Usor:Robert.Baruch/Latin Composition
My method of translating from English to Latin works like this:
- Convert idiomatic English to pseudo-Latin structures.
- Choose Latin words that best seem to fit the sense of the English.
- Compose the sentence in neutral word order.
- Change the word order to add emphasis.
- ?
- Profit
For step 1, I usually consult my well-thumbed copy of Bradley's Arnold to find typical Latin constructions. What follows is a summary of all the constructions from Bradley's Arnold, in an attempt to make a quick reference.
Converting to pseudo-Latin disambiguates the English and emphasizes the Latin structure. For example, in English, the prepositional phrase with something could mean many things depending on its context. In the sentence I went with David to the store, it means accompaniment, and the pseudo-Latin would be I went along with David to the store. On the other hand, I went with a bicycle to the store shows agency, and the pseudo-Latin is I went by means of a bicycle to the store. And even I went with joy to the store is neither accompaniment nor agency but manner, and so the pseudo-Latin becomes I went in a manner of joy to the store.
Step 1 also involves converting English words to their Latin-like equivalents. For example, the English verb obey is the Latin-like gives obedience, which is why pareo takes a dative and not an accusative.
Verbs that take the dative rather than the accusative recensere
Many Latin verbs such as pareo, obey, take a dative object rather than an accusative object. I like to think that these verbs are actually the verb give, with an accusative built-in. So pareo actually means give obedience, and so the only thing left is an indirect object. Another verb in this class is impero in its intransitive form, command. It means give a command. Its transitive form means demand, which has no accusative built in, for the accusative is the thing demanded.
Separation recensere
Separation is movement from inside a set to outside that set, or a simple statement of being outside a set. Separation can be considered a subcase of respect.
Prototypes recensere
- to lack something
- to abstain from something
- to originate, descend, come out from something
- (to be) free from something[1]
- to leave, abandon, cease something
- to banish, exempt, deprive, free, keep away something from something
Psuedo-Latin recensere
- verb or adjective, separated (or separating) from noun.
Construction recensere
- Use a prepositionless ablative, but:
- Include ab with careo, libero and compounds of dis-, se-, ab-.
- Include ab with adjectives.
Examples recensere
- And those men also are hardly ever free from blame.
- And those men also are hardly ever free, separated from blame.
- Et illi quoque haud saepe sunt a culpa liberi.
- And yet you desisted from a word about the sentence.
- And yet you desisted, separating from a word about the sentence.
- Et verbo de sententia destitisti.
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Agent recensere
Prototypes recensere
- To be verbed by someone
- To verb or be verbed by means of or with something
- To verb or be verbed using or with something
Psuedo-Latin recensere
- verb or be verbed by person
- verb or be verbed by means of noun
Construction recensere
- Use the ablative, and include ab for animate objects.
Examples recensere
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Accompaniment recensere
Prototypes recensere
- To verb or be verbed with someone
- To verb or be verbed along with something
Psuedo-Latin recensere
- verb or be verbed along with noun
Construction recensere
- Use the ablative with cum.
Examples recensere
- I lived with Pansa in Pompey.
- I lived along with Pansa in Pompey.
- Cum Pansa in Pompeiano vixi.
- He joined himself with the armies of Ariovistus.
- He joined himself along with the armies of Ariovistus.
- Cum copiis Ariovisti se coniunxit.
Notes recensere
- ↑ Note that this covers both the verb, libero, and the adjective liberus and similar words.