jinshanvideopa

2011-10-22T05:17:00.001-07:00

welcome people please enjoyed

Latin in the news

2011-10-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

Latin's been in the paper a bit this week, firstly with an article on Monday hailing the revival of Classical Languages in NSW schools:

In schools, the classics are steadily increasing their enrolment numbers. This year, Gosford High School and St Catherine's of Waverley joined the 43 schools teaching classical languages, resulting in 342 enrolments from a typically small number that do languages. Chinese background speakers is the most popular language with 963 enrolments and Dutch is the least popular with two... Classical Greek, classical Hebrew and Latin are considered difficult and scale well, with more than half of students achieving a mark of 90 or more. They are typically taken by high-achieving students and, as the number and standard of selective schools in NSW has grown, so has demand. ''But the students also see a lot of intrinsic worth,'' said Elizabeth Jones, a member of the Classical Association of NSW and part of a group of teachers campaigning to have classical languages included in the national curriculum. ''In some ways there is so much emphasis on the here and now that there is interest in learning something that isn't 'modern suburban Sydney' but has a timeless quality. They're reading some of the greatest things ever written,'' she said.

Bruce Marshall then had a letter published in response to the article:

The same encouraging trend seen in schools in the study of classics is occurring in universities. Undergraduate numbers studying Greek and Latin are steadily rising. Postgraduate studies in these subjects are booming. And, while staff numbers in humanities subjects have suffered steady cuts, positions in classics and ancient history are regularly being replaced. This is all very encouraging to those of us in the profession.

Bruce Marshall secretary, Australasian Society for Classical Studies, Bundanoon

and a couple more letters followed in response. One supportive, the other not so much:

At the end of a 50-year career as a professional engineer, I enthusiastically support the advocacy of Bruce Marshall (Letters, October 18) and others for continued study of the ancient world in our schools and universities. While pursuing my day job with passion, I picked up some qualifications in Greek, Latin and ancient history. I soon came to appreciate the benefits of engaging with a highly intelligent and well-recorded civilisation, free of today's political and ideological baggage. Can we still learn from those ancients? Very definitely. It is about human striving and how best to live and organise ourselves. Not all wisdom comes in tweets.

John Court Denistone

What can students possibly learn from studying the imported classical detritus of a 2500-year-old society that died out after a mere few hundred years? If they need something ancient and inspiring to study, students should take a long hard look at the living cultures of the first people to leave Africa some 70,000 years ago; truly venerable cultures that make so-called ancient Greek look so gen Y, and the only cultures that can speak with the authentic voice of this country on which we live.

Peter Fyfe Erskineville

Followed by more letters today (including one from my colleague and friend):

Peter Fyfe (Letters, October 19) recommends an indigenous language as a better choice than classical Latin or Greek for those who would seek cultural insights valuable to present-day Australians. It is true that many indigenous languages are just as complex as the classical languages and will take just as many years of hard study to master. It is not true that they are somehow repositories of ancient wisdom now lost to us - the idea of the ''noble savage'' belongs back with Captain Cook. All living cultures are equally venerable and equally modern. What classical languages offer us (and let's not forget Hebrew or Sanskrit or Chinese) are windows into cultures which, like those of indigenous Australians, were radically different from our own in material terms, but from which men and women left detailed records of their thoughts, their doings and their feelings in ways that can resonate with us today, and perhaps even impart a little wisdom. Unfortunately, for indigenous languages, we don't have any comparable record.

Alex Jones Kirribilli

I wonder if Peter Fyfe is aware that his brief missive deriding the relevance of the classical languages contains no fewer than 16 words (not counting repetitions) derived from them.

Michael Salter Greenacre

Rome wasn't built in a day

2011-10-09T03:15:00.000-07:00

I don't watch a lot of TV, but I did catch the opening episode of Rome wasn't built in a day, a BBC documentary following a group of London builders as they attempt to build a Roman-style villa using only materials, tools and techniques, guided by a mad archaeologist and copies of Vitruvius' architecture manual. You can read a couple of reviews here and here. I thought it was pretty good, with some interesting insights into Roman practices. The builders (in the first episode at least) struggle a lot without their modern tools, and I don't blame them really. The Romans didn't have the same level of technology, but they made up for it by having a huge, cheap workforce. The six builders are trying to achieve by themselves something which (I imagine) would have involved dozens of skilled and unskilled slaves. One thing the reviews don't mention is how funny the show is. There are some very funny interactions between the builders and the archaeologist, and keep an eye on the plumber's T-shirts in particular.

The series is on the ABC on Tuesday evenings, and you can catch the first episode on iview for the next week or so.

Latin for tweet?

