'AFFIRMATIONS, QUESTIONS, AND RESPONSES':

'An affirmation:

'A question:

'A response:

Notice: 'Each question is based on an affirmation. Once the affirmation is identified it can be switched into a question by raising the voice at the end of the sentence. But notice, that the order of the words remains the same in Transitional English.'

'In normal English, the question is': (You go to work

tomorrow?) ' ?'

'The understood affirmation is': (You go to work tomorrow.)

' .'

'The question in Transitional English has the following form': Yü gow tu wòrk tùmórow?

'All questions that expect a one-word answer, (yes, no), follow this form.'

'Practice the following affirmations by changing them into questions in Transitional English':

• Ay sheyv, wosh, and dres in mörning. _______________________

'Example': [Ay sheyv, wosh, and dres in mörning?]
• Ov-ay frend kòmed sï ay yestèrdey. _________________________
• Yü teyk bath bifôr yü gow bed. ______________________________

 

 
 




VÒKÁBYÙLERI (VOCABULARY)     'YOUR LANGUAGE (1)'

aftèr (after), prep. ' '
bath (bath), n. ' '
brùsh tïth (brush teeth), fr. ' '
janìtòr (janitor), n. ' '
deyli (daily), adv. ' '
du (do), v. ' '
during (during), prep. ' '
föl aslîp (fall asleep), fr. ' '
get ùp (get up), fr.' '
gow (go), v. ' '
hay skül (high school), fr. ' '
howm (home), n. ' '
hü (who), pron. ' '
komèdi (comedy), n. ' '
kwit (quit), v. ' '
lïv (leave), v. ' '
mùst (must), v. ' '
meybï (maybe), adv. ' '
nyüzpeypèr (newspaper), n. ' '
òklók (o'clock), fr. ' '
pärdòn (pardon), n. ' '
prinsìpàl (principal), n. ' '
rïd (read), v. ' '
rütîn (routine), n. ' '
sheyv (shave), v. ' '
shùt (shut), v. ' '
stùdi (study), v. ' '
stüdènt (student), n. ' '
süp (soup), n. ' '
teyk bath (take bath), fr. ' '
tel (tell), v. ' '
telèvizhòn (television), n. ' '
tïchèr (teacher), n. ' '
tipikàl (typical), adj. ' '
tüthpeyst (toothpaste), n. ' '
èrli (early), adv. ' '
woch (watch), v. ' '
wòrk (work), n. ' '

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DAYÀLOG (DIALOGUE)	'TITLE IN YOUR LANGUAGE'
Deyli rütîn (Daily routine)	[' ']
Mayk.-- Tel ay wàt yü du during tipikàl wòrk dey. (Tell I what you do during typical work day.)	' .'
Bob.-- Wel, ay get ùp at siks òklók in mörning; ay sheyv, wosh, dres; gow tu kichèn, ït brekfàst, and gow wòrk. (Well, I get up at six o'clock in the morning, I shave, wash, dress; go to kitchen, eat breakfast, and go to work.)	' .'
Mayk.-- Haw yü gow wòrk? (How you go work?)	' ?'
Bob.-- Ay gow tu bùs stop kach bùs for wòrk. Ay wòrk in hay skül. Ay bï janìtòr. (I go to the bus stop to catch the bus for work. I work in [the] high school. I be janitor.)	' .'
Mayk.-- Yü layk ov-yü wòrk? (You like of-you work?)	' ?'
Bob.-- Ay layk it. It bï gud wòrk. (I like it. It be good work.)	' .'
Mayk.-- Hü yü sï at wòrk? (Who you see at work?)	' ?'
Bob.-- Ay sï stüdènts, tïchèrs, prinsìpàl ov skül. (I see students, teachers, principal of school....)	' ....'
Mayk.-- Wen yü kwit wòrk? (When you quit work?)	' ?'
Bob.-- Ay kwit wòrk at 4 òklók. Aftèr stüdènts and tïchèrs lïv skül and gow howm. (I quit work at 4 o'clock. After students and teachers leave school and go home.)	' .'
Mayk.-- Wàt yü du wen yü get howm? (What you do when you get home?)	' ?'
Bob.-- Ay rïd nyüzpeypèr, dhen ït sùpèr; woch telèvizhòn. (I read newspaper, then eat supper; watch television.)	' .'
Mayk.-- Haw mùch awùrs yü woch TV? (How much hours you watch TV?)	' ?'
Bob.-- Oh, meybï tu or thrï awùrs. Ay layk woch nyüz and komèdi. (Oh, maybe two or three hours. I like to watch news and comedy.)	' .'
Mayk.-- Wàt yü du aftèr dhat? (What you do after that?)	' ?'
Bob.-- Ay shùt TV, teyk bath, put on ov-ay pìjâmàz, gow tu bed and stùdi Inglish. (I shut [the] TV, take a bath, put on of-I pajamas, go to bed and study English.)	' .'
Mayk.-- Wen yü föl aslîp? (When you fall asleep?)	' ?'
Bob.-- Ay föl aslîp àráwnd ten òklók. Ay mast get ùp èrli àgén for wòrk tùmórow. (I fall asleep around ten o'clock. I must get up early again for work tomorrow.)	' .'
Mayk.-- Thangk yü. Gud nayt. (Thank you. Good night.)	' .'

