Quantum Camera

[Don_ih]

Good thing they didn't teach us to curse in Latin.

They probably did. I think most curses there and then were things like "God's dog!"

 

[Harry Callahan]

It's already a few decades since I went to school and back then the translation of war-related texts was already only a tiny fraction of the curriculum. Of course you get to translate a little Caesar at some point due to the historical and cultural significance. I don't recall we specifically translated any texts that described war or violence by his hand, though.

Although sometimes, things worked out differently than expected; I do recall a passage we had to translate for our exam that involved burning of books. Since the Latin for book resembles the word for child, quite a few of my classmates were appalled at being confronted with a text in which children were being chucked onto a pyre. You might argue that burning books is bad enough, of course.

I think in our last two years we focused mostly on Catullus (but it's been a while). If you want to warm up a bunch of teens for a dead language, be sure to throw some sex into the mix, hence the choice, I guess.

It`s also been some time with me, but we did De bellum gallico
(or was it "bello"... "About the gallican war" war should be accusative, so "bellum". But maybe the "de" does make it a special ablative-something so you have to decline it to dative, so "bello"... urgh i always was bad at latin.)
and we had to learn the first page by heart. Though i was pretty bad at latin and didn`t like it, i still can recall the first sentence:
Gallia omnia divisa est in partes tres.
Several decades ago. It`s possible we did the entire book, it was small and had maybe 30 pages...

... i`m aware that my previous statement is narrowing, but sometimes i wonder why bad things like war for example happen again and again. And if you have teenagers translate ancient texts about war, maybe some will consider war normal or unavoidable in their later life... at least i didn`t feel comfortable translating Caesar. I rather would have been interested in a text about building something than conquering someone.

"Latin is a dead language. First it killed the Romans and now it is killing me!" Often said during my Latin classes.

That's a good slogan - but i didn`t hear it in my schooldays. I happened to be in a class where (nearly) everyone was good at latin... except for me.

 

[Harry Callahan]

They probably did. I think most curses there and then were things like "God's dog!"

Well, a parallel class on my school, where i did know some people, had a different latin teacher. And this teacher was of the opinion that you also had to be able to curse in latin - so he taught some. A guy of his class told me that you also can say faXXot in latin... but i didn`t ask him what the latin word is as i wasn`t interested. I fear the good `ol romans had about every curse we have today...

 

[snusmumriken]

Caesar adsum iam forte. Sed Brutus passus sum.

(I suppose this only works if you understand the concept of ‘tea’ as a mealtime.)

 

[koraks]

(or was it "bello"

Indeed, it was, and AFAIK you're right here, too:

But maybe the "de" does make it a special ablative-something

Since bellum is neuter, the singular ablativus is bello.

We also got to translate bits of the Gallic wars book, but no actual battles as I recall. Or maybe a little. IDK; it's been a long time.

i wonder why bad things like war for example happen again and again

I think part of why there's any attention for the classics left in education is in understanding the universality of the human condition, and the fact that ultimately, so little has changed about who we are.

 

[snusmumriken]

I think part of why there's any attention for the classics left in education is in understanding the universality of the human condition, and the fact that ultimately, so little has changed about who we are.

I hated Latin, and was allowed to give it up. But they made me do Ancient Greek instead. That sense of how little has changed is even more extraordinary there, because often we are talking about the Bronze Age or shortly thereafter.

 

[MattKing]

Canadian content:

 

[Don_ih]

Ah, Wayne and Shuster. Quality Canadian content (Cancon). The goodbye song still echoes through my ears....

 

[Harry Callahan]

Caesar adsum iam forte. Sed Brutus passus sum.

(I suppose this only works if you understand the concept of ‘tea’ as a mealtime.)

Eehhh...uhhhhm...urgh i cannot translate this. It could be something Caesar is saying as there is a "sum" which should be "i am" - but i don`t get it. I often did translate by instinct. I was very happy when we were allowed to use a dictionary in the tests when being in higher class - as i also had trouble to learn the meaning of the words. But then grammar still was by instinct.

Indeed, it was, and AFAIK you're right here, too:


Since bellum is neuter, the singular ablativus is bello.

We also got to translate bits of the Gallic wars book, but no actual battles as I recall. Or maybe a little. IDK; it's been a long time.


I think part of why there's any attention for the classics left in education is in understanding the universality of the human condition, and the fact that ultimately, so little has changed about who we are.

Ha! A lucky strike - i did depend a lot on these...
I cannot recall how much we did of the gallic wars but it must have been some.
Yes, human nature... it either depresses me or makes me angry. Maybe i needed someone to blame for this, so i took the romans - probably also because their language is such an imposition to me...

I hated Latin, and was allowed to give it up. But they made me do Ancient Greek instead. That sense of how little has changed is even more extraordinary there, because often we are talking about the Bronze Age or shortly thereafter.

Poor you. I was lucky to get around greek, but i also dislike this. Every greek tale or play i know has a bad ending. In the end everybody is dead or suffering even more than at the beginning... i sometimes feel like the greek were a bunch of splatter film freaks ( i also dislike such kind of movies)...

 

[koraks]

Yes, human nature... it either depresses me or makes me angry.

I think that's a very apt, albeit probably unintended summary of the phenomenon right there.

 

[snusmumriken]

Eehhh...uhhhhm...urgh i cannot translate this. It could be something Caesar is saying as there is a "sum" which should be "i am" - but i don`t get it. I often did translate by instinct. I was very happy when we were allowed to use a dictionary in the tests when being in higher class - as i also had trouble to learn the meaning of the words. But then grammar still was by instinct

Don’t try to translate it, just say it out loud!

 

[Harry Callahan]

I think that's a very apt, albeit probably unintended summary of the phenomenon right there.

Yes, you`re right - and unintended - though i`m aware that i also have a little Caesar in me sometimes, which makes me...

Don’t try to translate it, just say it out loud!

Ooooh i see... and no translation... aaaah