Friday, May 30, 2008

Study Guide: Group 32

Here is the latest Study Guide! I have not provided English translations, since those are easy enough to find by consulting versions of the Bible in English. Instead, I have tried to call attention to the various grammatical features of the verses, along with interesting vocabulary items, the importance of a specific Biblical context, etc.

You will find more Study Guides at the Vulgate Verses wiki.

These verses contain no verbs, except for present tense forms of the verb "to be" (and usually no expressed verb at all):

395. As you can see from the "ch" this is a Greek word originally, which has been adopted into Latin; the letter "ch" is the Roman representation of the Greek letter called "chi," which is an aspirated "k." In some academic transliteration systems used today, the Greek letter is written as "kh" instead of the traditional Roman representation of the letter as "ch" as you can see here.

396. In translating the Latin pronoun hic, you might say simply "this" or provide a more specific English equivalent which reflects the gender of the pronoun, "this man."

397. The word vere is an adverb, and thus modifies the verb. This adverbial form is used less commonly than the other adverb formed from this same stem: vero.

398. With the freedom of Latin word order, the first position and last position in a phrase or sentence is reserved for the most important words, as you can see in this verse with hic in first position, and dilectus in the emphatic final position. The word order also closely imitates the Greek (where the adjective is joined to the first noun phrase with a serial article: οὖτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός).

399. Questions in Latin that begin with nonne expect the answer "yes" (Isn't this man the son of the carpenter? Yes, he is!). Here are some notes about Asking Questions in Latin.

400. The hic homo referred to here is Paul. His Roman citizenship protects him from interrogation and punishment by government officials.

401. Notice the use of the masculine form of the pronoun, hic, "this (masculine)," because the predicate noun, sanguis, is neuter. You can find these words used in Matthew 26 as well.

402. This is from the account of the Last Supper provided by Paul in I Corinthians.

403. Notice the use of the feminine form of the pronoun, haec, "this (feminine)," because the predicate noun, corpus, is neuter. The verb is implied but not stated: haec (est) via, "This (is) the way."

404. Notice the use of the neuter form of the pronoun, hoc, "this (neuter)," because the predicate noun, corpus, is neuter.

405. The use of the two different Latin prepositions, ex and de is not paralleled in either the Hebrew or Greek versions of this text; in both Hebrew and in Greek, the same preposition is used for both phrases.

406. Notice how the predicate phrase wraps around the verb: inimica Dei, with the genitive Dei parallel to the genitive phrase in the subject, huius mundi.

407. Notice the predicate adjective in the emphatic first position.

408. The verb is expressed but not implied. In English, a verb has to be supplied. Here is the King James version: "Peace be to this house."

409. Again, the verb is expressed but not implied. The dative, huic, suggests the dative of possession, and the King James version accordingly supplies the verb "hath" - "Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?"

410. Notice the pronominal adjective in the emphatic final position.

411. The use of these personal pronouns together with the verbs is emphatic; the verbs estis and sum express the subjects clearly, and the use of the pronouns serves to add emphasis.


Some dynamic content may not display if you are reading this blog via RSS or through an email subscription. You can always visit the Bestiaria Latina blog to see the full content, and to find out how to subscribe to the latest posts.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Deus cordis scrutator est verus

In English: God is a true examiner of the mind. (Wisdom 1:7)

In the previous three verses - stultorum infinitus est numerus; dignus est operarius cibo suo; and dominus est filius hominis etiam sabbati - there was a predicate phrase that wrapped around the entire sentence. In today's sentence, the subject comes in first position, Deus, but then the predicate phrase, cordis scrutator verus is wrapped around the verb. For English speakers, this is disconcerting, because we expect the word order to be Subject - Linking Verb - Predicate. In this Latin sentence, however, the word order is Subject - Predicate Part One - Linking Verb - Predicate Part Two.

The reason for choosing this kind of rhetorical presentation in Latin is to give a heightened emphasis to the portion of the predicate phrase that is reserved for the end. The sentence is going along just fine, and you might even think the sentence is over, but then - surprise! - there is a crucial piece of information which is tacked on at the very end, information that catches you by surprise because you did not expect it was coming.