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'THE RELATIVE AND DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS'

'A relative pronoun is one that refers to an antecedent in the same sentence. The antecedent can be a person or thing, and it can be singular or plural. The relative pronoun remains the same for all cases. Hü refers to persons, while dhat can refer both to persons or things. The latter therefore is preferable in Transitional English.'

'Persons'	'Persons and things'
hü (who), ' '	dhat (that), ' '

'EXAMPLES':

A. 'Singular antecedent'

1) Pèrsòn hü kòm bï töl. (Person who come be tall.) ' .'

2) Buk dhat bï on teybèl bï ov-ay. (Book that be on table be of-I.) ' .'

B. 'Plural antecedent [the relative pronouns do not change].'

1) Pèrsòns hü kòm bï töl. (Persons who come be tall.) ' .'

2) Buks dhat bï on teybèl bï ov-ay. (Books that be on table be of I.) ' .' 

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'THE DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES, as all other adjectives, remain without change both for singular and plural:'

Singular	Plural
dhis (this), ' '	dhis (these), ' '
dhat (that), ' '	dhat (those), ' '

'EXAMPLES':

'Singular'	'Plural'
Dhis buk bï ov-ay.	Dhis buks bï ov-ay.
(This book be of I.)	(These books be of I.)
' .'	' .'

'THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS. The demonstrative adjective becomes a pronoun simply by adding the word wòn (one) ' 'after the adjective for the singular and the word wòns (ones) ' ' for the plural.'

'Singular'	'Plural'
dhis wòn (this one), ' '	dhis wòns (these ones), ' '
dhat wòn (that one), ' '	dhat wòns (those ones), ' '

'EXAMPLES of 1) adjectives and 2) demonstrative pronouns':

'Singular'

1) Dhis buk bï ov-ay. (This book be of I.) ' .'

2) Dhis wòn bï ov-ay. (This one be of I.) ' .'
 

1) Dhat buk bï ov-yü. (That book be of you.) ' .'

2) Dhat wòn bï ov-yü. (That one be of you.) ' .'

'Plural'

1) Dhis buks bï ov-ay. (These books be of I.) ' .'

2) Dhis wòns bï ov-ay. (These ones be of I.) ' .'

1) Dhat buks bï ov-yü. (Those books be of you.) ' .'

2) Dhat wòns bï ov-yü. (Those ones be of you.) ' .'



'EXERCISES (1-15)': 'In the following exercise, do not answer the questions, simply translate them into Transitional English. First, we provide the question, or statement, in your language, then as an aid, we provide the equivalent in English orthography. Please, write the equivalent form in Transitional English. Compare your answers with those on the following page.'

1. '{Translator, place equivalent in your language here}?' (When you get up?)

2. ' ?' (What work you do?)

3. ' .' (I be janitor. I work in [a] high school.)

4. ' .' (After I get up, I shave, wash, dress, and I eat breakfast.)

5. ' .' (I comed home late because I worked one hour more.)

6. ' .'(In [the] high school, I see students and teachers, besides [the] principal of [the] school.)

7. ' .' (I go [to the] bus stop, and I take [the] bus [to] come home.)

8. ' .' (After I eat supper, I read newspaper, and watch television for two hours.)

9. ' .' (Of-I good friend comed [to] see I, and he also watched television with I).

10. ' ?' (When you take bath, and when you read book?) 

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'ANSWER IN TRANSITIONAL ENGLISH. In this exercise, please do write the answers to the questions in full sentences, not merely yes or no: You can unite negative statements with negations by the use of bùt (but) ' ': Hi not ït brekfàst naw, bùt hi ït sùpèr. (He not eat breakfast now, but he eat supper.) ' .' As an aid, the questions are given in your language within square brackets. Compare your answers with those supplied below.'

11. Yü kwit wòrk at wòn òklók? '[ ?]' (Example: No, ay not kwit wòrk at wòn òklók, bùt at for. Ay kwit wòrk at for òklók.)

12. Wàt yü layk woch on telèvizhòn: nyüz or komèdi? '[ ?]'

13. Hü yü sï wen yü wòrk in hay skül? '[ ?]'

14. Wàt yü ït for sùpèr? '[ ?]'

15. Pärdòn ay, kan yü tel ay wer bùs stop bï? '[ ?]'



'ANSWERS (1-15)':

1. Wen yü get ùp?
2. Wàt wòrk yü du (hav)?
3. Ay bï janìtòr. Ay wòrk in hay skül.
4. Aftèr ay get ùp, ay sheyv, wosh, dres, and ay ït brekfàst.
5. Ay kòmed howm leyt bikôz ay wòrked wòn awùr mör.
6. In hay skül ay sï stüdènts and tïchèrs, bisáydz prinsìpàl ov skül.
7. Ay gow [tu] bùs stop and ay teyk bùs [tu] kòm howm.
8. Aftèr ay ït sùpèr, ay rïd nyüzpeypèr, and woch telèvizhòn for tü awùrs.
9. Ov-ay gud frend kòmed sï ay, and hi ölsow woched telèvizhòn with ay.
10. Wen yü teyk bath, and wen yü rïd buk?
11. Now, ay not kwit wòrk at wòn òklók, bùt at för. Ay kwit wòrk at för òklók.
12. Ay layk woch nyüz and komèdi.
13. Ay sï stüdènts and tïchèrs, and prinsìpàl.
14. Ay ït süp and sandwich for sùpèr.
15. Yes, yü gow dawn strït, tùrn left, and dheèr it bï on körnèr.



