Re: Conjunctives, etc...

Thanks Mr. Brown for the Latin, but they're not quite right. For example,
you've left off one use of -que where it can join two clauses together. What
you've written is certainly fairly normal usage, but not quite what I was
looking for. Sorry.

Chris Weimer

R A Brown scripsit:

Ok - I can do the latter. Firstly, _ac_ is a shortened form of _atque_
(i.e. at + -que), so:

-QVE
(inherited from PIE; there are related words in ancient Greek & Sanskrit)
i. It coordinates two words of similar meaning, e.g. fames sitisque -
hunger & famine.
ii. It coordinates two words of contrasting meaning, e.g. ius nefasque -
law & wickedness
iii. It may add a detail or explanation (this use is not found in
Cicero), e.g. largitiones temeritatisque inuitamenta - bribes and
inducements to rashness (Livy)

-que ....... -que could be repeated to mean "both ...... and ..." but
this is rare & not found in the best Classical authors. If -que is
joining phrases rather than single words, then it is attached to the
first word of the phrase, unless that word is a monosyllabic
preposition, when -que must be added to the second word.

ATQVE, AC
This is derived from AT = "but yet", i.e. _at_ shows a qualified
restriction - "It's Ok but ...."
So ATQVE/ AC "and but yet......" , i.e. it connects with emphasis "and
also ...", "and, I may add, ....."
The form AC is used only before consonants (except _h_), whereas ATQVE
is found before both consonants and vowels. The _t_ was almost certainly
assimilated in pronunciation, thus /ak_wk_wE/ (i.e. a geminated
labio-velar), and AC was probably /ak_w/.

ET
Is the a general word (and, therefore, the most commonly used word) for
"and" in all contexts. It was often repeated to mean "both...and.." With
lists of words where we put commas between each except the last two
items, which we join with 'and', the Latin practice was to have either
(a) the list _without_ any conjunction, or (b) to put 'et' before each
item, _including the first_.

So basically, ET was always possible, whereas -QVE was much more
restrictive in its use, and ATQVE/ AC threw emphasis upon the extra
information you were giving.

One problem, however, is that medieval copyists tended to make a
hopeless mess by confusing AC, AT and ET   :)

As for "Johnson and Johnson" - -QVE is the most likely, but ET could be
used. However AC is not appropriate.

"Jack and Jill are two cool people."
Obviously ET is possible, as it can always be used, and would be used if
they were two people with otherwise no obvious connexion to one another.
If, however, Jack & Jill were, as they say, an 'item', or were brother &
sister, the -QVE would be more appropriate.
If AC were used it would imply that both speaker and hearer were agreed
that Jack was a cool person, but the speaker wants to make the point
that in his opinion Jill is also cool, i.e. "Jack is cool and, what's
more, Jill is cool too."

Hope this helps.

--
Ray

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