Re: Some help with Latin
From: | R A Brown <ray@...> |
Date: | Tuesday, September 25, 2007, 11:03 |
Benct Philip Jonsson wrote:
> On 2007-09-24 R A Brown wrote:
>
>> Also, Cattulus keeps the -o at the end of 'Nescio' short ;)
>
>
> Why?
Basically, so that it would scan :)
Normally in Classical Latin final -o is long, except in the words _ego
(I), duo (two), modo (only), cito_ (quickly) where it was short. But you
will find that poets will treat the final -o of the 1st person singular
of verbs and the nominative singular of the 3rd declension as short if
it suits their purpose; this often the case with the poets Martial and
Juvenal.
--
Ray
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