2011-10-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not on twitter myself, and haven't really contemplated what the Latin for to tweet might be. The editorial in yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald suggested frigere, in this short post script:

THE 18th-century philosopher Bishop Berkeley thought things existed only if they were perceived. In all modesty we wish to propose a variant of this doctrine: people exist only if they tweet, or esse est frigere, for those who prefer their axioms in questionable Latin. The basis for this is our report that social scientists have plotted the mood of the whole world from Twitter.

After examining half a billion tweets and tallying up when people tweet positive and negative words, they conclude that most of us wake up happy, then things go downhill through the work day until knock-off time, when tweeters resume their early bounciness. This astonishing finding is all well and good, but what about people who don't tweet? Might their mood swings be in the opposite direction? Here our axiom springs into action. Either they are the same as the twitterers, in which case they are superfluous, or they are different but undetectable, in which case who cares? ... All together now: frigo ergo sum. I tweet, therefore I am.

I was a bit puzzled by this verb, and admit I had to look it up to see what it meant. Here's the definition according to William Whitaker's Words (I'm on holidays and don't have a real dictionary with me):

frigo, frigere, frixi, frictus: to roast, parch, fry

I'm not sure how they chose this verb, given that definition. Perhaps there's another meaning not given on-line, or perhaps there's some joke I'm not getting. In either case I would have thought pipiare or titiare (which both describe the sounds birds make) would have been a better choice. Any other suggestions?

UPDATE: unsurprisingly, someone else has already given this some thought. Here are the Rogue Classicist's (who is actually on twitter and has much more authority than I on such matters) suggestions. While I was raeding this I was also distracted by this post, which reminded me of why I love Boris Johnson so much.

Mezentius

2011-09-16T03:16:00.000-07:00

impastus stabula alta leo ceu saepe peragrans
(suadet enim vesana fames), si forte fugacem
conspexit capream aut surgentem in cornua cervum,
gaudet hians immane comasque arrexit et haeret
visceribus super incumbens; lavit improba taeter
ora cruor—
sic ruit in densos alacer Mezentius hostis.
sternitur infelix Acron et calcibus atram
tundit humum exspirans infractaque tela cruentat.
atque idem fugientem haud est dignatus Oroden
sternere nec iacta caecum dare cuspide vulnus;
obvius adversoque occurrit seque viro vir
contulit, haud furto melior sed fortibus armis.
tum super abiectum posito pede nixus et hasta:
'pars belli haud temnenda, viri, iacet altus Orodes.'
conclamant socii laetum paeana secuti;
ille autem exspirans: 'non me, quicumque es, inulto,
victor, nec longum laetabere; te quoque fata
prospectant paria atque eadem mox arva tenebis.'
ad quem subridens mixta Mezentius ira:
'nunc morere. ast de me divum pater atque hominum rex
viderit.' hoc dicens eduxit corpore telum.

(Aeneid X.723-744)

How does this extract display the heroic qualities of Mezentius? In your answer refer to both the content and the language of the extract, and to Mezentius’ speech and actions.

Mezentius is presented as the archetypal Homeric hero in Aeneid X. He is of course a mighty warrior and Aeneas’ chief adversary in the absence of Turnus. But his heroism is also seen in his fierce independence, arrogance and scorn for his enemies. Indeed his heroism is just as apparent in his flaws as in his virtues.

Mezentius’ great prowess as a warrior is his most obvious heroic trait. Virgil shows us his daring as he eagerly (alacer) rushes in to the thick of the battle, with the choice of the adjective and the use of present tense verbs (ruit, sternitur, tundit; the latter two given extra emphasis through their position at the start of a line) combining to make the action seem more immediate to the reader and thus create a deeper impression of his courage in the face of danger. The chiasmus (densos… hostis) also draws our attention to these words, highlighting the fact that Mezentius chooses to throw himself into the most dangerous (densos) part of the battle, again illustrating his courage. The chiasmus also cleverly reflects Mezentius’ situation, in the middle of the surrounding enemy. Mezentius’ decision to confront Orodes face to face also displays his bravery. The contrast between furto and fortibus armis shows Mezentius’ clearly superior strength and his rejection of sneaky, dishonourable tactics (caecum… vulnus). Virgil’s repetition and juxtaposition of viro vir also highlights the confrontation between the two men, and the unusual monosyllabic line ending gives the line an added impact on the ear of the reader.

The simile used in the opening lines of the extract also contributes to Virgil’s depiction of Mezentius as a hero. The simile has a clear Homeric flavour, and, in combination with the other similes describing Mezentius in Book X, clearly shows us the kind of hero Virgil intends him to be – firmly in the mold of Homer’s heroes, such as Achilles or Ajax. In this particular simile Mezentius is compared to a lion driven wild by hunger (another chiasmus – impastus… leo). Virgil’s choice of words such as vesana, gaudet and haeret visceribus effectively bring out the savage violence of the lion and hence Mezentius, displaying the kind of viciousness typical of a Homeric hero. The final image of the simile, that of the lion’s jaws awash with foul blood (lavit… cruor), is particularly gruesome and the juxtapostion of the negative adjectives improba and taeter paints a graphic picture of Mezentius’ savagery in the mind of the reader. The alliteration within the simile, for example of fames… forte fugacem or conspexit capream… cornua cervum, also adds to the effectiveness of these lines. The harsh sounds assist Virgil to describe the scene in a way which strikes the ears in a particularly powerful and memorable way, giving his depiction of the hero Mezentius greater depth and an increased vividness.

