Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site spp2.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!wjh12!genrad!decvax!decwrl!amd!dual!zehntel!hplabs!sdcrdcf!trwrb!trwspp!spp2!urban From: urban@spp2.UUCP Newsgroups: net.jokes.d Subject: Re: Dirty words - Esperanto Message-ID: <184@spp2.UUCP> Date: Tue, 16-Oct-84 11:08:23 EDT Article-I.D.: spp2.184 Posted: Tue Oct 16 11:08:23 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 20-Oct-84 06:41:35 EDT References: <329@haring.UUCP> Reply-To: urban@spp2.UUCP (Mike Urban) Organization: TRW, Redondo Beach CA Lines: 27 The Manchester Guardian made a mistake: the Esperanto word is "fiki". Consult the earlier material in this newsgroup for the etymology. "Merdo" is correct slang, but I've also seen "fek'" used as an interjection (Rule Number something-or-other allows the optional dropping of the final "o" from nouns). The language also has a couple of built-in affixes for forming milder curses (hundo=dog, hundac^o=cur, for example.) Phillip Jose Farmer used this technique to come up for an almost suitable translation for "nigger" as spoken by a non-sympathetic character in one of the Riverworld novels (he used "nigrac^o" which is close, but "nigrulac^o" is more correct, "nigrulo" meaning "black"(person) while "nigro" just means the color black. Nevertheless, in the context in which it appears, the character at whom it was directed could not have failed to grasp the intent). National Lampoon ran an article several years ago called "How to Talk Dirty in Esperanto." Some of it was even accurate. Yes, people really do use these words. Mike BTW, if anyone can furnish me with a copy of the NatLamp article, I'd really appreciate it.