instead of "(le) plus magne"

*"'''(le) melior'''" instead of "(le) plus bon"

*"'''(le) pejor'''" instead of "(le) plus mal"

*"'''minime'''" instead of "le plus parve" or "le minor"

*"'''maxime'''" instead of "le plus magne" or "le major"

*"'''optime'''" instead of "le plus bon" or "le melior"

*"'''pessime'''" instead of "le plus mal" or "le pejor"

==External links==

*[https://adoneilson.com/int/gi/ "a grammar of interlingua"] by Alexander Gode & Hugh Blair

*http://members.optus.net/~ado_hall/interlingua/gi/home/entry_page.html

*''[http://www.interlingua.com/en/gramword.htmgrammatica Grammatica de interlingua]''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irregularities And Exceptions In Interlingua}}

[[Category:Interlingua]]