Attempt of translating Lingua Latina into Greek

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Kaiser
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Attempt of translating Lingua Latina into Greek

Post by Kaiser »

I've just registered here, but my interest for Latin and Greek had already flourished for quite some time. I have gone through Lingua Latina per se illustrata and became quite fond of this method of "Natural Learning", which I have applied in some way to all the languages I have been and still am learning. My first attempts towards Latin began with Ooge, followed by Bennett. Unfortunately, this was not the way my mind wanted to learn this language, since I became very unmotivated by having gone through dozens of lessons, knew my declensions by heart and yet could I not always recognize them by first sight. Due to Lingua Latina, my Latin now flows and I have even started to speak it in some way, mimicking restored classical pronunciation. With Greek, I've gone through the same path. I began with First Greek Book from John Williams White. I would learn words like χώρᾱ, ἡμέρᾱ, θύρᾱ and use it in very short sentences like ἐν ταῖς ἀγοραῖς. So, I wasn't able to read texts. To understand them. So I went to Homeric Greek by Pharr. Much better with some verses from the Iliad. But then I was just reading and learning the special constructs, syntax and metric made by Homer.
So I went for Italian Athenaze. It was much better, but it didn't have the "drills" of Lingua Latina (Roma in Italia est. Italia in Europa est. Hispania quoque in Europa est, I've left out the macrons). So, I finally decided that I would translate Latina Lingua and would be learning the various and several rules of Ancient Greek while trying to make my translation correct. This is much better than just knowing that the accent in ἐστί goes to the epsilon when it follows οὐκ. I am applying the rules, instead of knowing them theoretically and waiting for them to appear one day when I'm reading something.
So, without any further ado, I will write here my translation of the first part of capitulum primum. I would be pleased if anyone reads it and points out my mistakes. And I hope that someone can learn at least something from this translation.

ΑΡΧΗ ΡΩΜΑΙΚΗ

Ρώμη ἐν ᾽Ιταλίῃ ἐστίν. Ἰταλί᾽ ἐν Εὐρώπῃ ἐστίν. Ἑλλάς ἐν Εὐρώπῃ ἐστίν. Ἰταλία καὶ Ἑλλάς ἐν Εὐρώπῃ ἐστόν. Ἱσπᾱνία καὶ ἐν Εὐρώπῃ ἐστίν. Ἱσπᾱνία καὶ Ἰταλία καὶ Ἑλλάς ἐν Εὐρώπῃ εἰσίν. Αἴγυπτος ἐν Εὐρώπῃ οὐκ ἔστι, Αἴγυπτος ἐν ᾽Ᾱφρίκῃ ἐστίν. Γαλλία οὐκ ἐν ᾽Ᾱφρίκῃ ἐστί, Γαλλί᾽ ἐστί ἐν Εὐρώπῃ.

Συρία οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν Εὐρώπῃ, ἐν δ᾽ Ἀσίῃ. Ἀραβία καί ἐν Ἀσίῃ ἐστίν. Συρία καὶ Ἀραβί᾽ ἐν Ἀσίῃ ἐστόν. Γερμᾱνία οὐκ ἐν Ἀσίῃ, ἐν δ᾽ Εὐρώπῃ ἐστίν. Βρεττανία καί ἐν Εὐρώπῃ ἐστίν. Γερμᾱνία καὶ Βρεττανία ἐστόν ἐν Εὐρώπῃ. Ἔστι Γαλλί᾽ ἐν Εὐρώπῃ; Γαλλί᾽ ἐν Εὐρώπῃ ἐστίν. Ἔστι Ρώμη ἐν Γαλλίῃ; Ρώμη οὐκ ἐν Γαλλίῃ. Ποῦ ἐστι Ρώμη; Ρώμη ἐστίν ἐν ᾽Ιταλίῃ. Ποῦ ἐστι Ἰταλία; Ἰταλί᾽ ἐν Εὐρώπῃ ἐστίν. Ποῦ ἐστον Γαλλία καὶ Ἱσπᾱνία; Γαλλία καὶ Ἱσπᾱνία ἐν Εὐρώπῃ ἐστόν.

Ἔστι Νεῖλος ἐν Εὐρώπῃ; Νεῖλος ἐν Εὐρώπῃ οὐκ ἔστιν. Ποῦ ἐστι Νεῖλος; Νεῖλος ἐν ᾽Ᾱφρίκῃ ἐστίν. Ῥῆνος ποῦ ἐστιν; Ῥῆνός ἐστιν ἐν Γερμᾱνίῃ. Νεῖλος ποταμός ἐστιν. Ῥῆνος ποταμός ἐστιν. Νεῖλος καὶ Ῥῆνος ποταμώ ἐστον. Δᾱνούβιος καὶ ποταμός ἐστιν. Ῥῆνος καὶ Δᾱνούβιός ἐστον ποταμώ ἐν Γερμᾱνίῃ. Τιβέριος ποταμός ἐν ᾽Ιταλίῃ ἐστίν.

So this is the first part of the first chapter. I have followed all the rules I've met about elision, accent, proclitics, enclitics, ἐστί when it interacts with οὐκ, ἐστί in the beginning of a sentence, I've preferred to use δέ as meaning "sed" and will use ἀλλά as "autem" and so on. I really hope there are no mistakes, but I actually wish them, so that I may learn something new. Please, comment about this translation. If it points in a good direction, I will continue to do them and publish here.

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bedwere
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Re: Attempt of translating Lingua Latina into Greek

Post by bedwere »

You may want to get in touch with Seumas Macdonald , who's been doing the same thing. Maybe you guys can do it together?

SeumasM
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Re: Attempt of translating Lingua Latina into Greek

Post by SeumasM »

Yes, my project is up to chapter 12 or 13. However I only publish excerpts because not managed to secure any rights for it. It is quite a good exercise.

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