INTRODUCING LATIN

• Hymnus Europae http://www.hymnus-europae.at

Lingua Latina mortua est, vivat lingua Latina! Salvete, domini dominaeque. Benigne vos excipimus, qui transmittamus

relationem temporis culturae televisificam singularem - totam Latine versam, quod non dubie iam intellexistis. De mortuis nihil

nisi bene. Estne Latinitas re vera mortua? Audeamus et experiamur proferre communem relationem televisificam Latine

versam.

Lingua Latina ibi inveniri potest, ubi nemo hanc esse suspicetur. Exempli gratia medio in ventre Angelinae Jolie notis Latinis

compunctum est: "Quod me nutrit, me destruit." Quae res ratione carere videtur, sed haeret in mente, quod spectaculis maximi

momenti est.

(opening lines of the special Latin edition of the arts magazine programme `Kulturzeit’, broadcast by the German channel Sat3

in August 2008 - http://www.3sat.de/mediathek/mediathek.php?obj=9250&mode=play )

Lingua Latīnā unde vēnit?Where did Latin come from?

DIFFERENTIA PRINCIPĀLIS INTER IMPERIUM SĪNICUM ET IMPERIUM

RŌMĀNUM

• SĪNA: 天下大勢 , 分久必合 , 合久必分– After the original creation of a unified China, the

Chinese cultural area did not always remain united but political unity was seen as a state to which it would eventually return

• EURŌPA: 天下大勢 , 合久必分 , 分久不合– After a brief revival at the end of the 8th century, the

political unity imposed on much of Europe by Rome was seen as permanently lost: `No political unifier after Charlemagne, no Bonaparte or Hitler, ever succeeded, partly because he was not expected to’ (John Fairbank, The Great Chinese Revolution, p.11)

After the end of the Roman Empire (5th cent. A.D.)

• Latin remains the main spoken language in most of western Europe but slowly splits up to become Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian and Romanian.

• Until about 1100 A.D., people continue writing in Latin but pronounce in their local way – just as written Chinese can be read aloud in Putonghua or Cantonese pronunciation

• After 1100, ordinary documents are often written in the local language but Latin is still used for many government records (even in countries in northern and eastern Europe that were never part of the Roman Empire), for scholarly writing, for international communication and as the official language of the Catholic Church.

16th – 20th centuries• The main modern languages slowly replace Latin in

record keeping and scholarly writing. French replaces Latin as the European link language– Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica (1687) is in Latin but his Optica

(1704) in English– First international treaty in French is signed in 1714, last in Latin in 1756

• Latin remains the official language of the Catholic Church until the 1960s

• Latin remains an important school subject until the 1960s

• Many Latin words are still borrowed into modern European languages

Examples of English words borrowed from Latin, either directly or via French

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

In Congress, June 4, 1776

The unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America.

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

The introduction to the Declaration re-written using only native English words and syllables

(adapted from http://anglish.wikia.com/wiki/Saying_Forth_of_Self_Rule)

THE SAYING FORTH OF SELF-STANDING

In Lawmaker Body, Afterlithe 4, 1776.

The anmood saying forth of the thirteen Banded Folkdoms of Americksland,

When in the flow of mannish happenings, it becomes needful for one folk to break up the mootish bands which have bonded them with another, and to take among the mights of the earth, the freestanding and even post to which the laws of life and of life’s God give them the right, a good worth to the thoughts of mankind must needs that they should say forth the grounds which bring them to the sundering.

Circumspice, linguam Latīnam vidēbis!

Latin around you

`NISI DOMINUS FRUSTRA’

The Latin words `NISI DOMINUS FRUSTRA’ are written at the bottom of the inscription commemorating the

completion of the Shing Mun dam and reservoir in 1936

PSALM XXXVI.1 詩

• nisi Dominus aedificaverit domum. in

unless Lord will-have-built house in

vanum laboraverunt qui aedificant eam

vain will-have-worked those-who build it

• nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem frustra

unless Lord will-have-guarded city in-vain

vigilat qui custodit eam

watches he-who guards it

Do you recognise this?

HOGWARTS SCHOOL MOTTO

DRACO DORMIENS NUNQUAM

DRAGON SLEEPING NEVER

TITILLANDUS

NEEDING-TO-BE-TICKLED

A sleeping dragon should never be tickled

EXPECTO PATRONUM!

EXPECTO PATRONUM I-wait-for patron

I am waiting for my patron

(the magical protector that comes out from the end of a wizard’s wand)

Everyday Latin

• etc. = et cetera (and other-things)• e.g. = exempli gratia (for example)• status quo (state in-which [things are])

– the present system, the way society and politics are now

• A.D. = Anno Domino (in-the-year of-the-Lord)• data (things-given)

– the information that is available to you

• agenda (things-needing-to-be-done)– list of business to be discussed in a meeting

How Latin works:`Aspice caudam!’ (Look at the

tail!)

DOG BITES MAN

MAN BITES DOG

CANIS HOMINEM MORDET

HOMO CANEM MORDET

The endings of words usually show their connection to each other so word order is

flexible

• Homo canem mordet (NORMAL ORDER)– The man bites the dog

• Canem homo mordet– The man bites the dog

• Mordet homo canem – The man bites the dog

Stellae signa sunt in caeloaureae, quae iungant nos

The golden stars are signs in the sky, which may unite us

As well as drawing special attention to particular words, changes from normal word order make it easier to fit words into the rhythm of a poem. In the last two lines of the unofficial European anthem, the –ae ending on the adjective aureae (`golden’) shows that it describes stellae (`stars’) and not signa (`signs’) or caelo (`sky’)

Can you work out the meaning of –mus and of –ba- in these verb forms?

• surgimus we get up

• amabant they were loving

• sedemus we sit

• venimus we come

• veniebam I was coming

• regebatis you were ruling

• viceramus we had won

• Wordchamp: http://www.wordchamp.com/lingua2/Home.do

• Nuntii Latini: http://yle.fi/radio1/tiede/nuntii_latini/

• Familia Romana: http://www.pullins.com/Marketing/LLColorCap3/flippingbook.swf

79 A.D. - THE ERUPTION OF MOUNT VESUVIUS

The volcanic eruption buried the Roman town of Pompeii under a thick layer of lava and ash. Thousands of its citizens

died in the disaster but the ruins of their homes were preserved. Below, you can see the atrium (inner courtyard)

of the house of a wealthy Pompeian businessman

We know that the businessman’s name was Caecilius and we also know what he looked like because he had this bust of himself made and placed

inside the tiblinum (study room) in his house.

In the course you will read some simple Latin stories about the people who might have lived in Caecilius’s house and you will also learn about

everyday life in Pompeii before the disaster which destroyed it.

THIS YEAR’S COURSE

• On Thursdays starting after Lunar New Year and lasting twelve weeks

• Venue to be arranged – probably one of the computer rooms

• Cambridge Latin Course: http://www.cambridgescp.com/Lpage.php?p=clc^oa_book1^stage1

• Names to me after this talk or email me before the end of the holiday: jfwhelpt@hkstar.com

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

• © Peter Roland and Peter Diem for the European anthem

• © Bible History Online (http://www.bible-history.com) for map of ancient Italy

• © Interactive Media Lab, College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida for pictorial map of the Roman Empire

• © http://resourcesforhistory.com/map.html for animated map of Roman Empire