Living Latin

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Living Latin

Postby Anonymous on Mon Mar 31, 2003 4:24 am

Avete!

I don't know what the views of most are here but I, while I am a traditionalist student of Classics, believe that Latin (as well as Greek) ought to be learned as spoken languages as well as philological tools. What are the views of everyone here? Do we all desire to speak to each other in Latin?

If so, is there (or can there be established) a set time where we can congregate online and engage in discussion in Latin. I am only an intermediate student of Latin, and I know that such an experience would aid me in my academics, but more importantly it would allow us to participate in that most Roman of practices, intellectual discourse in the Latin Language. Please, let me know what y'all think.

Vale,
Drusus Claudius Camillus
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Postby Tiberius Dionysius Draco on Mon Mar 31, 2003 1:03 pm

Ave Camille,

first of all, welcome to the Societas Via Romana, and I hope you will enjoy it here as much as I do.

Drusus Claudius Camillus wrote:

If so, is there (or can there be established) a set time where we can congregate online and engage in discussion in Latin.


We can always schedule a chat session if that is what you want. But the problem is that most of our members don't know enough Latin to really conversate with each other. For example I only remember a few of the words I learned in my first two years of Latin, but I have forgotten the most of it.

But we can always give it a try, maybe you can post some of your lessons here and maybe you can give an examination about it later on ;)

If you would like to hold a chat session about this, don't hesitate and post it, but we can always use this thread to talk in Latin to each other.

Does anybody else feel like saying something in Latin?

Vale bene,

Tiberius Dionysius Draco

P.S: Alea iacta est (anybody feel like translating this famous sentence of Julius Caesar? Just to get things started)
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Alea

Postby Primus Aurelius Timavus on Mon Mar 31, 2003 4:14 pm

It is usually rendered in English as "The die is cast." Caesar uttered it when crossing the Rubicon (another phrase associated with him - although he didn't say it) without the Senate's permission, thus committing himself to civil war with unknown consequences for both himself and Rome.

Interestingly, the word alea has come down the ages to us as the English adjective aleatory which describes events whose outcome is uncertain.

Here is another one, just a little bit harder: "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori."
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Postby Marcus Pomponius Lupus on Mon Mar 31, 2003 6:05 pm

Salvete,

"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori"

"Sweet and honourable it is to die for the fatherland"

Comes originally from Horatius I think, but later used by pretty much every general, king, emperor,....in the hopes of inspiring his soldiers and one can argue a lot about the value of sacrificing your life for what ever fatherland you are from (especially if the one on the other side is willing to do the same). I can think of at least three current rulers who could have used this line somewhere in the past few weeks.

And to stay in the same area, one from Cicero I always liked :

"Amemus patriam, pareamus senatui"

Valete bene
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Postby Q. C. Locatus Barbatus on Mon Mar 31, 2003 10:21 pm

Oh! Oh! Tough one! My Latin is and wasn't good. But I'm always in for a good riddle! Translated in English it could be: "let's love our country, let's be available to the senate". :?: Right? Oh well, I gave it a try...

Some other ones: "Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres, quarum unam incolunt belgae, aliam acquitani, tertiam qui ipsorum lingua celtae, nostra galla appelantur... horum onium fortissimi sunt Belgae :wink: ..." (Caesar, BG LI c1). Well, well, what does it mean? No Belgians please! :lol:


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Postby Aulus Dionysius Mencius on Tue Apr 01, 2003 9:06 pm

Salvete omnes

Locate, do not worry, I will not give away the translation... quite easy anyway, nonne...

I just wanted to correct something. In your piece of text you wrote galla, :shock: and if I am not mistaken, that should be galli.

Vale bene
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As someone was saying...

Postby Aldus Marius on Wed Apr 02, 2003 1:49 am

Avete Latinistae!

I have long (last twelve years) been an advocate of what is coming to be called "Living Latin". I used to tutor the kids in the neighborhood; I wrote an essay comparing/contrasting Latin with English, and I even had some very primitive lessons and worksheets. (If the Collegium is interested in any of these materials, point me to your Rector and I'll forward them along. I'm no Florus, but then, I was writing for ten-year-olds.)
**blush**

My own approach to the language has been a simple three-step process, to whit:

- Pick up something in Latin.
- Throw myself at it until I understand it.
- Repeat with something else.

I guess there's actually a third-and-a-half step that goes with the others, and it may be the most crucial:

- Speak, sing, babble, train your dog, write, garden, etc. in Latin every chance you get--no matter how limited your vocabulary or how silly you sound. I attempted a translation of the Winnie-the-Pooh song while driving once. It was awful, and I shall not post it even under penalty of prolonged and painful death, but at least I did something Latinish that day, and every little bit helps.