Here's how that works. You start with Deus, a noun in the nominative case, so you know it is the subject of the sentence, or a predicate noun agreeing with the subject. As English speakers, we tend to assume that the subject comes first in the sentence, and in this instance at least we are not wrong in that assumption.

The next word, cordis, "heart" or "mind," is unambiguously in the genitive. It does not appear to go with the first word, so we are waiting for either a noun which needs this genitive as its complement, or for a verb which takes a genitive complement.

We get our wish with the next word, scrutator, "examiner" or "inspector." This is a word that very much wants to have a genitive complement: cordis scrutator, "an examiner of the mind." This could actually be a complete sentence already in Latin: Deus cordis scrutator, "God (is) an examiner of the mind." So, as we read on, we are already quite satisfied with what we have been told so far.

The next word, est, simply confirms what we have learned so far: Deus cordis scrutator est, "God is an examiner of the mind." That is a complete sentence, with a typical Latin word order pattern: Subject (Deus) - Predicate Phrase (cordis scrutator) - Verb (est). The sentence could very well stop here.

Yet there is another word at the end: verus. The predicate phrase, cordis scrutator turns out to be a more complete phrase, cordis scrutator verus, "a true examiner of the mind," which is wrapped around the innocuous linking verb est. It makes perfect sense to have wrapped the predicate phrase around the verb, since you want to reserve the first and last positions in any sentence or clause for the most important information. Putting the word verus in final position is much stronger rhetorically than having the more or less empty word est in final position.

It is possible to hint at this kind of word in English by using an incremental sentence structure that mimics the Latin: "God is an examiner of the mind, a true one." In English, we can put a noun phrase, "a true one," in apposition to the predicate, "an examiner of the mind." It is awkward and wordy in English, but that is the closest you can come to expressing the rhetorical force of the Latin word order, which is able to take the adjective verus from the predicate noun phrase and put it in the emphatic final position in the sentence. In Latin, this is easy to do because the word order is free and allows for precisely this kind of expression. In English, sadly, this power of expression is not readily available to us.

So, in honor of all the expressive possibilities of every language on the earth, both Latin and English and all the hundreds of other languages as well, here is today's verse read out loud:

124. Deus cordis scrutator est verus.

The number here is the number for this proverb in Vulgate Verses: 4000 Sayings from the Bible for Teachers and Students of Latin.

If you are reading this via RSS: The Flash audio content is not syndicated via RSS; please visit the Vulgate Verses blog to listen to the audio.


Some dynamic content may not display if you are reading this blog via RSS or through an email subscription. You can always visit the Bestiaria Latina blog to see the full content, and to find out how to subscribe to the latest posts.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Study Guide: Group 31

Here is the latest Study Guide! I have not provided English translations, since those are easy enough to find by consulting versions of the Bible in English. Instead, I have tried to call attention to the various grammatical features of the verses, along with interesting vocabulary items, the importance of a specific Biblical context, etc.

You will find more Study Guides at the Vulgate Verses wiki.

These verses contain no verbs, except for present tense forms of the verb "to be" (and usually no expressed verb at all):

381. The predicate genitive expresses the sense of possession: "the earth is the lord's" with a parallel structure in the second clause as well: (domini est) plenitudo eius, with the genitive pronoun eius referring back to terra, so plenitudo eius = plenitudo terrae.

382. The word terra is in the nominative case, serving as the subject of the sentence, while gloria is ablative, complementing the adjective plena.

383. The preposition in with the accusative can express duration of time, as here: his mercy (goes on) into eternity.

384. The verb "to be" is implied but not stated, with potestas eius as the subject noun phrase and potestas aeterna as the predicate noun phrase.

385. Notice that here the genitive pronoun eius could be a subjective or an objective genitive, with the meaning supplied by context. If it were subjective genitive, laus eius would mean that it is he who is doing the praising, but in context this is clearly an objective genitive, where laus eius means that he is the object of the praise, i.e. "his praise" means that he is being praised.

