08.04.26: Level 1; Comenius (1658); Eurōpa [4]: a different type of map reading

When the UK changed its education system in the late 1980s (when I was just starting), Modern Languages underwent radical reform, and yet it’s common now. It was perfectly possible not only to enhance learning with authentic material, but also to use that as a ‘springboard’ to show a grammatical point. A simple example would be a French lesson for beginners looking at images of real street or shop signs, for example BOULANGERIE, RUE du Lyonnais i.e. the kids don’t always have their heads down in a textbook, but up at a Power Point or a video. However, it can go beyond that: VOUS N’AVEZ PAS la priorité │ You don’t have right of way i.e. an authentic sign teaches a point of grammar.

I would argue, however, that it isn’t as revolutionary as the reformers would make it out to be. After all, what is Comenius doing in 1658 except employing visual recognition of the things around the pupils?

And you can do the same with Latin. We’ll do it with a map not created for learners but for people who used Latin as a common means of communication.

[1] In the previous post there were four headings worth noting:

DĒSCRĪPTIŌ ¦ TARTARIAE │ a description ¦ of Tartary

MODERNA ¦ EUROPAE ¦ DĒSCRĪPTIŌ │ a modern description ¦ of Europe

UKRAINAE ¦ PARS (Ūcrāīnae pars) │ part ¦ of the Ukraine

RĒGNĪ ¦ BOHĒMIAE ¦ NOVA ET EXĀCTA DĒSCRĪPTIŌ │ a new and precise description ¦ of the Kingdom ¦ of Bohemia

Tartaria, Eurōpa, Ūcrāīna and Bohēmia are all first declension nouns. They are no different from any other nouns, they all end in -a, and there are thousands of them.

The titles, however, refer to a description of, or a part of …. When this happens the Latin noun goes into the genitive case, and for 1^st declension nouns it’s straightforward: -a > -ae

[2] In this post, we have an 18^th century map:

TABULA GEŌGRAPHICA: a geographic map

We focus on five regions mentioned …

WALLACHIA

MOLDAVIA

POLONIA

BESSARABIA

PODOLIA

[3] Now look what happens on the map

DESPOTATŪS ¦ WALLACHIAE atque MOLDAVIAE │ the despotates ¦ of Wallachia and (of) Moldavia

The cartographer obviously didn’t have a high opinion of either of them since despotātus refers to a principality under despotic rule, but forget the history, and focus on the grammar:

Wallachia > Wallachiae

Moldavia > Moldaviae

[4] This time, we have the word:

rēgnum, -ī [2/n]: kingdom

It is a second declension noun, and its genitive is different: -ī, and here you see them both working together

PARS ¦ REGNĪ ¦ POLŌNIAE ¦ │ part ¦ of the Kingdom ¦ of Poland

REGNĪ ¦ BULGARIAE ¦ PARS │ part ¦ of the Kingdom ¦ of Bulgaria

In other words, in one phrase, you see the genitive singular of both first and second declension nouns.

[5] But the map has more “secrets” …

Tabula Geōgraphica continēns … │ a geographical map containing …

Whatever it contains is in the accusative case which is used for the direct object i.e. the thing / person being affected by the action:

PRŌVINCIAM [accusative, the direct object of ‘containing’] ¦ BESSARABIAE [genitive] │ the province ¦ of Bessarabia

1^st declension -a > -am

prōvincia > provinciam

Itemque │ likewise (containg …)

PRŌVINCIAM POLŌNICAM [accusative]  ¦ PODOLIAE [genitive] │ the Polish province ¦ of Podolia