Any Latin majors/minors/gurus??????

[ndiver]

I am currently taking a self-study latin course and its kicking my butt. Just little things like...

"Nonne ille tabellarius equos vehementer incitavit, Marce?"

I understand that "Nonne" is an enclitic interrogative particle that introduces a question that expects the answer "yes"... but when translated it reads (to me)
   "Did not that courier violently spur on the horses, Marcus?"

Is this right? or should I get rid of "not?"

[TDPookie1]

i'll assume the rest of your translation is correct, but i would phrase it: "that courier violently spur on the horses, didn't he, marcus?" to show that it's expecting a "yes" answer.

and i was a classics major

[ndiver]

i'll assume the rest of your translation is correct, but i would phrase it: "that courier violently spur on the horses, didn't he, marcus?" to show that it's expecting a "yes" answer.

and i was a classics major

So would I... but whenever I change translations to make them grammatically correct (in english) I get point deductions. I'll give it a shot, thanks!

[cutcut]

There's no English equivalent for nonne. I think you and Pookie both have it right.

And I used to teach Latin.

Edit: BTW, some Latin teachers love a translation to be so literal that it reads like gibberish, others like it to sound like English. I'd say the goal of translation is to translate it into English, not translation-ese, UNLESS that's how you're going to get a good grade.

[TDPookie1]

i'll assume the rest of your translation is correct, but i would phrase it: "that courier violently spur on the horses, didn't he, marcus?" to show that it's expecting a "yes" answer.

and i was a classics major

So would I... but whenever I change translations to make them grammatically correct (in english) I get point deductions. I'll give it a shot, thanks!

ask the instructor how he/she wants it phrased then.  cutcut can verify this, but i noticed that some of my instructors wanted very literal translations, to show that you really understood the grammar and didn't just figure out part of it in context; these were usually in the intro levels.  in the higher levels, you'd get docked points for that same literal translation.  my last latin professor wanted a perfectly fluid english translation, something you'd actually say in english.  you just had to keep the spirit of what they were saying, and that was about it.  once i figured that out, i got some really easy A's because it didn't matter whether i could remember what one word meant; i just made stuff up that made sense in context. 

[cutcut]

ask the instructor how he/she wants it phrased then.  cutcut can verify this, but i noticed that some of my instructors wanted very literal translations, to show that you really understood the grammar and didn't just figure out part of it in context; these were usually in the intro levels.  in the higher levels, you'd get docked points for that same literal translation.  my last latin professor wanted a perfectly fluid english translation, something you'd actually say in english.  you just had to keep the spirit of what they were saying, and that was about it.  once i figured that out, i got some really easy A's because it didn't matter whether i could remember what one word meant; i just made stuff up that made sense in context. 

Pookie is absolutely correct (see my edit above).

[ndiver]

There's no English equivalent for nonne. I think you and Pookie both have it right.

And I used to teach Latin.

Edit: BTW, some Latin teachers love a translation to be so literal that it reads like gibberish, others like it to sound like English. I'd say the goal of translation is to translate it into English, not translation-ese, UNLESS that's how you're going to get a good grade.

Thanks cutcut... I might have some more questions as the course goes on.

[cutcut]

no problem. I'm a little out of shape, but it's good to swing the bat once in a while.