386. As in Verse #383 above, the phrase usque ad generationem et generationem is used to express duration of time. It can also be used to express the extent of space, but the word generationem shows that here the reference is to time.

387. Notice that the genitive pronoun eius refers back to the noun solis, while the genitive Domini complements the noun nomen.

388. You have two different statements here, with the verb "to be" omitted in both. In the first statement, the prepositional phrase provides the predicate, while in the second statement you have two noun phrases which are equated: nebulae, "the clouds," and pulvis pedum eius, "the dust of his feet."

389. Notice the parallel structure, which allows words to be omitted from the second clause because they parallel the words already found in the first clause: (quam) investigabiles (sunt) viae eius.

390. You have two different statements here, with the verb "to be" omitted in both, with two contrasting subjects: statera dolosa in the first clause (with abominatio as the predicate), and pondus aequum as the subject of the second clause (with voluntas eius as the predicate).

391. The verb sumus expresses indirectly the subject of the sentence: (nos) sumus, "we are." The noun phrase membra corporis eius wraps around the verb.

392. Notice the parallel structure, with omnis caro as the subject of the first clause, and omnis gloria eius as the subject of the second clause, with the pronoun eius referring back to the flesh, caro in the first clause.

393. Notice the parallel structure in both clauses, sicut... ita (et)..., with the pronoun eius referring back to the king, regis in the first clause.

394. The statement non sunt is declarative - "there are not" - with the noun phrase, tenebrae...ullae wrapping around the verb and the prepositional phrase.


You can subscribe to this blog via RSS or email, using the link provided here.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Dominus est Filius hominis etiam sabbati

In English: Dominus est Filius hominis etiam sabbati. (Mark 2:28)

Like the last two verses which I posted about - stultorum infinitus est numerus and dignus est operarius cibo suo - this verb provides a wonderful example of Latin word order, in which a noun, dominus, and its complement, sabbati, wrap around the entire statement, providing a strong sense of rhetorical completion.

For English speakers, however, this can be very disconcerting. We are used to sentences that are S-V-O, Subject-Verb-Object (or Subject-Linking Verb-Predicate). In this Latin sentence pattern, however, the word order is something quite different.

The first word, dominus, is unambiguously in the nominative, which is great. That means you are dealing either with the subject of the sentence, or with a predicate noun, the "lord" or the "master." The nominative is your best friend in Latin, because it serves only as the subject of a sentence or agrees with the subject.

The next word, est, lets you know that you are dealing with a sentence that is likely to have a subject in the nominative and a noun or adjective phrase that is the predicate, also in the nominative.

Then, with the next word, you get another noun in the nominative, filius. This is great. You know have a complete sentence, dominus est filius, with a verb and a subject and a predicate. Still, the meaning is not complete. This could be "the master is the son" or "the son is the master." So, you need to read onwards to see what else you can learn about the actual meaning of this sentence.

The next word, hominis, is a good clue: coming right after the word filius, you can guess that you are dealing with a common phrase in Biblical language, filius hominis, the "son of man," in other words, Jesus.

The next word is an intensifying adverb, etiam, meaning "even" or "also" (the word et by itself can be adverbial, but the form etiam is unambiguously adverbial; notice that in the Greek it is the simple "and" which is used adverbially: κύριός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ τοῦ σαββάτου). So far, you don't know what the adverb is modifying (since the phrase "son of man" requires no such modification). So, you read onwards to find out what this adverb modifies.

Then, the final word provides the solution to it all: sabbati, a genitive noun, meaning "of the sabbath." You don't need a genitive noun to go with filius hominis, but you are still waiting for a word to complement dominus, the first word in the sentence. So here, with the last word in the sentence, you get the final complement, wrapping up the sentence into a perfect whole. You have a subject, filius hominis, "the son of man," and a predicate noun phrase which wraps around the subject, dominus etiam sabbati, "master even of the sabbath." The result, in English word order: The son of man is the master even of the sabbath.

The structure of the Latin sentence is doubly baffling to English speakers, given that it begins with the predicate rather than with the subject, and the predicate phrase itself is discontinuous, wrapping all the way around the sentence. Yet the rhetorical effect is very powerful, and is a natural possibility inherent in Latin, where it is the grammatical endings, and not the word order itself, which determines the syntactical relationships among the words.

So, in honor of the wrapped predicate phrase, here is today's verse read out loud:

119. Dominus est Filius hominis etiam sabbati.

The number here is the number for this proverb in Vulgate Verses: 4000 Sayings from the Bible for Teachers and Students of Latin.

If you are reading this via RSS: The Flash audio content is not syndicated via RSS; please visit the Vulgate Verses blog to listen to the audio.



For more information about subscribing to this blog via RSS or by email, visit the Bestiaria Latina blog using the link provided here.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Study Guide: Group 30

Here is the latest Study Guide! I have not provided English translations, since those are easy enough to find by consulting versions of the Bible in English. Instead, I have tried to call attention to the various grammatical features of the verses, along with interesting vocabulary items, the importance of a specific Biblical context, etc.

You will find more Study Guides at the Vulgate Verses wiki.

These verses contain no verbs, except for present tense forms of the verb "to be" (and usually no expressed verb at all):

369. With pronouns in the ablative case, the preposition cum is added after the pronoun, and written as a single word: cum+vobis = vobiscum.

370. The subject of the verb, ego, is not expressed because it is fully conveyed by the verb sum.

371. The prepositional phrase vobiscum is being used predicatively, with the noun phrase gratia domini as the subject.

372. The prepositional phrase nobiscum is used predicatively. The noun dominus and the noun phrse deus noster are being used in apposition (the Latin word dominus, like the Greek word κύριος, is regularly used to substitute for the Hebrew tetragrammaton).

373. For a commentary on this verse, see the Vulgate Verses blog.

374. The dative vobis goes with the word necessaria, which is a predicate adjective agreeing with the subject, patientia.

375. Notice here that when the pronoun vobis is modified by the adjective omnibus, the preposition cum is not added to the end of the pronoun.

376. The nouns gratia and pax form a compound subject. Note that the noun deo and the noun phrase patre nostro are being used in apposition.

377. Note the use of the expressed verb sum in the first clause, while the verb is not expressed in the second and third clauses, which have a parallel structure, with a pronoun subject and a prepositional phrase as the predicate.

378. The interjection vae, which expresses suffering or fear, is usually found with the dative, vobis, while the nouns scribae et Pharisaei are in the vocative, with the noun hypocritae in apposition.

379. The interrogative adverb unde introduces a question which requests information ("from where?"), while nonne introduces a rhetorical question, one which expects an answer in the affirmative ("yes, they are"). Note that the adverb hinc and the prepositional phrase are being used in apposition to one another.

380. Note the word order, with ego as the subject, followed by the predicate prepositional phrase, vobiscum, followed by the verb, with additional adverbial information following the verb.


You can subscribe to this blog via RSS or email, using the link provided here.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Dignus est operarius cibo suo

In English: The worker is worthy of his food. (Matt. 10:10)

I chose this saying for today because, as in the last verse I posted about, you can find a good example here of "wrapping," where a phrase, in this case a predicate adjective phrase - dignus cibo suo - wraps around the subject, operarius. This lends the verse a kind of stylistic elegance in Latin which is difficult to capture in English. If you render the verse in English following the Latin word order, it would be: "Worthy is the worker of his food." That is poetic language in English, so poetic as to be almost non-natural; it is certainly not typical spoken English.

In Latin, however, this kind of word order is definitely elegant, but it is not unnatural or a purely written affectation. It is an easy and obvious possibility in Latin, because it is the case endings, not the word order, which govern the grammatical relationships between the words. Not surprisingly, the King James Bible opts for a more unpoetic translation in English, observing the standard rules of English word order: "the workman is worthy of his meat."

