Disputatio:Cancellaria Oblonga

Rather than as Officina, which means "workshop/workplace", "office" should be translated as grapheum, the neolatin term which specifically means "office" in the sense of room for writing and paperwork, or as conclave, meaning a "closed room or chamber": thus "grapheum ovalis""grapheum ovale" or "conclave ovalis""conclave ovale"--Rafaelgarcia 02:46, 27 Aprilis 2008 (UTC)

Grapheum vel conclave ovale? 65.101.226.226 02:56, 27 Aprilis 2008 (UTC)

Indeed, fixed above. The keyboard is sometimes faster than the brain.--Rafaelgarcia 14:42, 27 Aprilis 2008 (UTC)

Ait Cassell's: tabularium. IacobusAmor 03:22, 27 Aprilis 2008 (UTC)

The Neolatin non-coining way to do it seems to be conclave scriptorium. But maybe Conclave Scriptorium Ovale is too cumbersome. Harrissimo 08:04, 27 Aprilis 2008 (UTC).

Ait Ainsworth's (abhinc annos circa 200): "'An office, or place, where a person carries on his business, Officina. Or workhouse, Taberna operaria."

We have to translate things, not words. The thing we're talking about is the room in your house that is dedicated to personal/public business. I think the best is Iacobus's tabularium above. Tabularium Ovale. Andrew Dalby (disputatio) 11:35, 27 Aprilis 2008 (UTC)

The Oval Archive? --Ceylon 14:30, 27 Aprilis 2008 (UTC)

Yes, quite right. Not so accurate after all.

Harrissimo's phrase makes me think of scriptorium as a noun, but that must be post-classical or modern in this sense. It was used of the Oxford English Dictionary office (whose activities were in any case a bit different from those usually carried on in the Oval Office). Andrew Dalby (disputatio) 14:50, 27 Aprilis 2008 (UTC)

From the above discussion, and considering that there are also Yellow Oval Room and an Oval Room in washington, I think Grapheum Ovale is the least ambiguous and most accurate.--Rafaelgarcia 14:52, 27 Aprilis 2008 (UTC)

There are more options [1]. I think Cancellaria Ovalis would be best if mediaeval Latin is admitted, else Statio Ovalis or even Palatium Ovale (not entirely unfitting considering the position of an American President).--Ceylon 15:23, 27 Aprilis 2008 (UTC)

PS. I just looked up ovalis - in classical literature it is only attested in corona ovalis, a crown worn for the ovatio. Nothing to do with eggs! The classical term for oval seems to have been ovatus.--Ceylon 15:26, 27 Aprilis 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure. This seems to contradict Words, which says ovalis means either having to do with eggs or with sheep, whereas ovatus is the participle "having been rejoiced". Grapheum is a valid neolatin term.--Rafaelgarcia 20:18, 27 Aprilis 2008 (UTC)

The earliest attestation of "ovalis" seems to be sorbitio ovalis ('s. ex ovo confecta') [Placitus Medicus, saec.V?]. But from the grammatical point of view, ovalis may indeed be construed as 'having to do with eggs' -- not sheep, however (that would be "ovilis" [and Words should be corrected]). As for classical Latin, Cicero would probably have said oblongus. --Neander 02:15, 28 Aprilis 2008 (UTC)

So then we have Grapheum Oblongum (with Grapheum from Egger's LRL), Conclave Oblongum, Conclave Scriptorium Oblongum, and Cancellaria Oblonga. After looking up the meaning of Chancellor and Chancellary on the FreeOnline DIctionary, I like Cancellaria Oblonga the best, in the meaning of the working office of a high ranking official, in part because it is shorter and conveys the idea that the official is important.--Rafaelgarcia 03:05, 28 Aprilis 2008 (UTC)