Dictionary for modern Latin

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Dictionary for modern Latin

Postby Marcus Pomponius Lupus on Sat May 17, 2003 4:39 pm

Latin ? A dead language ? By Hera no ! The Vaticane has just published the "Lexicon recentis latinitatis", a Latin-Italian dictionary containing all sorts of modern words and expressions, a few examples:

Sports drugs : usus agonisticus medicamenti stupecfactivi

Rush hour : tempus maximae frequentiae

Videophone : telephonium albo televisifico coniunctum

Don't let them fool you, Latin is still alive an' kicking ! ;-)

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Postby Gnaeus Dionysius Draco on Sat May 17, 2003 10:41 pm

Salve mi Lupe,

I think these words are downright horrible! For example, 'videophone' is actually already derived from Latin and Greek so why make a new, totally unrelated word?? Why not simply 'videphonus', no matter how odd that, in turn, will sound?

Could it be, by the way, that Latin still is the official language of the Vatican?

Indeed, Latin is alive, but it sure isn't looking spammy these days :p.

Vale!
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Postby Quintus Marius Primus on Thu Jan 29, 2004 4:06 pm

Salvete collegae!

The Vatican's attempts at giving Latin an aura of modernity and to give the impression that it is a living language is laughable at best. A committee of middle- and old-aged men sitting around coming up with terms that hardly slip off the tongue just does not do Latin justice. Considering that most of English's lexicon is from Latin and Greek roots (especially technical and technological terms), it would not do any harm to reverse the process and give a Latin morphology to modern English terms, just as Draco highlights above with videophone.

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Last edited by Quintus Marius Primus on Mon Aug 16, 2004 3:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Quintus Servilius Priscus on Wed Feb 11, 2004 11:17 am

If anyone wants a small free Latin-English Dictionary here are links to
WORDS:

Mac OSX http://homepage.mac.com/spr/words.html

Windows, Linux, and OS2 http://users.erols.com/whitaker/words.htm

I have been using it more now as I travel around SVR's Bulletin Board
and I write down Latin words I find and then look them up in WORDS. I
am using the Mac OSX version.
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Postby Horatius Piscinus on Wed Feb 11, 2004 2:19 pm

Salvete

Modern Latin? Or Latin that has just been so butchered in order to explain some modern conveniences? I received a copy of 'Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis' and was hoping for a delightful read. But the more I read the more difficult it became, trying to understand some of these words and phrases, and no Latin dictionary I have has been of any help.

Hamaxostichus? For train? Where did they come up with that?
Stationes autocineticae instrumenta mensuralia? For parking meter? Try translating the Beetles 'Rita, the Meter Maid' into that kind of Latin. This is no way to bring Latin into the modern world. I shall just go off now to brood over some Mchamaburgherrius and wonder if there is some better way to use Latin than has Peter Needham.

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