Robert Winter | LFN for literature

• Autor: Robert Winter (“robert.winter2010”)
• Tema: LFN for literature
• Data: 2011-01-14 15:23
• Mesaje: 3227 (presedente, seguente)

Hi,

I am a writer and I have been on an enormous, year-long journey to try to find an auxlang in which I can write international literature, as documented on my English-language blog, "The Joy of Languages".

Quite frankly, it has not gone well. After trying innumerable auxlangs, including all of the major ones and many of the minor ones, I nearly gave up completely before, by the skin of my teeth, and by superhuman effort, finally managing to translate 5000 words of the great French novel, "La Chartreuse de Parme" by Stendhal, into Occidental. Thank goodness for that as otherwise the year would have been a complete write-off with no literary result gained. However, I am still not happy because quite sincerely I believe that to use Occidental properly one needs to know at least two European languages other than English! And the spelling is way too difficult for active use by non-Europeans; basically, it just isn't going to fly. So, in summary, the only language I could find which allowed me personally to create an unambiguous and sophisticated translation of a great work of literature was basically absurdly difficult for anyone who did not already fluently speak two or more European languages!

After all this I am seriously considering writing instead in a simple creole-like natlang, such as Afrikaans or Indonesian, since quite frankly these seem to outperform all of the major constructed auxlangs. Oh, the irony! But these are creole-like languages with simple spelling, and LFN is a creole-like language with simple spelling, and I did have some initial success with LFN before giving it up because I could not write in it unambiguously.

So, I hope... LFN to the rescue.

This is my last-ditch attempt to make an auxlang work for me, in a literary sense, without requiring years of study either on my part or on the part of readers. Now that I have been studying Indonesian I think I am beginning to understand how it is possible to write unambiguously despite not having the complex grammar of most European languages; for example, instead of writing stories in the past tense simply write them in the present tense and then most of the difficulty which sometimes arises with handling tenses in creoles disappears without losing any of the essential meaning.

Anyway, so here goes, I was hoping someone might be able to give me some feedback on my translation efforts. Here is the first paragraph in LFN, English, and finally in the original French. French and English use the past tense. My LFN translation simply uses the present tense but conveys the same essential meaning, one hopes. I've used a couple of invented words, indicated by asterisks.

Am I on the right track here? All suggestions gratefully accepted.

Kind regards,
Robert Winter
blog: http://joyoflanguages.blogspot.com/

========== LFN Translation =========La Cartuxa* de Parma
de Stendhal

Libro un
Capitol un

      Milano en 1796

Es 15 maio 1796 e general Bonaparte entra Milano al testa de acel armada cual resente ia traversa la Ponte de Lodi e ia ensenia la mundo ce pos tan multe sentenios Cesar e Alexandro ave un seguor. La miracles de coraje e de jenio, de cual Italia ia es un atestor, en alga menses velia un dorminte popla; an un semana ante la ariva del franses, la milaneses* opina ce los es no cosa plu ce un grupo de banditos, abituada a sempre fuji ante la soldatos de Se Imperal e Rial Altia: a la min acel es reportada a los, tre veses per semana en un peti jornal, tan peti como un mano, primida sur paper susia.

========== English Translation =========The Charterhouse of Parma
by Stendhal

Book 1
Chapter 1

      Milan in 1796

On the 15th of May, 1796, General Bonaparte made his entry into Milan at the head of that young army which had shortly before crossed the Bridge of Lodi and taught the world that after all these centuries Caesar and Alexander had a successor. The miracles of gallantry and genius of which Italy was a witness in the space of a few months aroused a slumbering people; only a week before the arrival of the French, the Milanese still regarded them as a mere rabble of brigands, accustomed invariably to flee before the troops of His Imperial and Royal Majesty; so much at least was reported to them three times weekly by a little news-sheet no bigger than one's hand, and printed on soiled paper.

========== The Original French =========La Chartreuse de Parme
Stendhal

LIVRE PREMIER
CHAPITRE PREMIER

      Milan en 1796

Le 15 mai 1796, le général Bonaparte fit son entrée dans Milan à la tête de cette jeune armée qui venait de passer le pont de Lodi, et d'apprendre au monde qu'après tant de siècles César et Alexandre avaient un successeur. Les miracles de bravoure et de génie dont l'Italie fut témoin en quelques mois réveillèrent un peuple endormi; huit jours encore avant l'arrivée des Français, les Milanais ne voyaient en eux qu'un ramassis de brigands, habitués à fuir toujours devant les troupes de Sa Majesté Impériale et Royale: c'était du moins ce que leur répétait trois fois la semaine un petit journal grand comme la main, imprimé sur du papier sale.