furcifer! and other observations /  by Anthony Gibbins

non potuisset she would not have been able. This is the Pluperfect Subjunctive form of non potuerat she had not been able. Notice the force of the Subjunctive Mood in this circumstance. It makes the sentence hypothetical. Jessica, who has a strong grasp of her own strengths and limitations, didn’t even try to climb the pipe holding the suitcase. But she would not have been able to if she had.

tenens holding. This is the Present Participle. It is more commonly seen in sentences like this; Jessica sarcinam tenens per viam cucurrit Jessica ran through the street holding the suitcase. What we have here is subtly difference; she would not have been able to climb the pipe as long as she was holding the suitcase. If you examine the translation below, you will see that the Present Participle can be used in English in exactly the same way.

furtim secretly. This is not so much an observation, as an interesting list. Here are some words that share something of form and meaning with furtim secretly; fur thief, furax inclined to steal, furor, furari, furatus sum to steal, furtificus thievish, furtivus stolen, furtum a theft, furunculus a pilferer.

I was surprised to find that the great Cambridge Latin insult furcifer scoundrel did not belong on this list. furcifer is made up of two words, fer carry and furca. A furca is a pitch-fork, but also the name given to (and I quote Cassell’s here) an instrument of punishment, with two prongs, to which the arms were tied. So, a furcifer is someone who might be forced to wear the furca. Go figure.

But holding the suitcase with her hand she would not have been able to climb the pipe. She therefore secretly hid it in the dumpster.

praepositio /  by Anthony Gibbins

praepositio is the Latin word for Preposition. It is made up a Noun, positio a placing, putting, posture and prae, which alone can function as both an Adverb before, in front or – fittingly – a Preposition before (among other meanings). And so we find that the Preposition takes its name from its habit of being placed before a Noun or similar. Here is some of what the Online Oxford Dictionary has to say about Prepositions:

A Preposition is a word such as after, in, to, on, and with. Prepositions are usually used in front of nouns or pronouns and they show the relationship between the noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. They describe, for example:

·      the position of something: Her bag was under the chair.

·      the time when something happens: Shortly after their marriage they moved to      Colorado. 

·      the way in which something is done: They stared at each other without speaking.

When learning Latin it is helpful to think in terms of the Prepositional Phrase. A Prepositional Phrase is a Phrase made up of a Preposition together with the Noun or Pronoun that follows it. Here are some examples: ad salutem to safety, sub sella under the chair, contra naturam against nature, cum eo with him, sine amica without a friend, apud Caesarem at the house of Caesar, post prandium after lunch. Note too that when the Noun or Pronoun is described by an Adjective, the Preposition is often placed between them, for example magna cum laude with great praise.

In Latin, a Preposition will force the Noun or Pronoun that follows it to be in a particular Case – that is, to have a particular ending. Some Prepositions demand to be followed by a Noun in the Accusative Case, such as ad towards*, post after and contra against. Others demand to be followed by a Noun in the Ablative Case, such as ab away from, cum with and sine without. Compare ad equum ambulo I walk toward the horse with ab equo ambulo I walk away from the horse. There are three Prepositions that can be followed by either Case – in, sub and supra – but that will have to wait for another posting.

*Be warned. I have given only the most common meaning of each Preposition. In a future post I will discuss how our understanding of a Preposition’s meaning is determined partly by context. Stay tuned!

Look! Are you able to see the drain-pipe (canalem aquosum) near the dumpster? Jessica certainly noticed it and immediately decided to climb it to safety.

the result clause /  by Anthony Gibbins

Jessica ran from Miranda so quickly that Miranda was soon not able to see her. Miranda was soon not able to see her. That was the result of Jessica running from her so quickly. Life is full of results (and consequences), and Latin is no exception. Today we will take a first look at Result Clauses.

It’s interesting how similar Purpose Clauses and Result Clauses are. Take a close look at these two sentences.

Purpose: Jessica celeriter a Miranda cucurrit ut mox Miranda eam videre non posset.

Jessica ran from Miranda quickly in order that Miranda would soon not be able to see her.