Mezentius’ arrogance is another important part of his heroic character. We see this especially in the way he treats his slain enemies. Both his actions and his words, for example, show disrespect to Orodes. He puts his foot on the dying man (pede posito), stands over him (super) to display his dominance and cruelly leans on the spear (nixus et hasta) which is still inside the dying man’s body (cf. line 744). His actions show no pity for the man he has wounded, in the same way that Turnus behaved towards the body of Pallas and in clear contrast to Aeneas’ actions towards the slain Lausus. Mezentius’ words also show his scorn. His speech is full of pride in his own strength as he describes Orodes as pars belli haud temnenda and altus Orodes. The sarcastic tone of these lines conveys Mezentius as a proud and boastful man. This can also be seen in his failure to heed Orodes' warning that he too will soon die (te quoque fata prospectant paria). Instead of showing humility before the gods Mezentius flies into a rage (ira), issues the blunt imperative nunc morere (the short clause effectively conveying Mezentius’ scorn again) and proudly challenges Jupiter’s power (divum pater). Such hubris is antithetical to the pietas of Aeneas, and is clearly censured by Virgil in the Aeneid, but it is still an important and typical part of the Homeric model of heroism, seen especially in the interaction between Achilles and the dying Hector, on which Virgil’s scene is clearly modelled.

And so Mezentius’ flawed heroism can be clearly seen in this extract. He is clearly a formidable warrior, with strength and bravery and also displays the arrogant pride in his own power, and the scorn for his slain enemies which typifies the Heroes of Homer’s epic poems.

Comments and criticisms are welcome!

ibides?

2011-09-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

Column 8 has been involved in a furious workplace argument about the plural form of the word ''ibis'' (the bird that tears garbage bags to shreds with apparent impunity all over the CBD). We favour ''ibi'' over the clumsy, but allegedly correct ''ibises''. Thoughts?
(14/9/2011)

''Elegant and attractive though 'ibi' is, sadly the Latin plural does not apply in this case as it should follow the pattern of third declension nouns, not second declension,'' asserts Greg King, of Springwood (Plural form of the annoying bird, Column 8, yesterday). ''Thus, if you're not content with the English 'ibises', it would have to be 'ibes', or, possibly, 'ibides'.'' Beware the ibes of September?

It has to be ''ibeese'', insists Erle Bartlett, of Burra, while Kenrick Riley, of Georgica, tells us that we are wrangling with a non-issue, assuring us that ''the common ibis are like sheep - they are both singular and plural''. But Lee Godfrey, of Biggera Waters, Queensland, backs up Column 8, and says simply ''I buy 'ibi''', as does Alison Axam, who actually has a kind word to say about the creatures: ''In our house it's definitely' ibi','' writes Alison. ''They might be feathered hooligans on the ground, but a fly-by of ibi is a joy to see.'' It's true, they are a fine sight on the wing - preferably heading far away.

''This reminds me of the story of the zookeeper who couldn't decide on the plural of mongoose when ordering livestock,'' recalls Finola Border, of Petersham. ''Mongooses? Mongeese? After much deliberation he wrote 'Please send one mongoose to …', and then finished off with 'PS: better make that two'.''
(15/9/2011)

I think I have pointed out before that, as any grammar book will tell you, the plural of ibis is ibitis.
Related Post

Classical Plurales

You can't dream in Latin...

2011-08-24T16:25:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of podcasts that have caught my attention over the last week from ABC Radio, one from 702 Sydney, the other from Radio National. The first is a brief look at the Oracle of Delphi, the second a longer discussion of Latin's influence on the western world.

The ancient mysteries of the Delphic Oracle

You can't dream in Latin

Alan Treloar

2011-08-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

I've developed the odd habit over the last couple of years, perhaps related to my interest in dead languages, of reading the obituaries in the paper from time. Not in an obsessive way, but I'll often flip to the back of the Herald and have a glance to see who's featured, and more often than not it's someone who I've never heard of, but who lived a remarkably interesting life.

Like Alan Treloar, whose obituary included the following:

Colonel Alan Treloar was one of Australia's greatest linguists and classical scholars and also a distinguished soldier.

Few could rival his knowledge as a scholar of ancient Greek and Latin. He had a special interest in the Roman poet Horace but had read the entire classical literatures of both languages at least twice.