'Here's a test of the alphabet in Transitional English. From memory, please write out the alphabet -- 10 letters per line. Avoid writing ADDITIONAL letters, which are NOT found in the Transitional English alphabet.'

'The names of the vowels derive from their sounds, a e i o u. How do they compare with the vowels in your language? The names of the consonants are made up of the consonantal sound to which is added the vowel i. Some symbols have special values: the ch=chi [it is an affricate, unvoiced palatal, beginning as a t and ending as a sh], dh=dhi [the dh is pronounced with the point of the tongue placed between the front incisors; it is an interdental, voiced, fricative sound], j=ji [the j is the voiced counterpart of ch; th=thi [the th is the unvoiced counterpart of dh; it is an interdental, unvoiced, fricative.]'

'It is important to bear in mind that Transitional English is written phonetically, with very few exceptions, which are indicated as they appear.'

'Practice spelling out your name and address as if talking to a new friend.'

'Once again, here we provide the Transitional English alphabet along with their names: a, bi, chi, ji [dzhi], di, dhi [this is an interdental sound], e, fi, gi [gui], hi, ji, i, ki, li, mi, ni, o, pi, ri, si, shi, ti, thi [an unvoiced interdental], u, vi, wi, yi, zi, zhi [sounding as the French g in Gigi].'

'Important Note: The system of pronouns in Transitional English is radically different from Standard English. All pronouns are reduced to only their basic nominative [subject of a sentence] form. This form is used not only as subject but also as indirect and direct objects, as well as object of a preposition and to indicate possession. This is similar to the system in Mandarin Chinese.'

'One of the principal goals of this experiment is to simplify the English grammar, involving its syntax, and especially its irregularities in pronouns and verbs, which constitute some of the most difficult aspects of learning to speak in English. The regularization and simplification of these forms avoids a great deal of frustration.'



'Study the VOCABULARY below and then do the translation exercise from your language into Transitional English. The Standard English equivalents in parentheses are given as help in preparing your translations.'

VÒKÁBYÙLERI (VOCABULARY)     'EQUIVALENT IN YOUR LANGUAGE (2)'

ölsow (also), adv. ' '		not-helthi (sick person), fr. ' '
or (or), conj. ' '		methèmátiks (mathematics), n. ' '
baley (ballet), n. ' '		glowb (world, globe), n. ' '
bayólòji (biology), n. ' '		àbáwt (about), prep. ' '
bikôz (because), conj. ' '		pròféshòn (profession), n. ' '
evrïwòn (everyone), pron. ' '		king (king), n. ' '
difèrènt (different), adj. ' '		stüdènt (student), n. ' '
nowbel (noble), adj. ' '		thïm (theme), n. ' '
bigínèr (beginner), n. ' '		faynd (to find), v. ' '
etsétèrà (etcetera), n. pl. ' '		howl, intáyèr (whole, entire), adj. ' '
kyur (to cure), v. ' '		yünìv`érsìti (university), n. ' '
medikàl (medical), adj. ' '		pèrsòn (person), n. ' '



'EXERCISES (1-5)': 'Using the VOCABULARY above, please translate the following sentences into Transitional English.'

1. ' .' (The not-healthy [sick] student write theme about biology.)

2. ' .' (Everyone be different in university.)

3. ' .' (King also like ballet.)

4. ' .' (I will travel around whole globe to cure the sick [not-healthy persons].)

5. ' .' (Because [the] medical profession be noble.)

'ANSWERS (1-5)':

1. Not-helthi stüdènts rayt thïm àbáwt bayólòji.
2. Evrïwòn bï difèrènt in yünìv`érsìti.
3. King ölsow layk baley.
4. Ay wil-travèl àráwnd howl glowb tu_kyuèr not-helthi pèrsòns.
5. Bikôz medikàl pròféshòn bï nowbel.

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Click here for the Transitional English to Standard English and 'Your language' vocabulary. ('Translate the preceding sentence into your language'.)	Click here for the Standard English to Transitional English and 'Your language' vocabulary. ('Translate the preceding sentence into your language.')	Click here for 'Your language' to Transitional English and Standard English vocabulary. ('Translate the preceding sentence into your language'.)
Click here for Langenscheidt's 'Your language'-English English-'Your language' on-line dictionary. ('Translate the preceding sentence into your language.')

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Last revised on 24 April 2001