Latin tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TWKlRYqNvs
This use shows where Latin and English do not match;
English uses the preposition ‘with’ whereas Latin uses the noun alone in the
ablative case without a preposition.
The ablative of means / instrument conveys what is used
to perform the action.
The soldier killed the king with a sword.
Milēs rēgem gladiō interfēcit. │ The soldier killed
the king with / by means of a sword.
Servus tubā signum dat. │ The slave gives the signal with
a trumpet.
certantēs pūgnīs, calcibus, unguibus,
morsū dēnique │ fighting with fists,
heels, nails, and even teeth
The term “instrument” refers to a physical object, whereas
the more general term “means” can include something non-physical:
Meīs labōribus interitū rem pūblicam līberāvī
│ By my toils I have saved the state from ruin.
Russian is a perfect example of a language which
distinguishes between what in Latin would be [1] the ablative of accompaniment
(as discussed in the previous post) and [2] the ablative of means / instrument
[1] When Russian refers to someone with whom the
action is being performed i.e. accompaniment, it uses the preposition s(o)
‘with’ + the instrumental case e.g. s drugom (with a friend) in
the same way that English would use with, French: avec and
German: mit
[2] When the means by which an action is being performed is being expressed e.g. he wrote a letter with a pencil, the Russian instrumental case alone without a preposition is used: karandashom (with a pencil) unlike English, French and German which would still use a preposition i.e. avec un stylo / mit einem Bleistift.
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