Greek, like Latin, is a highly inflected language with extremely free word order. In the Greek original of this verse, you can see the same exact style of "wrapping" word order as in the Latin: ἄξιος (worthy) ὁ ἐργάτης (the worker) τῆς τροφῆς αὐτοῦ (of his food, his nourishment). In the Greek, the linking verb "to be" has been omitted. This would also be possible in Latin, but the inclusion the verb est in the non-emphatic second position in the Latin verse helps make it clear that dignus is a predicate adjective, while operarius is the subject noun; otherwise, without the est, it might seem, at least at first, that you were dealing with a noun phrase, dignus operarius, "the worthy worker."

You might be surprised here by the word cibo, "food," since the more famous version of this verse is the example provided by Luke 10, which is also repeated in I Timothy 5, dignus est operarius mercede sua, "the worker is worthy of his reward" (or "his wages"). (In Greek: ἄξιος ὁ ἐργάτης τοῦ μισθοῦ αὐτοῦ.) King James renders this as "the laborer is worthy of his hire" (Luke) or "The laborer is worthy of his reward" (I Timothy).

As you can see, the Latin word dignus takes an ablative complement, although we translate this into English as "worthy of." Don't let the English fool you; the case here in Latin is ablative, not genitive. There are other constructions you can find with dignus in Vulgate Latin. The adjective can take an ut clause, as here: non sum dignus ut sub tectum meum intres, "I am not worthy that you enter under my roof" (Luke 7). It can also take an infinitive: non sum dignus solvere corrigiam calceamentorum eius, "I am not worthy to untie the lace of his sandals," (Luke 3) or Quis est dignus aperire librum?, "Who is worthy to open the book?" (Revelation 5). Here is an example with a passive infinitive: non sum dignus vocari filius tuus, "I am not worthy to be called your son" (Luke 15).

Luckily, these idiomatic uses of the word dignus in Latin are not so different from the idiomatic uses of the word "worthy" in English. What is different, however, is the extraordinary range of word order options that is always available to speakers and writers of Latin, which is simply not available in English. So, be glad that so many Latin idioms are quite similar to idioms in English, and then just relax and enjoy the unexpected twists and turns of Latin word order, which provides an expressive register which is something new - and exciting - for us speakers of English!

So, in honor of all the workers and their wages, here is today's verse read out loud:

41. Dignus est operarius cibo suo.

The number here is the number for this proverb in Vulgate Verses: 4000 Sayings from the Bible for Teachers and Students of Latin.

If you are reading this via RSS: The Flash audio content is not syndicated via RSS; please visit the Vulgate Verses blog to listen to the audio.



For more information about subscribing to this blog via RSS or by email, visit the Bestiaria Latina blog using the link provided here.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Stultorum infinitus est numerus

In English: The number of fools is infinite. (Ecc. 1:15)

The grammar topic I would like to consider this time is the way that Latin can so elegantly "wrap" a phrase or sentence, with a noun phrase split into two parts as you can see here. The charm of this saying in Latin does not consist simply in what it says but in the elegant way in which the words are arranged, with the noun phrase stultorum numerus, "number of fools," split into two parts so that it encloses the whole sentence.

In English, unfortunately, there is no way to mimic this sentence structure since, unlike Latin, English depends on word order to define grammatical relationships, while Latin instead relies on an inflectional system of word endings.

If you want to follow the Latin word order in English, you have to change the syntax considerably: "When it comes to fools, infinite is the number." That is awkward in English, but at least it does convey the word-by-word development of the sentence in Latin.

For many English speakers, learning to savor Latin word order can be difficult at first, but once you relax and let go of your English assumptions, Latin word is delightfully expressive. Cognitively, you have plenty of clues - it may feel like you are walking a tightrope, but that is not the case at all. Even if it's not quite safe to look down, you do have handrails you can hang onto! In this sentence, for example, the first word, stultorum, is unambiguous: it is a genitive plural. That means it is looking for some noun to form a noun phrase, or else it is seeking out a verb that takes a genitive complement.