He had an astonishing gift for languages and would admit, when pressed, to direct knowledge of about 80. He had a formidable command of many, such as Sanskrit, Russian, Chinese, Arabic and Hittite. In his early 80s he was investigating Bunuba, a language of the Kimberley.

Being (at a stretch) tri-lingual I often meet people who express amazement at my language skills, but in reality I am a mere dwarf compared to such a giant. I am especially in awe of his claim to have read the entire classical literatures of both Latin and Greek twice, to the extent that I wonder if it could possibly be true. I'm sure it is, though how he managed to find the time is completely beyond me.

Related Post: Jame Murray

lente currite, noctis equi

2011-07-29T13:24:00.000-07:00

[previous post]

Iam super oceanum venit a seniore marito
flava pruinoso quae vehit axe diem.
'Quo properas, Aurora? ...
nunc iuvat in teneris dominae iacuisse lacertis;
si quando, lateri nunc bene iuncta meo est.
nunc etiam somni pingues et frigidus aer,
et liquidum tenui gutture cantat avis.
quo properas, ingrata viris, ingrata puellis?
roscida purpurea supprime lora manu!

Now she rises over the ocean, come from her aged husband,
the golden girl, who brings day to the frozen sky.
‘Why hurry, Aurora?...
Now I delight to lie in my girl’s soft arms:
now she’s so sweetly joined to my side.
now sleep’s still easy, and the air is cool,
and the birds sing in full flow from a clear throat.
Why hurry, unwelcome to men, unwelcome to girls?
Restrain those dewy reins with rosy fingers!

(Ovid, Amores I.13)

[The cartoon is from here]

Doctor Faustus

2011-07-25T04:59:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed going to the theatre last week to see Faustus. The production was (as far as I could work out) a bit of blend of Goethe's version (which I studied at uni) with Marlowe's version (with which I was completely unfamiliar), and a few other things thrown in for good measure.

Anyway, not knowing the Marlowe version I was pleasantly surprised when it started thusly:

Not marching in the fields of Thrasymene,
Where Mars did mate the warlike Carthagens;
Nor sporting in the dalliance of love,
In courts of kings where state is overturn'd;
Nor in the pomp of proud audacious deeds,
Intends our Muse to vaunt her heavenly verse:
Only this, gentles,--we must now perform
The form of Faustus' fortunes, good or bad:

Thrasymene refers to the Battle of Trasimene where Hannibal and the Carthaginians (Carthagens) destroyed the Roman army in one of the opening encounters of the Second Punic War.

In fact there was a lot of Latin in the play, some translated for the benefit of the audience, some not. Here are a few examples:

When all is done, divinity is best:
Jerome's Bible, Faustus; view it well.
[Reads.] Stipendium peccati mors est.
Ha! Stipendium, &c.
'The reward of sin is death': that's hard.
[Reads.] Si peccasse negamus, fallimur, et nulla est in nobis veritas;
'If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there
is no truth in us'. Why, then, belike we must sin, and so consequently die:
Ay, we must die an everlasting death
What doctrine call you this, Che sera, sera,
What will be, shall be? Divinity, adieu!
***
Faustus, begin thine incantations,
And try if devils will obey thy hest...
Sint mihi dii Acherontis propitii! Valeat numen triplex Jehovoe! Ignei, aerii, aquatani spiritus, salvete! Orientis princeps Belzebub, inferni ardentis monarcha, et Demogorgon, propitiamus vos, ut appareat et surgat Mephistophilis Dragon, quod tumeraris: per Jehovam, Gehennam, et consecratam aquam quam nunc spargo, signumque crucis quod nunc facio, et per vota nostra, ipse nunc surgat nobis dicatus Mephistophilis!
***
Is't not midnight?--come Mephistophilis,
And bring glad tidings from great Lucifer;--
Is't not midnight?--come Mephistophilis,
Veni, veni, Mephistophile!
***
F. Stay, Mephistophilis, and tell me, what good will my soul do thy lord?
M. Enlarge his kingdom.
F. Is that the reason why he tempts us thus?
M. Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris.
***
O Faustus,
Now hast thou but one bare hour to live,
And then thou must be damn'd perpetually!
Stand still, you ever-moving spheres of heaven,
That time may cease, and midnight never come;
Fair Nature's eye, rise, rise again, and make
Perpetual day; or let this hour be but
A year, a month, a week, a natural day,
That Faustus may repent and save his soul!
O lente, lente currite, noctis equi!

This last one is particularly interesting. It's a quote from Ovid's Amores (here is a translation, and here is an adaptation by John Donne). Ovid imagines his intended lover appealing to the 'horses of the night' (an unusual image, more normally associated with the day time) to 'run slowly' (a cheeky oxymoron) so that she may enjoy her lover's company for longer. Ovid's appeal is made in a moment of ecstasy with the hope that it will long endure; Faust's in a moment of torment in the dreadful anticipation of greater torment to come.

Gladiators

2011-07-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

Good morning Year 8!

