Greetings, all. I have enjoyed browsing in this forum, and - Insh’Allah (or Deo volente) hope to be able contribute usefully at some point. Meanwhile, I may seek help with translations of various sayings into Latin for rhetorical effect, perhaps with ad-hoc modifications.
I unfortunately attended “progressive” schools with little regard for classical education, so never was seriously exposed to Latin or Greek as were my parents. But I have been reading etymological dictionaries for decades, picking up enough words and phrases to get some sense from most Latin building/tombstone inscriptions and longer aphorisms.
Growing up on Kipling, one early impetus to take on the language came in a Stalky & Co. episode: www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/tale/the-satisfaction-of-a-gentleman-2.htm. The story includes a telegraphic version of the game “Chinese whispers” or “telephone,” humorously hashing this message
‘Capitem vidi. Stop. Constat flagellatio Studii Quinti Ricardique Quarti utsi oh caenam vere propter duellum vestrum inter arenas donata fuisse. Stop. Matutinissime si Capitem decipere vis surgendum. Stop. Amorem expedit. Stop. Felis Catus.’
into
‘Captain vids. Stop. Constance plageltio studdi quinti ricandk que qualte cuts obscene very prabst duel in vestry iter arimas donala puistse. Stop. Matushima so cahutem discipere via sargentson. Stop. Amend expent. Stop. Fehx Cotes.’
which is successfully decrypted by its intended audience.
I have recently dipped into Linney’s “Getting Started with Latin” (which targets “Self-Taught Students of Any Age”) and Ørberg’s “Lingua Latina per se Illustrata,” and am cautiously optimistic that I ay retain enough functioning synapses to make a go of basic conversation in a year or two.
Best to all in a time that begs for precise thinking and articulation thereof!