Friday, July 26, 2024

02.09.24: adverbs [1](1); Alice in Adverbland

From Alicia in Terra Mirabili, the Latin translation by Clive Carruthers of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

In these three short extracts you can see a very large part of what is going to be discussed in a number of posts.

Adverbs exist in various forms in Latin: adverbs can by created by using specific endings (e.g. celeriter; maeste; confestim), or words that are adverbs in themselves with no endings (e.g. nunc, ibi, tum) or by the use of the cases (e.g. solum; certō). We will also look at adverbial phrases e.g. magnis litteris (in large letters) which are made up of words that are not adverbs but, when working together, do act as adverbs. The posts will also lead to further information on the ablative case that has a big role to play when dealing with adverbs.

We’ll look at the adverbs in groups based upon [i] how they are formed and [ii] what the adverbs describe.

It isn’t quite the “wonderland” that it first appears to be.

[1]

Nunc ibi invenit ampullam parvam ('Certo non hic erat antea,' inquit Alicia), cuius circum cervices alligatus est titulus chartaceus. In eo magnis litteris belle scriptum est: HAURI ME.

Now she found a little bottle there, ("which certainly was not here before," said Alice,) and tied round the neck of the bottle was a paper label, with the words "DRINK ME," beautifully printed on it in large letters.

[2]

Lepus Martius horologium prehendit, maesteque id intuitus est. Tum in poculum theae id immersit, et iterum intuitus est. Sed solum iteravit id quod prius dixit: 'Optimum vere butyrum fuit!'

The March Hare took the watch and looked at it gloomily: then he dipped it into his cup of tea, and looked at it again: but he only repeated what he had said before, "It truly was the best butter.”

[3]

Quamquam hac subita mutatione ¦ multum territa est, tempus non esse perdendum putabat; nam celeriter deminuebatur. Itaque confestim partem frusti alterius edere coepit. Mentum eius tam arte contra pedem compressum est ut os aperire vix posset. Postremo autem hoc effecit…

She was a good deal frightened ¦ by this very sudden change, but she felt that there was no time to be lost, as she was shrinking rapidly; so she set to work at once to eat some of the other bit. Her chin was pressed so closely against her foot, that there was hardly room [La. she was barely able] to open her mouth; but she did it at last


No comments: