I’m amused. I just received Conversation Latin for Oral Proficiency by John C. Traupman, which had been recommended by others on this site. I was flipping through it and discovered Appendix V: Computer Terms! This is so cool! Three pages of computer terms. Here are some words on the list:
computatrum, ordinatrum (computer)
compulatrulum portabile (laptop)
compactus discus opticus (CDROM)
ex rete prehendere (download)
pagina domestica (home page)
partes programmationis (software)
plagiarius electronicus, effractarius electronicus (hacker)
Tela Totius Terrae (WWW)
Here are the topics covered in the chapters: Greetings; Family; House and Furniture; Daily Activities; Sports and Other Leisure Activities; The Human Body; Health and Physical Fitness; Food and Drink; Days, Weeks, Months, Years; Expressions of Time; Useful Colloquial Expressions; Clothing and Jewelry; School; Buying and Selling; The Weather; Animals; Emotions and Qualities; Trades and Professions; The City and Public Buildings; Government; War and Peace; Law and Criminal Justice; Geography and Topography; Transportation; Grammar.
Appendices: Yes and No in Latin; Colors; Numbers; Proverbs and Sayings; Computer Terms
There’s also a General Vocabulary at the end of the book.
What I like about the book is how the dialogues are divided into three levels. Level 1 is the eaiest, Level 3 is more advanced. So you can start out by going through all the chapters in any order and reading the Level 1 sections. Then later go back and do the Level 2 sections, and then save the Level 3 sections for last.
Another thing I like about the book is how they have an extensive vocabulary list at the end of each chapter which relate to the chapter’s topic.
Do you remember a while back when I posted a question about phrasing an “out of office” message in my email application? I was trying to clear up the issue on phrasing the date in Latin. Well, I discovered that my questions are answered in this book. I was flipping through the book yesterday and stumbled upon pages 76 & 77. It explains very clearly how they counted the days back from Kalendae, Nanae, and Idus. It gives you samples of how you’d phrase the date. Page 77 shows a chart for all the days of the month, for every month, including leap year. This is so cool!
Can you tell I really like this book? I bought the 3rd Edition version ($29). The 2nd Edition version is still in print, and is slightly cheaper ($21).
The best book for new words in Latin, however, is the “Lexicon Recentis Latinitatis” made by the Vatican; with all the new words.
Es. UFO (Unidentified Flying Object)
RIV (Res Inexplicatae Volantes)
Unfortunately I couldn’t buy a copy of that dictionary (sold out!) but the new edition will be completed in 2005.