Result: Jessica tam celeriter a Miranda cucurrit ut mox Miranda eam videre non posset.

Jessica ran from Miranda so quickly that Miranda was soon not able to see her.

Indeed, the Purpose and Result Clauses themselves are exactly the same; ut mox Miranda eam videre non posset. It is another earlier word, tam so, in the main clause that tips us off that what follows is a Result.

It is instructive to examine a list of the words that signal to us that a Result Clause is coming. It is not only helpful for learning Latin, but it may also get us thinking about the very concept of a Result. tam so, tantus (=tam magnus) so great, tantopere so greatly, tot so many, totiens so often, ita in such a way, adeo to such an extent, so much. You may have also noted that the Verb in the Result Clause (posset) is in the Subjunctive Mood.

Here is a final example, taken from Pharrs’ edition of Vergil’s Aeneid;  tanta vis deorum est ut eis non possimus obstare. So great is the power of the gods that we cannot oppose them.  This could be the start of an essay question. Discuss.

Jessica ran from Miranda so quickly that Miranda was soon not able to see her.  She therefore followed her footprints.

hodie... /  by Anthony Gibbins

hodie Legonium stat illis cum civibus qui in viis orbis terrarum demonstrant amorem odium semper superare.

Today Legonium stands with those citizens who in the streets of the earth are demonstrating that love always overcomes hate.

orbis terrarum globe of lands

See you all tomorrow!

A man and a woman are approaching as quickly as possible. The attention of the police officer briefly distracted, Jessica seizes the opportunity.

 

Legonium 6 : Jessica.022.jpeg

Apollo and Daphne TW: Sexual Assault. /  by Anthony Gibbins

I am reminded today of Apollo and Daphne, a terribly sad slice of Ovid’s Metamorphoses in which the skilled hunter Daphne is pursued by Apollo, caught up in his own selfish desires. It is scattered throughout with forms of the Verb fugio, fugere, fugi, fugitum to flee, as Daphne attempts to save herself. Whether or not she succeeds is determined by your own interpretation of the poem’s ending. I feel that, sadly, she does not.

Here are, I think, all uses of the Verb fugio in Daphne’s story. If you wish to read it for yourself, you will find that it also contains cognate words like the Noun fuga escape and the Adjective fugax avoiding. The lines are number. The complete story appears between lines 452 and 567 of Metamorphoses, Book I.

protinus alter amat, fugit altera nomen amantis                 474

One [Apollo] immediately desires, the other [Daphne] flees the name of her desirer.

                                                        fugit ocior aura

illa levi neque ad haec revocantis verba resistit:                  502-3

She flees faster than a light breeze, nor does she halt at the words of him calling her back.

sic aquilam penna fugiunt trepidante columbae,                  506

Thus the doves flee the eagle on nervous wings [literally: feathers].

                                                 nescis, temeraria, nescis,

quem fugias, ideoque fugis:                                                   514-5

This is Apollo speaking: You do not know, rash one, you do not know from whom you flee, and thus you flee.

plura locuturum timido Peneia cursu               

fugit cumque ipso verba inperfecta reliquit,                        525-6

Peneia [another name for Daphne] fled him on frightened leg just as he is about to say more, and leaves behind the unfished words along with him himself.

‘I am not able to do that,’ Jessica responded. ‘I ask you. Allow me to flee.’ Then Miranda heard a sound and turned herself to investigate.

READ THIS POST TOO! 2 of 2 /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page, like yesterday’s, contains an Imperative Verb, but this one looks a little different; da give! Don’t be put off by its length – it’s just a shorter word is all. What interests us here is that, unlike yesterday’s lege, crede and sine, it ends in a –a.

Verbs, you see, belong to families. There are four families of Verb, and each member of a family behaves in the same way as its kin, and in a slightly different way to members of other families. We call them First, Second, Third and Fourth, but we could just as easily call them Frey, Greyjoy, Stark and Targaryen. You will also hear of a Fifth or Mixed family, but it is not really a family in its own right; it’s more like the Third and Fourth families combined to form a new House – Stargaryen? I think I’ll stop now…

To see how each family behaves a little differently (but not all that differently) from other families, here is a comparison of the various Imperative Verb Forms. Remember that all* members of the same family will behave in the same way.

