Ok, first week of translating Homer (the Odyssey) is over… It wasn’t quite as difficult as I had imaged it would be 
. Although he uses words I’ve never heard of before that’s not really a big problem, as they’re in the dictionary.
Of course we haven’t translated much, yet. We’re right at the beginning actually, a6 or something.
Is the rest much harder?
Yes.
:-\ thought so.
Anyway, it’s fun…
[quote author=vinobrien link=board=2;threadid=623;start=0#5880 date=1063364645]
Yes.
[/quote]
A man of few words.
Or just blunt 
Concise.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. The word you all are looking for is “laconic.” As in “from Laconica” where the Spartans are. People of few words, apparently.
Also, I disagree with vinobrien’s assessment of Homer. There are occasional rough patches, but for the most part Homer is even in difficulty and not usually too mindblowing. Now, after you look up a word for what will seem the millionth time, it might seem more odious, but that’s just labor, not difficulty.
[quote author=William Annis link=board=2;threadid=623;start=0#6003 date=1063556464]
Tsk, tsk, tsk. The word you all are looking for is “laconic.” As in “from Laconica” where the Spartans are. People of few words, apparently.
[/quote]
Is our “laconic” really descended from “from Laconica”? ;D Apparently the Spartans and the Athenians were almost polar opposites!
I"m glad to hear that you think that Homer is relatively even in difficulty, and that you, Emma, think that he’s relatively easy. I intend to work my way up to him, until I can actually read the Odessy in it’s own language, but that can be a daunting prospect at times. I"m glad to know it’s not completely mind-boggling!
Keesa
Well, don’t leave us all hanging. What does it mean in Holland?
It is only slightly different.
A short and pithy comment that makes you grin.
I can’t recall having heard it used, just to say ‘curt and concise’
but only ‘curt and concise in a “cute” sort of way’
I was going to give you a dictionary definition but can’t find my Dutch dictionary.
Maybe some of the other “nederlanders” can look it up (and prove me wrong).
Everybody is right. A laconic response is originally, as in Plutarch’s Saying of Spartans (Loeb vol. III) a short response with a great impact. Now, in a weakened meaning, it can denote a short response given when a longer response was maybe due.
Example : The ennemy : “If we capture your town, we will kill you all and we will take all your wealth !” - The Spartan : “If !”
Bingley - my Dutch dictionary defines it as “korte en bondige uitdrukking” ie a short and succinct expression - ie no further along than Skylax’s splendid summary
Thanks. I guess no difference between the English and Dutch after all.
According to my dictionary (Van Dale Dutch-Dutch, see also www.vandale.nl), laconiek means: calm, without fuss.
Nothing about short or concise.
That’s also how I would use the word, e.g. if someone loses their job, and is not really concerned about it. “Hij was er nogal laconiek onder.” → he wasn’t much impressed by it.
Ingrid
After a short respite I return to find myself Laconic, I certainly am far from Spartan.
Reading Homer is difficult if you have been learning Attic or Koine, not just from the oddities of the vocab (how many haplegs do we want for life tobe fun?) but the morphology is different (and quite inventive) and the usual problems of trying to follow poetry in an inflected language apply. Quotations from Homer stand out in Attic authors rather as writing Dutch does in a post in English.
It’s all more than worth the effort - but easy? No.
As long as it’s worth the effort, that’s good enough for me.
Ahh… well the difficulty just increased from 100 to 1000. I have to learn the first 10 lines of the Odyssey of by heart in hexameter! I can’t even learn poems of by heart! ???
At least I’ve got another 2 weeks at least in which to learn it…
ah, it will be hard but then you can be one of those elite people who can quote ancient greek by heart.
hmmm… I should do it too…
I’d rather be elite in something else more important.