Look around your room. What do you see?
liber: a book
fenestra: a window
iānua: a door
mēnsa: a table
sella: chair
You may not know a lot yet, but you can still organise vocabulary according to topics: you can head separate pieces of A4 and add the vocabulary based on the headings, or you can do the same on your laptop. The next few posts will focus on acquiring a handful of words for different topics.
There is an important point to note: Classical Latin language and the culture and way of life of Ancient Rome cannot always convey modern ideas. Look at this question: ‘Quid est in ātriō tuō?’ This is the closest we can come to the English equivalent of ‘lounge’ or ‘sitting room’ since Roman houses were not constructed in the same manner as houses are constructed now. However, the question is still valid since it refers to that large (and impressively decorated) area of the house where, for example, guests would be welcome. Similarly, the Romans did not have pens and pencils as we understand them, but, when responding to the question ‘Quid est in sacculō tuō?’ (What’s in your bag?), it is also reasonable to refer to items that the Romans did use for those purposes e.g. stilus, tabula.
‘New Latin’ i.e. vocabulary developed to meet 21st century needs, does exist: there is, for example, a ‘Latin’ word for motorcar (autoraeda), and those words can be found in, for example, online dictionaries, but the aim of this course is to develop the vocabulary of Classical Latin as it was used by the Roman authors. Therefore, if you desperately want to say that your room has air conditioning, you will either need to find the New Latin for it (which is generally beyond the scope of these posts) or simply say that it has a window!
From time to time, words which were in Classical Latin but, to serve contemporary communication, have had meanings added to them, will be referred to since their original meanings are still important to know.
If you want to branch out on your own and look for New Latin words, then you can consult:
[1] Quid est in sacculō tuō? What’s in your bag?
In sacculō meō est liber. In my bag there’s a book.
As you have already seen, meus and tuus have the same endings as first and second declension nouns. Here, they are in the ablative singular, used with the preposition ‘in’.
[2] Quid est in culīnā tuā? What’s in your kitchen?
In culīnā meā sunt pōcula. In my kitchen there are drinking cups.
[3] Quid est in scriptōriō tuō? What’s in your study?
In scriptōriō meō est librārium. In my study there’s a bookcase.
Let’s look at these three questions and include some vocabulary that are related to the topics.
[1] Quid est in sacculō tuō? [image #1]
sacculus: a small bag, satchel (in New Latin, this means ‘backpack’); the Roman poet Catullus invited his friend to dinner and promised him a sumptuous meal – provided the friend brought everything because Catullus himself had no money!
nam tuī Catullī plēnus sacculus est arāneārum
for the little purse of your Catullus is full of cobwebs
The other word that refers to a similar item is loculus, literally meaning ‘a little place’ and used in various senses, one of which was ‘satchel’; the image posted shows an example of a loculus on Trajan’s column in Rome.
In sacculō meō est papȳrus. In my bag there is paper
In sacculō mea est penna. …a pen
penna: feather, but feathers were used in making quills dipped in ink i.e. the predecessor of our modern pen
In sacculō meō est rēgula. … a ruler
In sacculō meō sunt duo librī. In my bag there are two books
In sacculō meō sunt multī calamī / stilī …many pens
calamus: a type of sharpened, split reed pen used for writing in ink on papyrus or parchment in ancient times
In sacculō meō sunt multī stilī plumbātī … many pencils
stilus plumbātus: (New Latin); you have already seen stilus many times referring to the thin pointed metal instrument used for writing on wax tablets. ‘plumbātus’ from the verb ‘plumbāre’ (to make with lead) means ‘made of lead’ and so the phrase does convey the idea of a pencil, even though the Romans didn’t have them!
[2] Quid est in culīnā tuā? What’s in your kitchen? [image #2]
In culīnā meā est furnus. In my kitchen there is an oven.
In culīnā meā sunt caccabī. In my kitchen there are cooking pots.
In culīnā meā est mēnsa. In my kitchen there's a table.
Quid est in mēnsā tuā? What’s on your table?
In mēnsa meā est cibus. On my table there’s food.
In mēnsā meā sunt multa pōcula. On my table there are many drinking cups.
In mēnsā meā sunt catillī et cultrī. … plates and knives.
catinus: a large bowl, dish, or plate
catillus: a smaller version (i.e. a diminutive form) of the same things
The challenge of conveying our modern concepts is well explained by William Smith in A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities:
"catinus or catinum, dim. catillus or catillum, a dish or platter on which viands were served up. Other names for similar table utensils will here be noticed; but it must be admitted that the differences of shape, materials, or use are not always clearly indicated. Even the distinction, so essential to our notions, between dishes and plates does not seem to have been observed … there is in fact no Greek or Latin word for “a plate” in the modern sense."
[3] Quid est in scriptoriō tuō? What’s in your study? [image #3]
scriptōrium: a room where writing took place
In scriptoriō meō est capsa. In my study there is a ‘capsa’.
capsa: a cylindrical container used for holding scrolls
In scriptoriō meō est librārium. … a book case
In scriptoriō meō est ātrāmentum. In my study there’s ink.
In scriptoriō meō sunt litterae. In my study there are letters.
litterae: the singular (littera) refers to a letter of the alphabet, whereas the plural (litterae) refers either to one or more letters i.e. written communication; the plural also refers to ‘literature’
An alternative to litterae is epistula, which refers to a single written communication: epistula (a letter) > epistulae (letters)
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