The following section shows how translation based on sentence patterns works. First, the working of the algorithm will be shown for some selected patterns on translation from Esperanto into German and from German into Esperanto. Since it has become clear from the translation tables and matrices that the patterns 1 and 3 a are the most heavily used sentence patterns of all languages under consideration, patterns 1 and 3 were selected for closer examination. Likewise, pattern 0 that exists only in Esperanto was added, in order to show in what way it is mapped to the other languages. As all instances of pattern 2 form an exception in so far that not only the valence of the main verb of the sentence, but also the valence of the adjective must be considered, pattern 2 was also included into the selected patterns. The translations from Esperanto to German and from German to Esperanto were chosen because German contains the wider variety of sentence patterns, especially the sentences of pattern 2 that include nearly all the complex adjective phrase patterns. Of course, this algorithm works exactly the same way with the translation from Esperanto to English as with the translation from English to Esperanto, therefore a demonstration with the selected patterns above is sufficient for understanding.
7.1 Selected Patterns
7.1.1 Pattern 0 (only in Esperanto) verb valence 0
S->NPVP S-»NPVP NP->8 NP-»N VP -» Vi VP -> Vi
Q- - ;Q
0 V-x *V_y
Pattern 0 -x _ Pattern 1 Pluvas.
Pluvas. Es regnet. ^/^
Es regnet.
This pattern can only be found in Esperanto. It corresponds to a similar pattern in Romance languages, e. g. in Italian, but certainly not in English or German. The valence of the verb is 0, since these verbs neither take subjects nor any other components, but stand alone in the sentence. Verbs referring to weather usually take this pattern. All verbs with valence 0 in Esperanto have valence 1 in English and German.
137
Esperanto German Li venas. Mi bedauras.Mi
(pattern 1 in both languagesx_y La rozo belas.
(Linking verb with adjective i1
Li Agojas.
(reflexive verb in German, i.
Li bonkondutas.
(reflexive verb with adverb in Mi scias.
(intransitive or transitive verb Mi bedauras.
(German intransitive verb with impe La mano de la infano sangas.
(Verb indicating change of place) Li supreniras.
hinauf.
(German verb with adverb) Tio konvenas.
Pattern 1: VP -» Vi Er kommt. Ich bedaure. Ich weiß.
/""> Pattern 2 c: VP -» BE PPM f^J'—\ Die Rose ist schön.
han)T J Pattern 3 o: VP -» Vr NP4
*—^~~- Er freut sich.
Pattern 3m:VP-+Vr NP4 PPM Er benimmt sich gut.
. e. valence^ ) Pattern 3a: VP -» Vt NP4
Ich weiß es.
Pattern 4c: VP -» Vi NP3 PPM Es tut mir leid.
Pattern 4d: VP->Vi NP3dep
Dem Kind blutet die Hand.
Pattern 8: VP -^ Vi PPS Er geht Pattern l Oa: VP-» Vi PPM
Das paßt gut.
Intransitive verbs usually take this pattern. In German and English this is the shortest possible sentence pattern. In Esperanto, this pattern is very often used. In many cases, sentences with a verb, often a reflexive verb, and an adjective or an adverb, can be translated by a single
intransitive verb in Esperanto. Sentences of this kind seem to be most popular and are considered as most elegant style. Generally, the shorter a sentence pattern, the more often it will be used in Esperanto.
7.1.2.2 German to Esperanto
There are far less pattern one sentences in German than in Esperanto. They are made up by intransitive verbs. Verbs mostly referring to the weather with impersonal subjects can be translated as pattern 0 verbs into Esperanto. In fact, all Esperanto pattern 0 verbs correspond to German pattern 1 verbs. Second, Esperanto intransitive verbs are often translated into German pattern one verbs. Some verbs that can be used as transitive verbs as well as intransitive verbs, as for example verbs of feeling, believing, or knowing, may also be
translated into pattern 1 sentences as well as pattern 3a sentences. This is shown by the figure below.
Likewise, as with German sentences when they are translated into Esperanto, one Esperanto verb may subsume a German verb with several components, for example adverbs or reflexive pronouns.
This will depicted in the following section. It is necessary to find first the verb and then the remaining components of the sentence. They are stored in a buffer. By the valence of the verb, the pattern of the sentence is determined. In this section, pattern 0 and pattern 1 sentences are shown together, as Esperanto pattern 0 sentences have to be translated into German pattern 1 sentences in any case. Pattern 0 sentences consist of only one verb, pattern 1 sentences consist of a noun phrase and a verb. These are stored in a buffer. Next, the various components are looked up in a German-Esperanto dictionary and translated. The translated words are stored in a second buffer. The valences of the words of the target language are looked up and the translated components arranged in their correct positions. In the end they are output on the screen and stored in a file. The following examples show in what way the words may be translated and arranged in their correct positions. The arrows indicate where after translation of the source language the corresponding element in the target language can be found.
Li venas. NPi Vi
II II
Er kommt. NPi Vi Li Agojas. £3Vvi Er freut sich. NPi Vr NP4 La mano de la infano sangas.
I I II .1 I
Die Hand des Kindes blutet.
La rozo belas.
I I l\
Die Rose ist schön.
A
Vi i Vi Pluvas.Es regnet.
Mi bedauras. NPL Vi
V\
Es tut mir leid.Mi bedauras NPi Vi
, Vi
n
53 PPM Ich bedaure. NPi Vi
I I
NPi Vi
I I
NPi ViieJjMnfanp sangas.NPj Vi DenKind blutedie Hand. NPiNP3 dep Vi
t Vi l KNPj BE PPM
Li bonkondutas. NPiVi
Li supreniras. NPi V Ergenthinauf. NPi Vi PPs Mi scias (tion). NPi Vi(t) (NP4)
II I I I I
Ich weiß (es). NPi Vi(t) (NP4)
If ^ *. » » T* Tfc.
Er benimmt sich gut. NPi Vr NP4 PPM Tio konvenas.. NPi Vi
l l\ l K
Das paßt gut. NPi Vi PPM
141
VP->BENPi verb valence 2
Pattern 2 a Li estas studento.
VP -> BE NP, Pattern 2 a
Er ist (ein) Student.
This pattern can be found in Esperanto as well as in German and English. It never changes on translation, and there are no other possibilities of translating it.
2b)
(linking verb with identifying prepositional phrase)
There are several ways of translating sentences containing a linking verb with an identifying prepositional phrase, as this pattern has a wider variety in German. Especially in German it is very popular. Pattern 2b sentences can be translated with identifying prepositional phrases again (pattern 2b), but also with a linking verb and an adjective with a dependent noun phrase (pattern 2f). Likewise, it is possible to translate the linking verb with the identifying
prepositional phrase by a full verb with a prepositional phrase (pattern 6a) or an indirect object in the dative with a prepositional phrase (pattern 4b).
Esperanto S -» NP VP NP->N VP -> BE PP verb valence 2
German
La libro estas pri studentoj (pri + NP)
Mi estas je lia servo, (je _ servo)
Mi estas en lia servo, en servo)
2 b VP -» BE PP
Das Buch ist über Studenten.
2f VP -> BE PPM PPdep Ich bin bei ihm angestellt.
4b VP -» Vi NP3 PP
Ich stehe ihm zu Diensten.
Ich stehe ihm zur Verfügung.
6a VP-»Vi PP
Ich stehe in seinen Diensten.
2e)
(linking verb with adverb of time) Esperanto