 

Family               Verb                                                    Singular Imperative    Plural Imperative

Frey (1st)           do, dare, dedi, datum                         da       give!                 date

Greyjoy (2nd)    video, videre, vidi, visum                   vide    see!                   videte

Stark (3rd)         lego, legere, legi, lectum                   lege    read!                 legite    

Targaryen (4th) audio, audire, audivi, auditum           audi    listen!                audite

Mixed                 capio, capere, cepi, captum              cape    seize!                capite

 

* Okay, there are just a few outliers. duc! lead! fac! do! dic! speak! and fer! carry!  And, mirabile dictu, I just Googled Stargaryen. Turns out it’s a thing!

 

Again, however, Miranda blocked Jessica. ‘How does she know my name?’ she thought to herself. ‘Give me the suitcase,’ she said to the woman.

 

 

READ THIS POST! 1 of 2 /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page contains two Imperative Verbs. An Imperative Verb is a Verb used to give a command. There is an example in the heading of this very post; read – in this context - is an Imperative Verb. Do it!

So what does an Imperative Verb look like in Latin? Well, it looks quite a bit like a Present Tense Verb, which is not at all surprising. After all, if you are telling someone to do something, there is no time quite like the now.

Take lego, legere, legi, lectum for example. lego means I read. To order one person to read we simply say lege! If there is more than one, we say legite! It’s that simple. In our story, Jessica asked Miranda to trust her; Trust me! she said. The Verb that means trust is credo, credere, credidi, creditum. The appropriate Imperative, therefore, is crede, as Miranda is only one person. Jessica would have said credite if she had been speaking to a pair or a crowd. The mi, by the way, means me.

Later Jessica asked Miranda to allow her to leave; allow me! she said. The Verb that means allow is sino, sinere, sivi, situm. The appropriate Imperative, therefore, is sine, as Miranda is only one person. Jessica would have said sinite if she had been speaking to a pair or a crowd. The me, by the way, means me and fugere means to escape.

You may well be wondering why both mi and me mean me. It’s a good question for another time.

Jessica was watching Miranda intently. ‘I am not your enemy, Miranda. Trust me, I beg you. Allow me to escape.’ Jessica again tried to run.

The Latin Summer School, Sydney /  by Anthony Gibbins

This week is a very exciting week for Classics in my home town of Sydney. It is the week that Sydney University is playing host to the 23rd Latin Summer School. Here are some details from the Summer School’s own website;

The Latin Summer School, held annually in January at the University of Sydney, was founded by the late Professor Kevin Lee and Dr Trevor Evans. It attracts over 200 students of all ages, from 13 up. It consists of daily tutorial sessions on a wide selection of Latin texts (provided) at all levels from beginners to advanced. The tutorials are conducted by experienced teachers from universities and schools in NSW and ACT.

In addition, there is a series of lectures: a choice of two or three each day, except for the first day when there is traditionally a key note lecture. These lectures cover a wide variety of topics of classical interest. Exceptionally, the key note lecture will be replaced in 2017 by a performance of a shortened version of Plautus's comedy Menaechmi, staged by Dr Anne Rogerson and students from the Latin Department at the University of Sydney. The performance will be in Latin with English surtitles.

One of the things that impresses me about the Latin Summer School, is that people of all ages are grouped together to indulge in their love of Latin. In our classes there are school students about to begin their final year of high school together with classists with decades of experience. Then there are those returning to Latin after a significant hiatus. One gentleman comes to mind, who last studied Latin back in 1956. There are even two women who have come straight from a one-week intensive Ancient Greek Summer School – my hat goes off to them! Today a student from a local high school told me that he was enjoying spending time with people who saw Latin as a hobby rather than a subject.

If you are a Sydney resident who has never attended the Summer School, I highly recommend it. If you are planning to trip to Australia, you might want to line it up with this wonderful event.

Jessica got up and grabbed the suitcase from the ground. She tried to escape Miranda, but the police woman (public guard) obstructed her. ‘Wait,’ she said. ‘What is in the suitcase?’