Re: Latin help

Edgard Bikelis wrote:
> It seems to be correct, though 'is in hoc modo cantat' would be a more
> natural order.
More _classical_, I think, is what you mean. But Latin continued to be
used, at least as an L2, for 1000 years after the classical period!

There are many examples of verb coming earlier or even at the beginning,
cf. the opening of the Magnificat:
"Magnificat anima mea Dominum" (Luke 1:46)


> 'is' for 'he' is less common than 'ille', for instance...,
That's because if the subject is obvious or needs no emphasis, then it's
simply expressed by the verb ending. If a pronoun subject is expressed,
then we'd expect something a little more emphatic than _is_, e.g. _ille_
or _ipse_. So, although it could indeed be correct Latin, I am a little
suspicious about 'is'.
--------------------------------------------

Ph. D. wrote:
 > I would omit "in."

Ah, that's assuming it's _classical_   :)

Tho in fact in the classical language we find: _ad modum_, _in modum_ as
well as just plan _modo_, meaning "in the manner of..."

But I'm almost certain the quote is post-classical, so _in hoc modo_
causes no surprise.

 > Without any emphasis, "Hoc modo cantat."

Or "Hunc ad modum cantat" or "Hunc in modum cantat"   :)

 > Emphasising "is":  "Cantat hoc modo is."

Yes, that would be the case if "cantat" were the topic and the focus was
being thrown on "is" (new info.) - but in that case the use of 'is'
rather than an more emphatic pronoun would be very odd.
-----------------------------------------

Eugene Oh wrote:
 > Ooh are you composing a story or something in Latin (exciting!)? Or is
 > that just a sentence you read somewhere?
 >
 > Eugene
 >
 > 2007/9/2, Adam Walker <carrajena@...>:
 >
 >>Is the sentence "Cantat is in hoc modo," correct or
 >>does it, in fact, contain a typo?

Surely Adam wouldn't be asking if the sentence contains a typo, unless
it was one he had found.

My own feeling is that it does indeed contain a typo, and quite a common
one at that, i.e. hitting the "s" key instead of the "d". Although, as
it has been observed, the sentence is grammatically quite correct Latin,
the use of the _is_ as subject pronoun is a little suspect. Without
knowing the context, I cannot be certain, but I suspect it should be:

cantat id in hoc modo = s/he sings it in this way.

--
Ray
==================================
ray@carolandray.plus.com
http://www.carolandray.plus.com
==================================
Nid rhy hen neb i ddysgu.
There's none too old to learn.
[WELSH PROVERB]

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