(BTW, dogs seem to much prefer Latin commands to English ones. I've heard it said that people from Romance countries tense up when they come to England or the US, mostly because--without knowing what the words mean--the inflections and tones of voice common in English make the speaker sound like he is angry with someone! Could be Poochie likes the soothing cadences of "Sedete, catulle bone" better than the raucous "Shut up, Dawg!!".)

The net result of all this is that, after several years of casual study, I maybe know as much Latin as someone who's taken it in school for a couple of years. OTOH, what I do know comes much more naturally to me; were someone to creep up behind me and tickle me in the ribs (not recommended, BTW), I would be just as likely to freak out in Latin as in English, and considerably more so than in Spanish.

If you've got it, flaunt it, in the above manners or in a way completely your own; and sure enough, my little bit o' larnin' gets plenty of exercise. As I like to say: I ain't got much, but I'm willing to share.

The downside of my method is that I have no idea what all those grammatical terms mean. Then again, I wasn't thinking about them too hard when I learned Spanish or English at Mater's knee, either. No loss!

In amicitia,
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Re: Living Latin

Postby Anonymous on Wed Apr 02, 2003 8:01 pm

Salvete latinistes,
Species optima est nos latine loqui esse, ut lingua latina viveret. Discimus tum quoque, cum in foro(internet) latine dicimus. Sed peto ab me: SVR religio est? Enim si deos Romanos coletis, SVR angustam puto! (aangezien de meeste leden uit België komen kan ik ook wel in het Nederlands/Vlaams vragen: is de SVR een sekte?). Et significatis "linguam latinam dicere" si "in nostros mores inducere linguam latinam", finem publicum (qui fieri non potest) ?
Valete,
Isabelle Buhre
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Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Wed Apr 02, 2003 9:20 pm

Hi Latinist
We have a provincia Belgica where members who speak dutch communicate with eachother so dutch is more appropiate there as i think that the moderators will agree with me.
And no; SVr is not a cult. Why did you made that assumption that we were a cult?
bye
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A sect?

Postby Tiberius Dionysius Draco on Wed Apr 02, 2003 10:46 pm

Salve,

very strange question

Latinist wrote:

Is SVR a sect?


We are not a sect. Why did you think that? Is it because many of our members are stil practicing the Religio Romana?

But we must ask ourselves what you mean with: a sect.

Do you mean that we draw people into our organization under false pretences and then steal al their money. Do you mean that we come together wearing toga's an talk Latin to each other? Do you mean that we are members of somekind of micro-religion?

None of this applies (only the part about the meetings is true ;)).

Truth is, we are just people who like the history of Rome and other parts of the Mediterranian. We are people who share the same curiosity about Roman history, culture and religion. We don't force anybody to sign something or to donate money every month. We are just normal people (with a few exceptions ;)).

I hope I have proven to you that we are not a sect or anything related, but just an organization dedicated to the study of Rome, Greece and other parts of the Mediterranian.

Vale bene,

Tiberius Dionysius Draco

p.s.: because of my limited knowledge of the Latin language, I wrote this in English. If I would've tried to write it in Latin, I'm sure nobody would have understand wat I tried to say, even I would've had problems :)
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Re: A sect?

Postby Anonymous on Thu Apr 03, 2003 6:33 pm

Salve,
Opinio mea nunc alia est. Cogitaveram SVR religionem esse, Romanorum instantiorum. Tiberius Dionysius Draco cogitatum meum exactus reddidit.
Doleo me latine dicere, Tiberio, sed linguam britannicam non bene scribere possum. Sed probe te intellego. Quare quaestionem meam insolitam putas? Non omnibus in internet credo, ut intellegitis. Quia puella tres et decem annorum sum, mater mea quoque quod scire volebat.

Vale, Isabelle Buhre
PS: Do you really come together wearing a toga???????? :shock:
PPS: Moet ik ook een Romeinse naam gebruiken (als ik iets niet meer weet ga ik over op een andere taal... :? )
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Toga's

Postby Q. C. Locatus Barbatus on Thu Apr 03, 2003 7:44 pm

PS: Do you really come together wearing a toga????????


Yep, we actually did. Oh well, togas, not really, bedsheets is a more appropriate word :D .

Vale etc.

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Dressed for the Occasion...

Postby Aldus Marius on Fri Apr 04, 2003 1:51 am

Your friendly Romano-Texan here...