When you get to the second word, infinitus, you are dealing unambiguously with an adjective. Even better, it is an adjective in the nominative case. That means it does not link up directly with stultorum; instead, it is looking for a noun as well - either a noun to agree with in a noun phrase that will be the subject of the sentence, or a noun that can be the subject with this adjective in the predicate. The nominative case is absolutely your best friend in Latin, because the only thing words in the nominative can do is to serve as the subject of the sentence, or as the predicate, agreeing with the subject. So, you are not surprised to next see the verb est, a nice linking verb joining the subject and predicate.

Then comes the last word, numerus, which ties it all together for you: this is the noun which takes the genitive complement to make a noun phrase, stultorum numerus, "the number of fools," with the adjective as predicate, infinitus est, "is infinite." You are dealing with two phrases in this sentence: stultorum numerus, "the number of fools," and infinitus est, with the first phrase elegantly wrapped about the second.

Reading a "wrapped" sentence like this requires some mental operations that are quite different from what your brain does when you read English. That is why - at first - reading Latin can be a real challenge for English speakers (but less so for speakers of other highly inflected languages, such as Russian or Polish). My recommendation is always just to read very, very slowly, pausing at each word, and sniffing out any clues you can discover about the phrases that are taking shape. You need to be aware of how the words are connected together to form phrases even if those connections are disrupted by the word order, rather than reinforced by it. Once you get the hang of it, you can do this unconsciously, just as you don't think about how you are moving your feet when you are riding a bicycle. Proverbs and Bible verses are a great way to get started, since they are short and often familiar - kind of like training wheels on a bike for beginners!

Meanwhile, hoping you have managed to steer clear of that infinitive number of fools in your day's endeavors, here is today's verse read out loud:

40. Stultorum infinitus est numerus.

The number here is the number for this proverb in Vulgate Verses: 4000 Sayings from the Bible for Teachers and Students of Latin.

If you are reading this via RSS: The Flash audio content is not syndicated via RSS; please visit the Vulgate Verses blog to listen to the audio.



For more information about subscribing to this blog via RSS or by email, visit the Bestiaria Latina blog using the link provided here.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Study Guide: Group 29

Here is the latest Study Guide! I have not provided English translations, since those are easy enough to find by consulting versions of the Bible in English. Instead, I have tried to call attention to the various grammatical features of the verses, along with interesting vocabulary items, the importance of a specific Biblical context, etc.

You will find more Study Guides at the Vulgate Verses wiki.

These verses contain no verbs, except for present tense forms of the verb "to be" (and usually no expressed verb at all):

359. Note the absence of the verb "to be," with the pronoun nos as the subject, and stulti as a predicate adjective.

360. Note the absence of the verb "to be" in the first clause, with the pronoun nos as the subject, and lutum as a predicate noun, while the verb is expressed in the second clause.

361. Note the absence of the verb "to be" in the both clauses, with the prepositional phrases being used as predicates.

362. The pronoun vos is in the nominative case, the subject of the verb estis. Notice that while a predicate adjective has to agree with the subject in gender, number, and case, the predicate noun has only to be in the nominative case; it does not have to agree in gender and number with the subject.

363. See the note to the preceding verse. Although the predicate noun lux is feminine singular, it can still serve as a predicate noun with the plural pronoun vos as the subject.

364. Note the use of the postpositive particle autem in second position in the second clause. The word Christi in the first clause is genitive singular: you are "of Christ," you are "Christ's," etc. The second clause parallels the first with Dei in the genitive singular as well.

365. Note the use of the verb "to be" in the first clause, while it is omitted in the second clause. Both vitis and palmites are predicate nouns in the nominative case.

366. The prepositional phrases are being used predicatively. Note the word order: subject - predicate phrase - linking verb.

367. Like any other noun, pronouns can be modified by adjectives which agree with the noun in gender, number, and case: omnes vos. The word fratres is a predicate noun. Note the word order: subject (noun phrase) - predicate noun - linking verb.

368. The prepositional phrase is being used predicatively. Note the word order: interjection - subject (noun phrase) - predicate - linking verb.


You can subscribe to this blog via RSS or email, using the link provided here.