LatinLanguage.us

Thanks to Latinteach for turning me on to Cornell classics profesoor Michael Weiss’ blog for his book Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin. I haven’t seen his book, but the comments have piqued my curiosity.

Just to give one quick example, Weiss discusses evidence for the accent of the word calefacit. I’ve always pronounced this with an accent on the 1st and 3rd syllables, never noticing this technically violates the book rule that the accent should fall on the 2nd syllable (since the a in facit is short). Weiss’s citation from Priscian (supporting my pronunciation) was one I hadn’t seen before, and now I’m interested in learning more–that, my friends, is the kind of exploration the internet was made for (porn notwithstanding:-).

Anyway, I’m recommending that you take a look at his blog; I’m sure you’ll find a similar Latin detail to obsess over.

While I acknowledge ancient notions of love weren’t as sentimental and empathetic as modern greeting cards, I’m not sure I completely agree with Hamilton College Classics Professor Barbara Gold when she says:

“They (the Romans) melded coarse obscenities with deepest expressions of sexual, erotic longing…(A)bove all there was no sharing or caring and no real idea of a friendship of equals.”

I’m sure Professor Gold is aware that classical poetry is an extremely mannered form–Catullus’ obscenity notwithstanding–and that youthful hormones may have had something to do with the erotic obsession of the Roman elegists (as for Ovid, his insincerity was a lifelong disease). That’s not the best recipe for heartfelt emotion–and yet there are more than a few fleeting moments of tenderness in extant Latin literature.

Valentine’s Day is next Sunday…and now it’s my mission to refute the idea there was “no sharing or caring and no real idea of a friendship of equals” in ancient Rome. Look for posts in the next few days and judge for yourself…or give me a few ideas in comments.

Quick…did you spot the problem with that banner/headline? Because the folks who came up with this new motto for Italy’s firefighters (yes, Italy) could probably use a Latin refresher course…

…adding: I found a picture on Italy’s Il Gazzettino.

If you’re a fan of old Loebs or need to find one that’s out of print, be careful with this link from Edonnelly–it’s the quickest way to find free copies from Google Books (and links to booksellers if your one of those who won’t settle for anything less than a red/green cover).

…Tellus, described as ” magazine for poetry which sparks ancient worlds into life", looks promising. The first issue is due March10th, and it’s free…

…and it’s not quite Latin, but as a kid I absolutely LOVED 1981’s Clash of the Titans and the ingenious special effects of Ray Harryhausen. The idea of a remake sounds almost sacrilegious, but if it’s going to be in 3D, then I’m totally up for getting petrified by the Medusa.

Watch the trailer here if you dare.

…well, this was a complete waste of time. I gave up when that one guy cut off the other guy’s face and wore it into the arena. Who you ask? Ah, who cares…

The US pay-cable channel Starz is kicking off a 13-part series on Spartacus this Friday at 10 EST. The NY Times has a puff piece informative review drawing the usual U.S. vs. Rome parallels–not to mention the series’ unsurprising focus on “stylized, even balletic” violence and “abundant nudity, both male and female.”

I will be watching because, well, I’m interested in ancient Rome and willing to give it a chance. And I can say that I went into HBO’s ROME with similar low expectations and came away modestly pleased; in that series, the device of following the action via Vorenus and Pullo (soldiers in Caesar’s army) allowed for a more complete picture of Roman life that didn’t rely exclusively on political intrigue, shocking violence or overblown sex. My fear is that the Starz series will spend far more time with those last two items–the presence of Sam Raimi doesn’t inspire much hope, and with the skimpy historical details what else can they do to fill the time. Exercises in style like the recent 300 and (to a lesser extent) the Oscar-winning Gladiator seemed to treat the ancient world as little more than an action-movie vehicle, and perhaps I’m too familiar with the source material to enjoy the one-dimensional caricature offered by the swords n’ sandals genre…

But that’s just my opinion…tune in for youself and explain my idiocy in comments.

Another article showing local support for Latin, this time at a school facing budget cuts in Massachusetts. No specific cuts have been made, and the asst. superintendant indicates every department will have to face cuts, but this line made me wonder:

“We could easily bring in equal crowds for other departments that have experienced similar cuts,” (Assistant Superintendent James) Kelleher said.

But…you (or the other departments) didn’t, and I really question how “easy” it would be. Doesn’t the fact that somebody cared enough to get 100 people in the community to a school comittee meeting count for something? Remember, these same people also elect board members, and if it’s anything like my district the voting usually takes place in the same building…

If Augustine was ever embarassed by his nine years’ devotion to Manicheaism, the Confessions prove that he long ago had gotten over his public association with this weird, pseudo-Christian sect. These middle chapters of book three provide the natural conclusion to his intellectual quest for personal satisfaction, the Sacrilega curiositas that threatened ut deserentem te deduceret me ad ima infida et circumventoria obsequia daemoniorum (III.3.5) The empty emotion he felt while watching stage plays, the studied deception of his chosen profession, even the inspiration of Cicero’s Hortensius (a work he admired his entire life, but recall at this time he rejected scripture because it seemed indigna quam tullianae dignitati compararem)–all of this fits the pattern of a college sophomore’s crude, overly-intellectual search for personal meaning in the world.

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Quick, what’s the difference between these two Latin sentences?

Marcus argentum operuit ne inveniretur.

Marcus argentum operuit ut non inveniretur.

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