Friday, October 30, 2009

a.d. III Kal. Nov.

MEMORĀBILE DICTŪ

Nāvigāre necesse est; vīvere nōn est necesse.
It is necessary to sail, it is not necessary to live.

Th is is the Latin version of a phrase attributed to the first century BCE Roman general Pompey by the Greek author Plutarch, who lived in the late first and early second centuries CE. Though Plutarch wrote in Greek, Pompey presumably said these words in Latin to his soldiers, when exhorting them to complete a mission of supplying grain in very dangerous conditions.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

a.d. IV Kal. Nov.

tranche n., pl. tranches [Fr. slice, installment.] Portion or installment. Portion of bond issue for distribution in another country. The World Bank has released an initial tranche of 250 million dollars out of a total of 452 million to be granted to Nigeria… (Sunday Tribune 1986).

This is a word you might have heard in the news over the last couple of years.

From Word Dictionary of Foreign Expressions.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

a.d. VI Kal. Nov.

calvo turpius est nihil comato
Literal translation: nothing (is) uglier than a bald (man) with hair.

In an English sentence: “Calvo turpius est nihil comato,” muttered the salesman as he tried to interest a balding customer in a new hat.

This is not a phrase that you will see very often, but it is an easy one to understand: even today people make fun of a man with a comb-over!

From Elizabeth Heimbach's book Latin Everywhere, Everyday

Friday, October 23, 2009

a.d. X Kal. Nov.

MEMORĀBILE DICTŪ

Potius mendācium dīcam, quam mentiar.
“I would rather speak a lie, than lie.” (Thomas More, Utopia, Preface)

These words epitomize the message of More’s Utopia. He tells many stories that seem unbelievable but his message to the reader is truthful and important.

From Latin for the New Millennium

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

a.d. XII Kal. Nov.

Bolchazy-Carducci Sets Foot on the App-ian Way

You heard right, we've got an app for Apple's iPhone.











Cover Art



Latin Proverbs
Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers

iTunes

Release Date: Oct 02, 2009

Genre: Education

© 2009 Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc.


Friday, October 16, 2009

a.d. XVII Kal. Nov.

MEMORĀBILE DICTŪ

Potius mendācium dīcam, quam mentiar.
“I would rather speak a lie, than lie.” (Thomas More, Utopia, Preface)

These words epitomize the message of More’s Utopia. He tells many stories that seem unbelievable but his message to the reader is truthful and important.

From Latin for the New Millennium

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Id. Oct.

Libertas optima rerum.
–Aesop's Fables

From Laura Gibbs' book, Aesop's Fables in Latin.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

pridie Id. Oct.

Lately people have been talking about comedy on the LatinTeach mailing list. Here's a peek into a book with eight classroom length adaptions of Plautus meant for second year students.

Friday, October 09, 2009

a.d. VII Id. Oct.

MEMORĀBILE DICTŪ

Ūnī nāvī nōlī omnia committere!
“Do not entrust all things to one ship!” (Anonymous)

Th is proverb, apparently composed at some point during the Middle Ages, urges merchants and investors to be cautious. Its meaning is equivalent to that of our modern English “Do not put all of your eggs in one basket.” In this chapter’s reading passage, however, we read of an occasion when having one’s possessions in more than one ship proved a bad idea.

From Latin for the New Millennium

Thursday, October 08, 2009

a.d. VIII Id. Oct.

Cave tibi a cane muto et aqua silenti.
–Aesop's Fables

From Laura Gibbs' book, Aesop's Fables in Latin.

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Non. Oct.

malum in se n., pl. mala in se [L. malum offense, wrong, evil (1); in in, on (2); se itself (3): wrong in itself.] Law. A wrong in itself. An offense such as murder which is evil, viewed either from its own nature or by natural law. The old division of crimes into mala in se … and mala prohibita … epitomises a division of society’s attitudes towards “technical breaches of the law” and those of offences touching deep-rooted moral attitudes (Curzon 1979:40). Cf. malum prohibitum.

From Word Dictionary of Foreign Expressions.

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Pridie Non. Oct.

Polish up your Latin grammar.

First check out Looking at Latin, then head over to the online exercises to test your knowledge.

Here's a sample of what's in the book:

Friday, October 02, 2009

a.d. VI Non. Oct.

MEMORĀBILE DICTŪ

Dulce bellum inexpertīs.
“War is sweet for those who have not experienced it.” (Erasmus, Proverbs)

The celebrated humanist Erasmus, who was a committed pacifist, included this proverb in his collection, thereby indicating his own views of war.

From Latin for the New Millennium

Thursday, October 01, 2009

From Rome to Reformation

From Rome to Reformation:
Early European History for the New Millennium

by Rose Williams





Rose Williams skillfully leads the reader through the maze of power plays and the gradual rise of sovereign states that followed the collapse of the Roman Empire.

Readers will appreciate Williams’ engaging style and her ability to synthesize succinctly this busy period of history. Recognizing the symbiotic relationship between literature and the era in which it was produced, From Rome to Reformation: Early European History for the New Millennium provides a comprehensive overview of the interconnecting historical events, literary figures, and intellectual developments in European history and its Latin literature. This is a perfect companion text for courses in the humanities, western civilization, and Latin.

Features:
• Overview of the history of ideas developed in western civilization
• Assessment of the critical events in early European history
• Presentation of the key historical and literary figures of early Europe
• Timeline of European history from the fifth century to the eighteenth
• Notes section for Latin and other special terms employed in the text
• Illustrations enhance the text

A longtime Latin instructor at the high school and university level, Rose Williams holds a BA from Baylor University and an MA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, with post graduate work in Latin and the Humanities at the University of Dallas and the University of Texas in Arlington. On a Rockefeller Grant she did research at the Bodleian Library of Oxford University in England and at the University of Pisa. She is the author of numerous classics textbooks and teaching guides as well as humorous books of Latin phrases. She serves on various classics consultant boards and maintains a website, www.roserwilliams.com, devoted to Latin teaching materials.

xviii + 95pp. (2009) Paperback, ISBN 978-0-86516-718-6

Click here to see From Rome to Reformation at our website.