h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well, I want it. I don't know much about Latin, but I'd like to hear it. With translations, preferably. In order to learn. I have a website in my favourites that covers all the grammar rules, but not vocabulary.

I actually came here to post something that I read in 'Over Hill and Dale' by Gervase Phinn. People were supposed to be interviewing a new Head of the Classics Department, and they started debating the usefulness of Latin and Greek.

"Mr. Wright, the foundation-governer, suddenly spoke up. 'I did Latin at school,' he said cheerily. The canon, a great wave of relief suffusing his face, thought he had found an ally and looked to him for some support, but there was none forthcoming. 'We learnt a little poem. I remember it to this day.' He then recited the verse.

Latin is a dead tongue,
As dead as dead can be.
First it killed the Romans,
And now it's killing me.
All are dead who spoke it,
All are dead who wrote it.
All are dead who learnt it.
Lucky dead, they've earned it."

Not that I agree with the sentiments of that poem, of course, but I found it amusing enough to want to share it.
Those debating went on to mention the motto of the Yorkshireman who founded the school - "Brasso, in clutcho, intacto." Can someone say what that means?
They also mentioned the school motto - "Video, Disco, Audio". I know that 'Video' means 'I see' (as vidi means 'I saw'), and I would presume along the same lines that 'Audio' means 'I hear' or 'I listen'. But I can hardly imagine that 'Disco' means 'I am surrounded by horrible flashing lights and painfully loud incessant beating noises,' so can someone tell me the meaning of 'Disco'?

Chris it's not me!!! Stop getting at me, Joe is part of my organisation.

Look Ill talk to Joe tonight and will then open the dept tomorrow okay? In fact, why dont you talk to joe?

'Brasso, in clutcho, intacto'? Those words do not sound familiar, and I couldn't find them in my dictionary. I can surmise that 'intacto' probably means what it suggests, 'intact', but I don't know about the rest.

'Video, Disco, Audio' means 'I see, I learn, I hear'. Very school motto-ish.

Here's some more chocolate if it will help the department along.

EMR

I never get to talk to Joe Especially now we're 11 hours in front of you...

But I'm counting at least 5 people who want it, and I'm fairly sure they've blown all your criteria away so i reckon we make it. And I would talk to joe, but it's either 12:30am there, or possibly 1:30am, and probably not 2:30am. (Have you guys left DS yet or not?)

So, I'm thinking if I get bored of horsies later on today, I'm gonna build it.

Cat

*Giggles inconsolably, or something like that*

Thank you so much, my dream has come true!!!!

Timezones...confusing. I'm always doing the conversion, because I seem like the only person on Pacific Time. GMT is 8 hours ahead, always got to remmeber that....

EMR

Ok, so the PC was out of commission for about half the day, so I didn't get to do it..

Yes, we're out of Daylight Saving now I thought you were talking about Danielle for a moment there

You could always email me, Chris.

*cough cough* tried that a couple of times, it didn't work. I think it was hotmail being dodgy for me, but yeah...

Actually, I don't know why the *cough cough* thing was there...

Thank you everyone for all your comments. Joe and I will be considering them over the next few days, and, if we are in agreement about it, the Latin Dept will be opened on Sunday by myself and a link posted here and the front Language Thing page. This is NOT definate yet. Please be aware of this. We are also currently considering the Mandarin Dept, as it has very poor attendance and interest. If anyone wishes to comment about this please feel free. If you want it to be there, then you have to use it.

Sorry to sound like some sort of dictator guys.

Katkat

Happy, happy, happy, happy happy....

Seriously, I don't know why there's a problem about having more departments. I mean, it's not like it costs us anything or anything, they're just pages! Why is there a problem having more, even if they may not be used much?

Cat

This is something that Kat and I discussed on the phone the other day. There's no problem as such, but it does overcomplicate things. Plus if someone new comes along and wants to learn, say, Ethiopian (do they have a language?) but the Ethiopian Dept got abandoned six months ago and hasn't been used since, they might not particularly want to try to get involved. Can you see where I'm coming from?

We have this thread, and we have some volunteers for teaching, why not try to start here and look where it leads ?

So why haven't you all been talking in Latin then?

Cur non dicunt in Latina? Beata sum dicere in Latina. Sed dum faciunt operem, fortasse dicendus sumus in Ingla [my made-up word, I don't know how you would say English in Latin]. Deinde Latinae non-dicti qui faciunt in opere confundenes non sunt.

Why aren't we talking in Latin? I'm happy to talk in Latin. But while we're doing business, perhaps we should talk in English. Then non-speakers of Latin who are working on business aren't confused.

In the hypothetical department we should have a thread for talking *in* Latin and one for talking *about* Latin.

EMR

Well then we poke the sleepy people.

Why is it different to someone coming and wanting to learn Ethopian and the Etheopian thread is dead? They come and then we try and wake up the department for them, same as we'd do for a thread.

I reckon we create new departments when they're wanted, and leave the ones we have alone.

Cat

Besides which, it's so much easier to teach and learn in a department when we can have multiple threads! We could be talking about this stuff in one thread while people were taught in other and practised in another. Much easier.

Cat

*walks in looking sleepy and cross*

I'm ABOUT to create the new dept! I said I would do it on Sunday, it's now Sunday for me, so it's being created. Nobody else can do it, so please just be patient while I sort it out because I'm having a few crises.

A3235628

Your Department
*bows and leaves*

The Language Thing