I've been seen all over the southwestern U.S. in my Legionary armor. I've only actually attended one 'Roman' gathering; but Renaissance Faires, SCA events, school and hospital visits, college club meetings, Trick-or-Treat, and a stint as a Little League mascot kept me plenty busy enough. Oh, and if you're ever in San Bernardino or Riverside, Calif., do be sure to ask any SCA member about "The Guardian of Cajon Pass"...! >({|;-)

In amicitia,
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Latinist - Velia Salicia Flora

Postby Anonymous on Fri Apr 04, 2003 3:17 pm

Salvete,
Mauk Haemers told me to change my user-name (nickname or whatever you call it) to my Roman name
The change: from"Latinist" to "Velia Salicia Flora".
Valete,
Isabelle Buhre
(Velia Salicia Flora)
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Re: Living Latin

Postby Gnaeus Dionysius Draco on Fri Apr 04, 2003 5:49 pm

Salve Velia Salicia,

Velia Salicia Flora wrote:Salvete latinistes,
Species optima est nos latine loqui esse, ut lingua latina viveret. Discimus tum quoque, cum in foro(internet) latine dicimus. Sed peto ab me: SVR religio est? Enim si deos Romanos coletis, SVR angustam puto!


Ut alii iam dixerunt, SVR non est religio. Habemus 'collegium religionis' sed id studet religioni. Non habemus riti aberrantes! Amamus antiquitatem Romanam, non vererimur ;).

(After three years, you will notice that my Latin is quite rusty ;)).

Vale bene,
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Re: Living Latin

Postby Horatius Piscinus on Fri Apr 04, 2003 9:04 pm

Salve

Gnæus Dionysius Draco wrote:(After three years, you will notice that my Latin is quite rusty ;)).


And perhaps an example of why we need to have this topic where we can try out our limited Latin. Jump in as Marius says and without perhaps the Latin police scaring people off with public corrections. :lol: (Advise corrections in private emails.)

Velia Flora, potestne et mater tua linguam Latinam scribere? Si questiones de SVR habet, ea consules scribere velit. Parens sum, et quinquagintam annorum habeo. Curam eius comprehendo.


SVR is meant to be a place for Roman enthusiasts and Latinists to enjoy. That can be seen in our ludi, symposia, story-telling, and hoefully in this thread too, where no doubt some will have a laugh at our poor Latin. I for one have not made any serious attempt to write in Latin for over thirty years, and my skills at translating and reading are declining. While we enjoy learning from one another on Roman topics, such as the Religio Romana and some history, I do not think we ever get too serious and prefer to retain a convivality among our members

Anima felix vivas

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Re: Living Latin

Postby Anonymous on Sat Apr 05, 2003 4:57 pm

Salve,
M Moravi Horati Piscine scripsit: "Velia Flora, potestne mater tua linguam latinam scribere?" Non, mater mea non latine scribere potest.
De cetero, administrator/procurator Collegii Latini libenter evadere volo. Fieri potest ut administrator evaderem?
In amitica,
Velia Salicia Flora
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Postby Gnaeus Dionysius Draco on Sat Apr 05, 2003 10:44 pm

Gn. Dionysius Draco V. Saliciae Florae SPD,

Quaestio hic est non habere rectorem (ut apellamus) Collegii Latini! Est historia longa. Puto Piscinum non hoc dixisse "linguam matris" sed "linguam maternalis". Lingua maternalis tua "Nederlands" est, nonne?

Vale optime,
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Postby Anonymous on Sun Apr 06, 2003 9:45 am

Velia Salicia Flora Gnaeo Dionysio Draconi, salve
Ita, lingua maternalis mea Nederlands est. Omdat u uit Belgie komt kan u ook Nederlands schrijven neem ik aan. De rector moet essays schrijven en discussies ontlokken, nietwaar? En wat is die "historia longa"? Dic mihi ( in het Nederlands vel latine)
Vale, Velia Salicia Flora
PS: heb ik de goede dativus van 'Draco' gebruikt?
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Postby Gnaeus Dionysius Draco on Sun Apr 06, 2003 11:29 am

Salve Velia,

Dativus Draconis est 'Draconi'; ergo vera fuisti :).

Historia longa: mijn Latijn is niet toereikend om het zo uit te leggen dus hier gaan we. SVR had vroeger mailing lists en elk Collegium had zo zijn eigen nieuwsgroep en een interne organisatie. Echter, omdat de meesten onder onze leden niet actief waren vergde het van de actieve leden een enorme inspanning om elk Collegium actief te houden. Eén van onze 'consules' van vorig jaar, P. Dionysius Mus, vaardigde een edict uit dat bepaalde dat leden die voor een periode langer dan zes maand inactief waren (dwz geen posting maken, niet stemmen, niet reageren op privé-mails enz) uit SVR gezet werden.

Na die operatie schakelden we over naar een online forum onder het devies 'klein en fijn'. Al onze leden die niet overstapten naar het nieuwe forum werden eveneens beschouwd als lid-af. Dat is wat er gebeurde met onze nieuwe rector van Collegium Latinum. De brave man werd verkozen in augustus 2002 en was weer verdwenen tegen oktober van datzelfde jaar. We hebben in SVR wel een aantal latinisten (en hellenisten, mind you) maar er is geeneen die op dit ogenblik rector wil zijn van Collegium Latinum (ofwel zijn ze inactief ofwel al bezig met andere projecten binnen SVR).

Vale bene!
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