Concepts from Lessons XXIII-XXV Latinisms in Shakespeare, Metathesis, & Latin Words and Phrases in English Concepts from Lessons XXIII-XXV

Shakespeare and his Word Use

Life of Shakespeare Lived 1564-1616 Attended the King’s New School, Stratford-upon-Avon Tudor curriculum limited to Latin, Greek, math Member of The King’s Men, which owned its own theater, the Globe Theater Wrote 36 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 narrative poems Drew on Latin sources: Julius Caesar, Titus Andronicus, Coriolanus, Antony & Cleopatra Influenced by the works of Plautus (d. 184 BC), e.g., Comedy of Errors

Shakespeare’s Use of Latin Classes at the King’s New School were conducted exclusively in Latin. Given this background, Shakespeare naturally used Latinate words with deference to their original meanings. Thou, sapient sir, sit here. —Lear to the Fool, King Lear (Act II, Scene 6)

Shakespeare’s Latinate Vocabulary My powers are crescent. That they have overborne their continents. The fortitude of the place is best known to you. Whose white investments figure innocence. …and of the truth herein this present object made probation. As knots…infect the sound pine and divert his grain tortive and errant from his course of growth.

Shakespeare’s Latinate Vocabulary Abate the edge of traitors…that would reduce these bloody days again. Cadent tears fret channels in her cheeks. The presence of the king disanimates his enemies. What to this was sequent Thou know’st already. Tying her duty, beauty, wit and fortunes in an extravagant and wheeling stranger of here and every where. Exercise I Lesson 24 (pp. 133-134)

Metathesis (Lesson XXIV) Definition. Transposition of two phonemes in a word (as in the development of crud from curd or the pronunciation \'pur-tE\ for pretty). English examples: ask [aks], spaghetti [basketti], foliage [foilage], mischeivous [mischevious], breakfast [breakstif], Sly [Sylvester] Distinct from Spoonerism: Let me sew you to your sheet, our queer old dean.

Metathesis in Word Histories

Latin Words and Phrases in English Some words and phrases have entered Latin while retaining their original forms. Some of these words are found in fixed phrases, e.g., ad hoc, per se, per diem, de facto, vice versa. Some of these words are nouns which carry Latin singular and plural inflections.

Noun Sense The proper plural form of many Latin nouns is a subject of controversy. Do the following nouns even have a plural form? data (Her data was interesting.) media (The media gives only one side.) Lesson 25, II (p. 138)

Noun Sense Sometimes the ‘proper’ form seems silly: alumna-alumnus-alumnae-alumni index-indices focus-foci stadium-stadia genus-genera Sometimes the word looks like an abbreviation but isn’t: sic, qua, pro, via

Latin Phrases Sometimes the abbreviation of a phrase is more familiar that the phrase itself. What do the following abbreviations mean? e.g. i.e. cf. A.D. AM NB et al. etc. ca.

Latin Phrases What do the following phrases mean? in camera habeas corpus de facto ad hominem ex officio ex post facto per capita per diem per se

Latin Phrases What do the following phrases mean? persona non grata sine qua non quid pro quo prima facie a fortiori status quo reductio ad absurdum ad hoc pro tem

Latin Abbreviations in Medicine Medical jargon contains many Latin (and other) abbreviations

New Bases No New Suffixes since Lesson XXI! Lesson XXIII: CORD FLECT, FLEX MAN(U) PORT STRU, STRUCT TERMIN VINC, VICT

New Bases Lesson XXIV: AUD CARN NUNCI (NOUNCE) PRESS PROPRI SAT(IS) No new forms in Lesson XXV!