04 August 2007

D is for dead languages, dunces and dropping names

Latin's a dead language
It's as dead as can be.
It killed off the Romans,
and now it's killing me.

Did you have to study Latin in school? I did it for a year when I was 12 and was so bad at it that I was put into the class for pupils too stupid to study Latin. A shame really as I seem to recall rather enjoying it. All I can remember of it now is "amo, amas, amat" and "Ecce, in pictura est puella nomine Falvia" (please excuse my spelling, 12 was a long long time ago). Actually the year that I failed so badly at Latin was also the year in which I had lunch with the Queen, but that's another story and one that may fall under the letter Q if I'm stuck, which I probably will be.

15 comments:

Ali said...

Oh god, did I ever, from the age of 9 until 12 and I hated it. Think we had the same textbook - Ecco Romani if I remember rightly. Flavia had a little git of a brother called Cornelius.

I did love all the Roman lifestyle bits though - hypercausts - how cool were they?

And I'm waiting for Q with great curiosity.

Pam said...

Yes. I studied Latin for 6 long years. "Studied" may be overstating the case, since most of the time I sat there in a coma, gazing at the most boring teacher in the world.I can remember quite a lot of it all the same.

Haven't you lived in a lot of places??? Isn't it about time to return to your home town? It's nice!

Pam said...

Oh, and yes, the kittens have indeed learned how to climb curtains, only so far, rather like me climbing ropes in the far-off horrible days of gym lessons, they only go up a bit and then swing helplessly.

Anonymous said...

I did it for four years. I love Isabelle's description - I think I was comatose, too. I can remember amo, amas, amat AND mensa, mensa, mensam and I can say "Salvete, Magister". Did you have a textbook full of villas being laid waste in the countryside? surely there can't have been more than ONE latin textbook? I think ours was published around 1903...

velcro said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecce_Romani

I think everyone seems to have used the same book!

Isabelle I would love to move back home

meggie said...

You have led a very interesting life!
Oh and what ARE those horrible looking things from Qatar? Are they spiders?
I am with you on cleaning ovens...I am planting the idea in GOM's head that he can do it!

velcro said...

they're called Camel Eating Spiders Meggie and there are a lot of myths about them which have been going about for years. The photo has had, I suspect, some doctoring done to it, as the creatures in reality are not that big.
And no, they don't eat camels. Nor are they spiders.

Aunty Evil said...

I never did Latin.

But I do truly believe in "In vino veritas"

Been caught out a few times meself.

velcro said...

this wouldn't be at dinner parties would it Aunty? Possibly after visiting the host's bathroom and checking out their cupboards???

Fairlie - www.feetonforeignlands.com said...

I never did Latin, but it is offered after school at my daughter's school. Much as I think it would be fabulous for her to learn, I don't think she'd thank me for signing her up for conjugation in her own time.

(I'm eagerly awaiting Q)

velcro said...

fairlie I suspect you would be right. I know only one person who actively set out to study Latin in his own time

caramaena said...

In year seven I did one term of Indonesian, one of Latin and one of French. Of the three, I preferred Latin. I daresay, that would probably change if I had to do it for years...

Oh and I don't remember a skerrick of it!

velcro said...

Indonesian? wow. What was that like?

Aunty Evil said...

Many drinks makes a girl want to pee Velcro.

While I am there, I may as well take a peek...

:)

velcro said...

you would find mine most wanting then for there's no cupboard in it.

for a moment I thought you were going to peek at the link from the previous post and I was going to comment on how brave you had been