Your task this morning is to find out a bit of information about Gladiators. Here are a few sites to get you started:

You Wouldn't Want to be a Roman Gladiator is a fun site that follows the fate of a Gaul captured by Roman soldiers, sold as a slave and trained as a gladiator.
Roman Gladiatorial Games is not as fun, but has lots of good information.
This BBC site is also pretty good, and has a cool game to play (dress your gladiator correctly to help him win in the arena).

If you've explored all these sites and more, go to the Cambridge Site to do some vocab revision and grammar games.

[The comics are from here and here]

HSC 1937 style

2011-05-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

While going through some papers the other day I cam across the Leaving Certificate (the equivalent of the HSC) Latin Exam from 1937. It's interesting to see what has and hasn't changed. Back then there was some Livy to translate and comment upon, some Horace as well for the 'Higher Standard' (i.e. extension), and a longish translation from English into Latin for everyone.

Horace is still set as an extension text (Lyric Poetry last year, Satire this year), and Livy will be next year's year 12 prose text as well. And hardly anyone does prose composition any more (it is an option in the Extension exam - most years it is attempted by at most one or two candidates out of a hundred or so).

The most remarkable thing is, I think, that a three hour paper can fit on three A5 pages!

Crocodile Classics

2011-04-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

My year 12 class have brought Crocodile Classics to my attention. I'm not sure how to best describe it, so here are a few examples of what you'll find there.

WARNING: If you visit the site, some of them are a bit rude...

Social Morays

2011-03-29T03:38:00.000-07:00

I recieved an email from the (former?) Director General of Education and Training NSW this morning, regarding 'Social Media Policy and Guidelines'. It contained the following:

The highest performing education systems in the world use technology for collaboration between peers and have professional development for peers, led by peers.

To get a taste of how we’re doing that, take a look at the professional learning network, Yammer. Scroll through the posts and you’ll see staff sharing teaching practice, resources, research and ideas, solving problems and posing questions...

But an online community, like any community, has its own morays and protocols. With opportunity also comes responsibility and, as public sector employees, we are subject to external scrutiny.

I think he means mores...

Old World/New World II

2011-03-28T01:56:00.000-07:00

Part I

(NYC) (Rome)

(Boston) (Naples Museum)

(Boston) (Rome)

Old World/New World

2011-03-24T04:12:00.000-07:00

When I took some of my Latin students overseas last year, a few expressed surprise that we were going to the United States as well as Italy. The Roman Empire was big, but most people realise that they weren't able to cross the Atlantic and establish a province on the American continent (though if they had, I wonder what they would have called it...). Anyway the purpose of our visit to the States was twofold: (i) to visit some of the biggest and most important ancient history collections in the world (the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, then New York Metropolitan Museum and the Getty Roman Villa and Museum in Los Angeles) and (ii) to get some kind of understanding of how the old world has influenced the new. That is, how the art, architecture and more importantly the ideas of the Greeks and Romans have influenced and shaped American society.

That's not a revolutionary idea, and I'm sure many wiser people than I have had lots to say about it, but I thought it might be interesting to compare (without much comment) some of the photos I took from the two halves of our trip.

Washington Arch, NYC; Arch of Constantine, Rome

Harvard, Boston; Paestum, Southern Italy

Quincy Market, Boston; The Pantheon, Rome

Boston Town Hall; The Pantheon, Rome

Numismatics

2011-03-21T17:34:00.000-07:00

I was once, back in high school, subjected to an incredibly boring lecture on ancient coins, and since then my automatic reaction has been to flee from numismatists and their dull obsessions, as the Ceryneian Hind did from Hercules.

However, I've had to revise my prejudices slightly. On my trip last year I was captured by the detail and expression which could be found on the faces of many of the coins which could be seen in the museums. At the risk of becoming boring myself, here are a few of the most striking, all from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

I the think the one of Vespasian is my favourite. He's such an ugly man, and the coin has captured the grumpiness of this fat old man perfectly. The skinny-necked Caesar is also interesting - he looks a lot more frail (and perhaps even a bit nerdy) than the stern-looking busts you see much more often.

an experiment

2011-03-20T18:46:00.000-07:00

Many are the terrors of the earth...

2011-03-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

Boris Johnson (my favourite classically trained conservative politician) has written an article in response to the recent horrific earthquake in Japan and the unfolding situation with its nuclear power plants. I disagree with a lot of what he says, but, as a Latin teacher, I've got to admire the style with which he says it. Here are a few examples:

Whatever happens in the world, whatever the catastrophe, we just have to put ourselves at the centre of the story. In the second millennium BC, there was a huge earthquake and tsunami in the Mediterranean, an event that has been associated with the eruption of Greece's Santorini volcano. It was obvious to the ancients that this must have been to do with mankind - and specifically the misbehaviour of the people of Atlantis, who got uppity and dissed Poseidon. So Poseidon struck back. Of course he did...

