RomanArmyTalk

Looking at "Know your enemy"...how does that translate into latin?

"Nosce hostem tuum" or "Hostem tuum nosce" (the order of the words can vary without changing the meaning) if you are talking to one person; if you are talking to two or more "Hostem vestrum noscite".

"Enemy" can also be translated with "inimicum", with a little difference of meaning; but if you are talking about war, "hostem" is ok.

I think that "nosce inimicum" has the disadvantage of creating a hiatus, which sounds unpleasant. Personally, I'd use nosce hostem or hostem nosce, because two words of two syllables create a nice, balanced structure, with the same crispy beauty of expressions like carpe diem, absit omen, or cave canem.

Thanks guys!

Quote:I think that "nosce inimicum" has the disadvantage of creating a hiatus, which sounds unpleasant. Personally, I'd use nosce hostem or hostem nosce, because two words of two syllables create a nice, balanced structure, with the same crispy beauty of expressions like carpe diem, absit omen, or cave canem.

I like the sound of that tthough....I wonder if it is just me, but the roll on of inimicum has a ring to it!

Quote:I like the sound of that tthough....I wonder if it is just me, but the roll on of inimicum has a ring to it!

The point is not inimicum, but the combination with nosce, which creates a hiatus (two clashing vowels). That does not offer a nice pronunciation -it will probably change into nosc' inimicum- and the ancients usually avoided it.

So is nosce pronounced nos-keh or nosk? I still find it sounds normal to have this together but then I'm not a real roman I guess.....(nor have I learned proper pronunciation.... :oops: )

noskeh

Thanks. Guess I'm betraying my barbarian roots, but this still sounds good to me! :lol:
My apologies!

What about: Inimicum nosce ??

M.VIB.M.