05-24-2007, 09:50 PM
All of the following contain forms that can be verified in Caesar, Cicero, Livius, Plinius, and others. There is no way to properly respond to your post without using grammar.
1. AD SIGNA="To the standards." [no problem] We often add the verb to say AD SIGNA FORMATE =" Form to the standards"
2. AD ACIEM= "To the battle line." This implies soldiers are probably getting ready to fight. We use ACIEM FORMATE= "Form a battle line." A triple battle line would be ACIEM TRIPLICEM FORMATE.
3. SIMPLICEM ORDINEM = "a simple rank/column." This works, but this command has no verb. We use AGMEN FORMATE to mean "Form a single file column." You could say "SIMPLICEM ORDINEM FORMATE," but I agree that a verb is not always necessary to express a command.
4. In order to say "by 3s" or "by 8s" in Latin , you need to use the distributive forms of the numbers. Thus, we have
AGMEN [A] BINIS FORMATE= "Form a column by twos."
AGMEN [A] TERNIS FORMATE= ...by 3s
AGMEN [A] QUATERNIS FORMATE = ...by 4s
AGMEN [A] SENIS FORMATE = ...by 6s
You could even get fancy and say: AGMINA DUO A QUATERNIS FORMATE= "Form two columns by fours."
AGMEN [AB] OCTONIS FORMATE = Form a column by 8s
Why not "AD OCTO" ? AD = "To, toward" in classical Latin; AB = "by, from, by personal agent." The phrase 'AD OCTO' would not be found in the Latin used by commanders in the 1st century. This phrase would mean something like 'to eight,' but it does not mean "by 8s." It might also be used in the 1st century to mean "around 8" as when someone is counting. E.g., Quinte, quot amores habuisti ? "Quintus, how many loves have you had" Quintus: "Ad octo." = "around eight."
5. AD SECUNDO: See supra about "AD." SECUNDO is the dative or ablative of the ordinal number "second." AD needs to take an accusative form. You could use AD SECUNDUM for "to the second." You could also just say "SECUNDO" in the dative to mean "to the second [rank]" or in the ablative to mean "in the second [rank]."
I have really tried NOT to sound like the CENTURIO in "Life of Brian." I hope I have succeeded.
I will be very happy to further explain any of these if you like, but I will be very busy in the near future getting ready for Roman Days and other upcoming events [like the end of our term and reading student papers].
Cheers,
1. AD SIGNA="To the standards." [no problem] We often add the verb to say AD SIGNA FORMATE =" Form to the standards"
2. AD ACIEM= "To the battle line." This implies soldiers are probably getting ready to fight. We use ACIEM FORMATE= "Form a battle line." A triple battle line would be ACIEM TRIPLICEM FORMATE.
3. SIMPLICEM ORDINEM = "a simple rank/column." This works, but this command has no verb. We use AGMEN FORMATE to mean "Form a single file column." You could say "SIMPLICEM ORDINEM FORMATE," but I agree that a verb is not always necessary to express a command.
4. In order to say "by 3s" or "by 8s" in Latin , you need to use the distributive forms of the numbers. Thus, we have
AGMEN [A] BINIS FORMATE= "Form a column by twos."
AGMEN [A] TERNIS FORMATE= ...by 3s
AGMEN [A] QUATERNIS FORMATE = ...by 4s
AGMEN [A] SENIS FORMATE = ...by 6s
You could even get fancy and say: AGMINA DUO A QUATERNIS FORMATE= "Form two columns by fours."
AGMEN [AB] OCTONIS FORMATE = Form a column by 8s
Why not "AD OCTO" ? AD = "To, toward" in classical Latin; AB = "by, from, by personal agent." The phrase 'AD OCTO' would not be found in the Latin used by commanders in the 1st century. This phrase would mean something like 'to eight,' but it does not mean "by 8s." It might also be used in the 1st century to mean "around 8" as when someone is counting. E.g., Quinte, quot amores habuisti ? "Quintus, how many loves have you had" Quintus: "Ad octo." = "around eight."
5. AD SECUNDO: See supra about "AD." SECUNDO is the dative or ablative of the ordinal number "second." AD needs to take an accusative form. You could use AD SECUNDUM for "to the second." You could also just say "SECUNDO" in the dative to mean "to the second [rank]" or in the ablative to mean "in the second [rank]."
I have really tried NOT to sound like the CENTURIO in "Life of Brian." I hope I have succeeded.
I will be very happy to further explain any of these if you like, but I will be very busy in the near future getting ready for Roman Days and other upcoming events [like the end of our term and reading student papers].
Cheers,
Quintus Fabricius Varus
[David Smith]
[David Smith]
