Esperanto slang and in-group words: krokodili, kabei, mojosa

Esperanto slang is the informal vocabulary that speakers made for themselves: krokodili "to speak another language among Esperantists", kabei "to quit the movement", samideano "fellow Esperantist" and mojosa "cool". Courses rarely teach these words, but you will meet them at congresses, in groups and in chat. Most are built from regular word parts such as -ul-, -ism- and -aĵ- (see suffixes), so you can often guess them. Pronunciation guides show the stressed syllable in capitals.

#Words for the community

#Words about using the language

#Words about the movement's goals

#Events and places

#Abbreviations in writing and chat

Casual greetings such as Sal!, Ĉaŭ! and Ĝis! are in greetings. Keyboards without ĉ ĝ ĥ ĵ ŝ ŭ are why chats often type cx, gx and so on; see the x-system.

#Who was Kabe, and why did his name become a verb?

Kabe was the pen name of Kazimierz Bein (1872–1959), a Polish eye doctor and a leading early Esperanto translator and stylist. The name is the Polish way of saying his initials, K.B. He took up the language in 1903, became famous in 1904 for translating Sieroszewski's novel La fundo de l' mizero, and was vice-president of the Academy of Esperanto from 1906. His translation of Prus's La Faraono followed in 1907.

In 1911 he left the movement suddenly, without explaining why. In a 1931 interview he said that the language's lack of progress meant he no longer saw it as the answer. Esperantists made kabei from his name, and by 1935 the poet Kálmán Kalocsay wrote, in the Enciklopedio de Esperanto, that it had become a symbol of apostasy.

#The slang in sentences

#When should you use this slang?

• Among friends, at events and in chat. In formal writing, prefer standard words and the basic phrases.
• Explain the word if unsure. Many older speakers have never met mojosa.
• Don't police others. Vikipedio notes that scolding beginners with Ne krokodilu! can drive them away. Briefly switching language to explain a grammar point to a beginner is more accepted.

#Common questions

#What does krokodili mean in Esperanto?

It means speaking a language other than Esperanto among Esperantists, usually your shared native language. Speakers discourage it because events are a rare chance to practise, and it can leave others out and give outsiders a poor impression.

#What does kabei mean?

Kabei means to leave the Esperanto movement after having been an active member. It comes from Kabe, the pen name of Kazimierz Bein, a leading translator who quit in 1911.

#What does mojosa mean?

Mojosa means "cool". It was coined in 2003 from the first letters of modernjunstila "modern-young-style", and is now listed in the online dictionary ReVo.

#What is a gufujo?

A gufujo is a quiet, candle-lit night café at Esperanto events, with tea instead of alcohol. The first was held at the end of 1995; gufo means "owl".

#What is Esperantujo?

Esperantujo is the informal name for the Esperanto-speaking world, its community and meeting places, treated as if it were a country. It is also called Esperantio.

#Sources

• ReVo: krokodili, Kabe, kabei, mojosa, samideano, interna ideo, -uj (Esperantujo), verdulo, denaskulo, Fina Venko, finvenkismo, raŭmismo, Volapuko, zamenhofa, gufo, sinjoro, doktoro
• PMEG: UJ, IST, ISM, AĴ, UL, AN, Simboloj kaj mallongigoj
• Vikipedio: Krokodili, Kabei, Kazimierz Bein, Samideano, Gufujo, Mojosa, Fina Venko, Raŭmismo, Interna ideo, Esperantistoj, Idiomaĵoj en Esperanto, Esperanta slango, Internacia Seminario, Internacia Junulara Kongreso, Bv
• Wikipedia: Kazimierz Bein, Esperanto culture, Esperantujo
• Wiktionary: krokodili, kabei, mojosa, mojosega, gufujo, samideano, volapukaĵo, bonantagulo, verdulo, denaskulo, fina venko, finvenkismo, interna ideo, ktp, bv, s-ro, d-ro
• Felix Zesch (one of the coiners): Mojosa