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Latin For All Occasions




''Latin for All Occasions'' (''Lingua Latina Occasionibus Omnibus'') is a 1990 book by Henry Beard , and '''''Latin for Even More Occasions''''' (''Lingua Latina Multo Pluribus Occasionibus'') is a 1991 sequel. Both contain translations of modern English phrases into mostly literal Latin equivalents.

Beard is known as a humorist but studied Latin for 8 years at Harvard . He wrote the Latin himself, but had it checked and polished by scholars Mark Sugars and Winifred Lewellen . The idea for the books was from John Boswell . The illustrations are by Mikhail Ivenitsky and both books were published by Villard Books , a division of Random House .

The translations are mostly direct, so an English expression like "Get your ducks in a row" is translated as ''Anates tuas in acie instrue''. The significance of having ducks lined up would presumably be a mystery to an ancient Roman, but a translation like this is great for putting a classical twist on modern jargon – which is the whole point of the book.


SAMPLE PHRASES


First book,

  • You're fired. ''Ego te demitto.''

  • Look out, I'm going to barf! ''Cave, vomitorus sum!''

  • Oh! Was I speaking Latin again? ''Vah! Denuone Latine loquebar?''

  • Your fly is open. ''Braccae tuae hiant''

  • You're beautiful! ''Pulcher es!''



REFERENCES


  • Henry Beard, ''Latin for All Occasions; Villard Books'', 1990, ISBN 0-394-58660-3. (Reprinted 2004, Gotham books, ISBN 1-592-40080-9.)


  • Henry Beard, ''Latin for Even More Occasions'', 1991, ISBN 0-679-40674-3.



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