I am afraid to say that our manic post hoc ergo propter hoc-ery survives to this day. When Phuket in Thailand was hit by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, there were a large number of religious nut-jobs - and not only in America - who were convinced that this was some kind of divine vengeance on that town for the alleged immorality of its residents and its reputation for sex tourism. It is always us, us, us. Many are the terrors of the earth, says the chorus in Sophocles, and nothing is more terrible than mankind.

Well, the only good thing about an earthquake and tsunami on this scale is that they remind us that even Sophocles was capable of talking bilge. There are plenty of things more terrifying than man, and they include asteroids, earthquakes, tsunamis and anything else that reminds us that we are tiny blobs of flesh and blood crawling on the thin integument of a sphere of boiling rock and metal, and that there are events in the life of the planet that are simply nothing to do with human action...

The response to the Japan earthquake is to send all the aid and the logistic support that we can. But we don't have to treat this as any kind of verdict on mankind's activities. We don't have to make amends by sacrificing a hecatomb to Poseidon. We don't have to lead 100 garlanded men and maidens to the top of the pyramid and then cut out their beating hearts. We don't have to stop drilling for oil, and we don't have to sacrifice our efforts to provide safe, clean and green nuclear power.

carpe noctum

2011-03-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

On my way to school this morning I saw a man at Sydnenham station wearing a t-shirt, not exactly like, but similar to, this one. It shouldn't be that hard to get the accusative case of the third declension right, especially if you're going to print it on a t-shirt. And why would you wear something like that? Haven't that guy's friends told him how silly he looks with a huge grammar mistake printed on his chest in a gothic font?

2011-03-06T01:39:00.000-08:00

spotted in Erskineville.

ranarum viscera numquam inspexi

2011-02-14T18:47:00.000-08:00

After reading Juvenal's third satire, I have created a coat of arms for myself, with an appropriate sounding Latin motto true to the ancient dictum that quidquid Latine dicitur, altum videtur. I hope you like it. The motto comes from a passage in which Juvenal's friend explains that he is leaving Rome because he feels that Rome has been taken over by foreigners and those of lesser class and sophistication than himself, with no respect for the ancient history, customs and traditions of Rome. The relevant passage is below:

Quid Romae faciam? mentiri nescio; librum,
si malus est, nequeo laudare et poscere; motus
astrorum ignoro; funus promittere patris
nec volo nec possum; ranarum viscera numquam
inspexi.

What am I to do at Rome? I don't know how to lie. If a book is bad, I am unable to praise it and demand a copy for myself. I am ignorant of the motions of the stars. I neither want nor am able to promise the death of a father. I have never examined frogs' intestines.

(Juvenal Satire III.41-45)

Mandarin or Latin?

2011-02-06T17:45:00.000-08:00

Mike Salter has drawn my attention to an article from the UK, related to my previous post. Here's a couple of interesting paragraphs:

Hard as it may be to believe, one of the things that gives privately-educated children the edge is their knowledge of Latin. I don’t just mean in the obvious senses – their grasp of basic grammar and syntax, their understanding of the ways in which our world is underpinned by the classical world, their ability to read Latin inscriptions. I mean there is actually a substantial body of evidence that children who study Latin outperform their peers when it comes to reading, reading comprehension and vocabulary, as well as higher order thinking such as computation, concepts and problem solving...

Interestingly, [one study] found that children from poor backgrounds particularly benefit from studying Latin. For a child with limited cultural reference points, becoming acquainted with Roman life and mythology opens up “new symbolic worlds”, enabling him or her “to grow as a personality, to live a richer life”. In addition, spoken Latin emphasises clear pronunciation, particularly of the endings of words, a useful corrective for many children born in inner cities. Finally, for children who have reading problems, Latin provides “experience in careful silent reading of the words that follow a consistent phonetic pattern”...

Unlike other languages, Latin isn’t just about conjugating verbs. It includes a crash course in ancient history and cosmology. “Latin is the maths of the Humanities,” says Llewelyn Morgan, “But Latin also has something that mathematics does not and that is the history and mythology of the ancient world. Latin is maths with goddesses, gladiators and flying horses, or flying children.”

The reference to 'a substantial body of evidence' is fleshed out a little in the actual article.

National Curriculum

2011-02-03T15:56:00.000-08:00

The first glimpse of the federal government's national languages curriculum came out this week. Here's a little of what the paper had to say:

The curriculum will cover 11 foreign languages, with Italian and Chinese the first to be developed.

Latin and other classical languages have been left out, raising concern. Language teachers say this is a major omission because a knowledge of Latin and Ancient Greek underpins understanding of literature, art and the English language. The sign language Auslan has also been left out, also raising concern.

Italian and Chinese have been given first priority because the national curriculum authority says they ‘‘represent languages that cater for the greatest range of learners’’.

