Dear List,
You may all think this terribly pedantic and irrelevant, but I've
noticed a few examples of pseudo-Latin creeping in to the posts. Please,
if we're going to use Latin terms, or tell people what the derivation of
a word is, can we get them right? I'm sure I'm not the only ex-classical
scholar to be irritated by this.
For example, it's 'ad hominem', not 'ad hominum'. And as for the person
who told us that art comes from the word artifice.....please! Art is
from the Latin word ars, artis (nominative and genitive cases
respectively) which is generally translated as art. Artifice comes from
two Latin words, the afore-mentioned ars - OK, cue for lots of rude
jokes - and facere, which is normally translated as to make.
OK, so I fully agree that people can still write interesting, and
thought-provoking, posts without having the slightest knowledge of
Latin, or classical Greek. But if people are going to venture into this
area, and then give wrong derivations or quotes, then somebody really
ought to correct these before they are perpetuated all over the place.
So I've done it, and now you can all shout at me - but gently, please,
the political leader of my country (Scotland) has just died, and I'm
feeling sad.
Regards to all, Sheila
--
Sheila Graham
www.sheilagraham.demon.co.uk
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