The dialogues from Wilkes show many examples of Neo-Latin. The term refers to the creation of Neo-Latin from the 14th century until today. This may include words artificially created using Latin roots or the reinterpreting of the meaning of an original Classical Latin word or phrase. Given that these dialogues are designed to encourage practice in speaking the language in a contemporary setting, then Neo-Latin is a necessary tool.
Dialogue 1
A: dā mihi
veniam, domine, estne cafēa in propinquō? │ Excuse me, sir,
is there a café nearby?
B: ita est. ī
sinistrōrsum in viam poētae Ovidiī. │ Yes, there is. Go left into Poet
Ovid Street.
A: estne longinquum?
│ Is it far?
B: minimē, pedibus
quīnque mīnūtīs ibis. │ No, you’ll get there in five minutes on
foot.
[1] cafēa, -ae
[1/f]: coffee; this very first noun shows the challenge of Neo-Latin. The
Romans did not have coffee, nor, therefore, did they have any place where it
would be served!
The English word
coffee—through Dutch koffie, Italian caffè, and Turkish kahve—derives
from Arabic قَهْوَة (qahwa) and first appears in the
mid-sixteenth century. Neo-Latin simply provides a corresponding term for both
the drink and the place where it is served. Such forms are marked as New or
Neo-Latin in dictionaries, and variant spellings may occur. Moreover, other
words may be listed that are considered to have the same meaning.
https://neolatinlexicon.org/latin/coffee/
https://neolatinlexicon.org/latin/caf%C3%A9_coffee-house/
Since none of the
terms existed in the Classical period, their acceptability rests not on
Classical precedent but on actual usage, which can be assessed by examining
frequency in modern Latin sources.
If you want to
keep your spoken language strictly Classical, then there are words that
indicate where food and drinks were served:
thermopōlium, -ī
[2/n]
caupōna, -ae [1/f]
popīna, -ae [1/f]
However, none of
them would convey the equivalent of Starbucks!
[2] Different
languages have different ways of attracting somebody’s attention and / or
making a request. Sometimes these
meanings overlap.
“Excuse me, …” /
“Pardon me, …” While both attract attention, they could also imply a mild
apology if you were pushing through a crowded train.
In Russian, izvinite
[извините]: excuse me attracts attention, whereas skazhite [скажите]: tell me indicates
a question is going to be asked.
How a Roman
actually attracted somebody’s attention in the street is not securely attested.
However, Neo-Latin can use phrases that existed in Classical Latin and can be
used to convey the idea:
(1) Dā mihi
veniam: (literally) give me forgiveness; this was normally in context of having
done something wrong. However, the following quotations show that venia was
used in a milder way to ask somebody to do something on your behalf:
- Mī gnāte, dā veniam hanc mihi: redūce illam. (Terence) │ My son, do grant me this indulgence: take her back.
- Date nōbis hanc veniam. (Cicero) │ Give us this indulgence.
So, the
phrase dā mihi veniam can be used to ask somebody for a
favour. Whether or not it was actually used in the street is another matter.
Wilkes, however, writing for modern needs, uses it as an equivalent of “Pardon
me” or along the lines of “Would you do me a favour?”
(2) In the
Traupman dialogues in the previous post, he uses:
Ignōsce mihi:
forgive me; again, this conveys the idea of forgiveness for doing something
wrong
Two for the price
of one from Plautus:
- Dā mihi hanc veniam, ignōsce, īrāta nē siēs. │ Grant me pardon; forgive (me), don't be angry.
(3) However, the
phrase which indicates a question to be asked and is attested in Classical
literature is:
dīc mihi: tell me
- Dīc mihi, quaesō, quis ea est …? (Plautus) │ Tell me, please, who is she…?
- Dīc, amābō tē, ubi est Diniarchus? (Plautus) │ Tell (me), please, where is Diniarchus?
The works of
Plautus can be a good source of reference for everyday spoken Latin since they
are plays and were spoken in front of a Roman audience. Therefore, the
existence of the expressions in [3] above is a convincing indicator that they
were actually used.
Had I been in
Ancient Rome I would have used (3) to ask the way to the Forum, and the other
two if I stood on somebody’s foot while I was getting there!
[3] in propinquō:
nearby
- Vīcī erant in propinquō (Curtius Rufus) │ there were villages nearby
Alternatives:
in vīcīnitāte / in
vīcīniā: in the neighbourhood
- nōn modo in Umbriā atque in eā vīcīnitāte sed in hīs veteribus mūnicipiīs (Cicero) │ not only in Umbria and in that neighbourhood, but in these old municipal towns …
- in vīcīniā urbis (Columella) │ near the town / in the vicinity of the town
[4] ī dextrōrsum /
sinistrōrsum: go right / left
ī in dīrēctum: go
straight ahead
- ībant autem in dīrēctum
vaccæ per viam … (Vulgate) │ And the heifers went straight along
the road
ī (sg.) / īte (pl.): go; command (imperative) of eō / īre
[5] longinquus,
-a, -um: far
[6] minūta, -ae
[1/f]: (Mediaeval Latin); no such word for “minute” existed in Classical Latin
because the Romans did not use ‘minutes’ as a standard everyday subdivision of
the hour
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