What would it be like to teach a Roman English?

[Abbatiſſæ Scriptor]

Variations in the uſe of aſpects and tenſes preſent ſimilar problems acroſs almoſt any two languages that are not cloſe ſiſters.. The Romans faced that with learning Greek. I would think the biggeſt problem with Engliſh would be the totally chaotic orthography, but that would always be the biggeſt problem with Engliſh, no mater what the ſtudent's first language.

 

[Hawkwood]

Variations in the uſe of aſpects and tenſes preſent ſimilar problems acroſs almoſt any two languages that are not cloſe ſiſters.. The Romans faced that with learning Greek. I would think the biggeſt problem with Engliſh would be the totally chaotic orthography, but that would always be the biggeſt problem with Engliſh, no mater what the ſtudent's first language.

Are there any Latin word examples that contain silent letters?

Edit: I'm not sure what the term is for double sounding letters in English (like G) but I suppose a word like peristylum with its Greek "Y" may be an example of Latin/Greek hybridisation. But I've not came across a silent letter as of yet.

 

[Imber Ranae]

Are there any Latin word examples that contain silent letters?

h is the only letter that was ever silent in Latin, as far as I know, and even then only in certain dialects and in later Latin, hence the variance of spelling in words like harena/arena and herus/erus. It may have always been silent in words like pulcher or triumphus, since there the h seems more of an orthographical convention than anything (though perhaps some educated Romans pronounced ch and ph in these words in the Greek manner as χ and φ, respectively).

Edit: I'm not sure what the term is for double sounding letters in English (like G) but I suppose a word like peristylum with its Greek "Y" may be an example of Latin/Greek hybridisation. But I've not came across a silent letter as of yet.

I'm not sure what you mean, either by 'double sounding letters in English' or by 'Latin/Greek hybridisation'. The Latin word peristylum is merely a borrowing of Greek περίστυλον.

 

[Pacifica]

Final - m was nearly silent, as its frequent omission in vulgar Latin shows, but it's generally supposed that there was some kind of nazalized sound that still made so that, say, mensam sounded slightly differently from mensa, even if the m wasn't fully pronounced. I don't know if it was the case in all "dialects", though.

Final - s was silent in some regions and periods.

 

[Imber Ranae]

Ah, I forgot about final s. That was an archaic feature.

 

[Hawkwood]

I meant like gene/gang or Gerry/Gary but in hindsight, it's just another silent letter. I meant hybridisation because Latin incorporated Greek letters into the Latin alphabet & I then wondered, if a Greek "Y" could replace an "I" then the odds are, Latin might also have examples of silent letters like in English.
Interesting though, I found a web page today on this & spoken Latin which I'm going to have a butchers at in a bitski.
Thanks guys.

 

[Imber Ranae]

I meant like gene/gang or Gerry/Gary...

You mean a consonant that represents a different sound depending on the word or its placement in a word?

 

[Hawkwood]

Oh, I see what Ive done. I actually mean representing a different sound, it just so happens I went straight for the words that begin with the "offending" letter.

 

[Abbatiſſæ Scriptor]

Some letters may have changed their ſound or fallen ſilent in ſome poſitions in ſome local dialects of Latin, yes, but generally in ſuch predictable and regular ways that ſomeone from another region would quickly be able to become familiar with ſuch variations, and ſomeone whose first Language was not Latin would hardly be inclined to count them among Latin's more ſignificant challenges.

 

[Hawkwood]

Interesting, I've been reading up today on Latin dialects via a sociolinguistics web page, it's quite enjoyable, surprisingly.

 

[Imber Ranae]

Interesting, I've been reading up today on Latin dialects via a sociolinguistics web page, it's quite enjoyable, surprisingly.

Do you have a link?

 

[Hawkwood]

There's a couple but I don't know how to link PDF files or webpages. If you type into Google "The use of Latin: The social construction of sociolinguistics" then it should point you right to it. Wiki also have a bit.

I'd never heard the term "sociolinguistics" until today, I just stumbled on it & you'll get a lot more out of it than me, but it's still interesting nonetheless for beginners.

 

[Imber Ranae]

There's a couple but I don't know how to link PDF files or webpages. If you type into Google "The use of Latin: The social construction of sociolinguistics" then it should point you right to it. Wiki also have a bit.

All right. Thanks.

 

[Hawkwood]

New Perspectives on Historical Latin Syntax: Syntax of the sentence, Volume 1.

Sorry mate, this is actually the better link out the two. I read from page 65 onwards, if you get a spare hour or so, it's worth a bash. There both interesting though.

 

[Aurifex]

If you type into Google "The use of Latin: The social construction of sociolinguistics" then it should point you right to it.

I've had a look. I've got to be honest; I got as far as "the defeat of Latin seems also related to a certain inadequacy of contents, to its unsuitability to contemporary problems" and threw in the towel. Actually, the towel was already in my hand as soon as I'd read the title "The use of Latin: The social construction of sociolinguistics".

New Perspectives on Historical Latin Syntax: Syntax of the sentence, Volume 1.

On the other hand that is well worth a look.

 

[Imber Ranae]

New Perspectives on Historical Latin Syntax: Syntax of the sentence, Volume 1.

Ah, yes, edited by Baldi et al. I've read much of it already, but thanks.

 

[Hawkwood]

Oh fair enough, I just skim, but I do think it's worth your while maybe just finishing the Thomas Mann introduction. As I say though, I'm just stumbling about in the dark with Latin so I'm still quite susceptible to the good the bad.

Yes but didn't he follow on to say it was the defeat of man not Latin, I think he meant the conditions in place for Latin to thrive. Just saying though, as I don't know who he was or is (Mann) to be honest, so im not trying to defend him. I will have another read again.

 

[Matthaeus]

Hawkwood, is this latter book mentioned by you available online gratis?

 

[Hawkwood]

Yes mate. I've been flicking through the pages on my phone with no problems. I'll have another bash at linking, I'm not too savvy on the old Alan Turings, but I'll try.

I'm going to sound like a right trallop but I can't link & I can't seem to now view the pages. Sorry mate, I was able to today. I'll try on my partners phone in a bit.

 

[Aurifex]

Oh fair enough, I just skim, but I do think it's worth your while maybe just finishing the Thomas Mann introduction.

The Thomas Mann quote is perfectly intelligible to me; the paragraph by Viana that follows isn't, I'm afraid.

As I say though, I'm just stumbling about in the dark with Latin so I'm still quite susceptible to the good the bad.

You're doing nothing wrong. Exploring byways as well as highways is fine. Forgive the cheesy metaphor.