‘‘Chinese is a national priority, and Italian is learnt by the largest number of students in the primary years and the second-largest number of student enrolments over all.’’

Indonesian, Japanese and Korean are also deemed national priorities as part of the second stage of the language curriculum development.

Traditional European languages, including French and German and Spanish, will also be included because they are among the most commonly taught languages in Australian schools.
(Should Italian, Chinese Lead the New Curriculum)

Any language not included in the national curriculum will continue to be taught under existing state arrangements, according to the draft paper by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.
(Chinese, Italian Lead New Curriculum)

I'm not particularly surprised that Latin was ommitted. NSW is (as far is I know) the only state where Latin is 'widely' taught, and so on a national level I can understand why it wouldn't figure highly. The curriculum also seems to me to be driven by utility - what languages are going to most useful - and it's hard (though not impossible) to mount an argument that Latin is more 'useful' than (say) Mandarin with eight hundred million speakers or Spanish with three hundred million. The first article's claim that "a knowledge of Latin and Ancient Greek underpins understanding of literature, art and the English language" is true, but to a lot of people these days (including I suspect the people who wrote the syllabus) that's irrelevent if it can't help you close a business deal.

In my mind learning any language has benefits beyond simply their utility as a communication system. Learning a language helps you to see the world from a different perspective, teaches you transferable skills of analysis and discipline. Learning a language is also an end in and of itself - an activity that is intellectually stimulating and even pleasurable for its own sake, regardless of how it is 'used'. Perhaps that's an outdated, esoteric and even elitist view, but I genuinely think that being able to study something useless but enjoyable is a really great opportunity. It's an approach to langage learning that seems to be sadly absent from the new curriculum.

Just as an interesting footnote, in last year's HSC there were 162 candidates sitting for the Chinese Beginners and Continuers exams combined and 180 sitting for the Latin Continuers exam. 37 did Chinese Extension and 97 did Latin Extension. (These figures don't include the backgound speakers, which are of course much higher).

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus

2011-01-19T03:50:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to hear Adam Spencer on the radio asking if anyone knew by what name Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus is better known. I pitied the poor fool who rang up to answer "Augustus, the first emperor of Rome" but the next caller was spot on with "Caligula".

He was asking the question in response to this article about the apparent discovery of the emperor Caligula's tomb. The article explains how he was given the name Caligula - as a kid he used to accompany his dad (confusingly known as Germanicus) out to the battlefield, dressed up in a mini-soldier's uniform, including boots. The boots were known as caligae - caligula is a diminutive form meaning 'little boot(s)'. Interestingly the statue of Caligula which led to the discovery of the tomb is wearing a pair of these boots. The learned Rogue Classicum has more on the news, but is cautious (to put it mildly) about the authenticity of the discovery.

The article in the Sydney Morning Herald also trots out all the usual stuff about Caligula, as in this sentence:

After reportedly sleeping with his sisters, killing for pleasure and seeking to appoint his horse a consul during his rule from AD37 to 41, Caligula was described by contemporaries as insane.

The article is decent enough to say that he only 'reportedly' slept with his sisters, but is pretty vague on who Caligula's 'contempories' might be. I'm not much of an expert on any aspect of Roman history, but the biographies of the emperors are generally not straightforward, and a lot of the most sensational stories often have to be taken with a fairly large grain of salt. In Caligula's case, the major sources of information about his life come from Suetonius and Cassius Dio, who are writing about 80 and 180 years respectively after his death. Wikipedia has a pretty good summary of the various sources and their reliability.

Of course, none of the sources portray Caligula as a saint, but he wasn't necessarily as insane and perverted as he's often made out to be, and in fact he seems to have been responsible for some genuine achievements during his reign.

digiti

2011-01-02T15:04:00.000-08:00

I heard a news report on the radio a few weeks ago about how the relative lengths of your fingers can be a marker of a person's risk of developing some kinds of cancer. It sounds unlikely but apparently it's got something to do with exposure to testosterone in the womb. Some research has suggested that having an index finger longer than your ring finger gives you a significantly lower risk of developing prostate cancer, and there may (or may not) be something similar with women and breast cancer.

The news report made me think of Roman statues. If the link is not immediately clear to you, have a look at the pictures below:

The first photo is from the National Archaelogical Museum in Naples, and shows the foot of the goddess Flora (here's the full statue). The second and the third are both from the Capitoline Museum in Rome; the second shows the feet of the Esquiline Venus (or possibly Cleopatra), the third the foot of what was once an enormous statue of Constantine. Apart from the fact that Venus is wearing sandals and not much else (here's the full statue), it's interesting to see that all the statues have second toes longer than their big toes. I had heard before that this was considered the ideal of beauty for Greeks and Romans, and it was interesting to see it in real life. I'm not sure why that was so, although I doubt it's related to hormone levels in the womb.

