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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.