The Ritchie Family (Audio Only)

2010-04-21T13:04:00.000-07:00

It's a Man's World

Here's one you may have completely forgotten. The video featured men lifting weights.

Spider

2009-07-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

New Romance

Finally! This has to be one of the most-asked-about Video Concert Hall vids. The sound is pretty low (and tinny), but at least the video is available for viewing.

And here is another Spider video that got a little play on VCH:

Everything is Alright

Thanks, as always, to Paul, for spotting these videos.

Atlanta Rhythm Section

2009-01-29T13:24:00.000-08:00

Spooky

The Headboys - An Update of Sorts

2008-09-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

The Shape of Things to Come

This video recently surfaced, but it is, unfortunately, not the one that aired on Video Concert Hall, which could be described as more of a theatrical video, shot on film. My personal (vague) recollection is that it was set on a rainy night. Paul's more specific recollection of the clip is that it included what looked like a medieval stone castle after dark, with the band scattered out over a greater distance (and the keyboard player facing sideways), and that there was some kind of a plot to it.

Even though this does not appear to be the clip that appeared on VCH, it is still cool to see The Headboys, and is a great addition to this archive. We'll continue to keep our eyes open for the promo video.

Thanks to Ed on MySpace, who pointed out that this video had been posted to YouTube.

Atlanta Rhythm Section

2008-09-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

Do it or Die

The Records

2008-09-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

Starry Eyes

As one might imagine, there is a copious amount of web searching done in the hopes of filling out the video collection on this blog. The searching has revealed that, on several occasions, Video Concert Hall fans have included this video in their lists of recollected VCH videos.

The Police

2008-09-05T22:20:00.000-07:00

Bring on the Night

After approximately a year of searching (on both our parts), Paul has finally turned up this video! The quality is terrible, but at least it is finally here!

Captain & Tennille

2008-09-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

Do That to Me One More Time

Stevie Wonder

2008-08-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

Do I Do

Jim Photoglo

2008-08-29T18:40:00.000-07:00

Fool in Love with You

Icehouse

2008-02-07T01:08:00.000-08:00

We Can Get Together

Ozark Mountain Daredevils

2008-02-01T00:40:00.001-08:00

Jackie Blue

Little River Band

2008-02-01T00:40:00.000-08:00

Reminiscing

Robert Palmer

2008-02-01T00:37:00.000-08:00

Looking For Clues @ Yahoo! Video

The Shoes

2008-02-01T00:36:00.000-08:00

Too Late

Robert Gordon

2008-02-01T00:35:00.000-08:00

Rockabilly Boogie

The Pretenders

2008-02-01T00:32:00.000-08:00

The Pretenders - Talk Of The Town

Rab | MySpace Video

Talk of the Town

Pretenders ... message of love
Uploaded by demouralima. - Explore more music videos.

Message of Love

Icehouse

2008-02-01T00:31:00.000-08:00

Icehouse

Red Rider

2008-02-01T00:30:00.000-08:00

Lunatic Fringe

Suzi Quatro

2008-01-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

Rock Hard

Sorry about the quality -- this seems to be the only one out there. Thanks to Paul for finding it.

Kansas

2007-12-31T15:02:00.000-08:00

Dust in the Wind

Ziggurat

2007-12-31T12:15:00.000-08:00

Be patient -- the file takes a little time to load. :)

Another Video Concert Hall memory for which a video may never surface. You may also remember a commercial that ran during the show, soliciting sales of the Ziggurat album via 800-number.

Thanks to Randy for remembering the video and directing me to the MP3 link. Thanks to Paul for remembering the commercial and describing the video, which simply featured the band sitting and playing in a recording studio.

The Dickies

2007-12-30T11:53:00.000-08:00

Paranoid

Bow Wow Wow

2007-12-30T11:49:00.000-08:00

Chihuahua

jinshanvideopa

jinshanvideopa

Latin in the news

Rome wasn't built in a day

Latin for tweet?

Mezentius

ibides?

You can't dream in Latin...

Alan Treloar

lente currite, noctis equi

Doctor Faustus

Gladiators

HSC 1937 style

Crocodile Classics

Social Morays

Old World/New World II

Old World/New World

Numismatics

an experiment

Many are the terrors of the earth...

carpe noctum

ranarum viscera numquam inspexi

Mandarin or Latin?

National Curriculum

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus

digiti

The Ritchie Family (Audio Only)

Spider

Atlanta Rhythm Section

The Headboys - An Update of Sorts

Atlanta Rhythm Section

The Records

The Police

Captain & Tennille

Stevie Wonder

Jim Photoglo

Icehouse

Ozark Mountain Daredevils

Little River Band

Robert Palmer

The Shoes

Robert Gordon

The Pretenders

Icehouse

Red Rider

More Videos!

Suzi Quatro

Kansas

Ziggurat

The Dickies

Bow Wow Wow