The Latin Language and the Enlightenment, edited by Floris Verhaert and Laurence Brockliss

Lindsay's ‘Latin Language’ - The Latin Language, an Historical Account of Latin Sounds Stems and Flexions, by W. M. Lindsay, M.A., Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford; at the Clarendon Press; Svo. pp. xxviii. and 659. 21s. - Volume 9 Issue 8

The moral dimensions of Latin. Notes on Christian Latinitas from Augustine to the Late Middle Ages This article explores the influence of Christian morality, i.e. the pursuit of virtue and the avoidance of sin, in stylistic choices of Medieval Latin authors. It is well known that some Christian authors of Late Antiquity and many monastic authors of the Middle Ages feared that the contents of pagan literature might badly affect their morals. Some of them were also aware that its superior stylistic qualities could inspire contempt for the very peculiar, decidedly non-literary language of the Latin Bible. Therefore, they warn the readers of classical texts to beware of literary lust and to learn to take pleasure in the humbleness of biblical Latin. In the Middle Ages, good command of Latin is necessary for churchmen. Canon law insists on this point, and texts in different genres show the awareness that some clerics did not fulfil these expectations. If such shortcomings stem from sloth, they are considered morally harmful. However, authors addressing a Latinate audience remind their readers that virtuous life and deep faith are more important than linguistic talents, and that they must not despise good Christians because of their bad Latin. At the same time, the expertise in Latin, while necessary, could lead to pride. Some exempla by Cistercian authors present devils as accomplished Latinists whose excellence in grammar reveals their pride, envy and wrath. This is explained by tensions in the Cistercian convents between monks who were educated and others whose Latin was as minimal as that among lay brothers.

Straipsnyje nagrinėjamos Vilniaus universiteto bibliotekoje saugomos dvidešimt penkios naujai išaiškintos lietuvių kalbos ir raštijos tyrinėtojo, bibliografo Jurgio Platerio (1810–1836) asmeninei bibliotekai priklausiusios knygos, pateikiami išsamūs jų bibliografiniai aprašai su iššifruotomis šiose knygose esančiomis proveniencijomis. Remiantis naujais duomenimis, atskleidžiamas papildytas Domo Kauno monografijoje „Bibliotheca Georgii comitis de Plater: Jurgio Platerio biblioteka – Lietuvos knygos kultūros ir mokslo paminklas“ (Vilnius, 2012) pateiktas J. Platerio asmeninės bibliotekos vaizdas teminiu, chronologiniu bei kalbiniu aspektais.

The aim of the research is to determine the educational potential of infographics as a digital educational technology within the discipline “Latin language” in the authors’ e-course “Latin for dentists”. The paper deals with the use of the educational technology of infographics in teaching medical university students. The formation stages and educational functions of infographics are described; based on this, infographics is integrated into the authors’ e-course “Latin for dentists” in LMS Moodle within the discipline “Latin language”. The paper examines the effectiveness of the infographics integrated into the authors’ e-course in LMS Moodle for mastering language skills in “Latin language” (knowledge of grammar, ability to read and translate medical terms into both languages – from Russian into Latin and from Latin into Russian). The novelty of the research lies in describing the process model for the formation of the educational technology of infographics in the educational process of a university. The research findings are as follows: the stages of formation of the educational technology of infographics in the educational process have been presented; the educational functions of infographics have been described; the authors’ e-course “Latin for dentists” within the discipline “Latin language” has been created in LMS Moodle using infographics based on its functionality; the students’ level of formation of language knowledge and skills (knowledge of grammar, reading rules, two-way translation of medical terms) when working in the authors’ e-course “Latin for dentists” within the discipline “Latin language” has been determined.

The article considers some aspects of teaching the Latin language to future philologists. Special attention has been paid to the historical aspect of teaching Latin. The differences between teaching Latin and teaching modern languages have been distinguished. It has been stressed that Ukrainian students do not need to obtain all language competencies while learning this course. Among them are philologists, Law students, medical students, etc. The authors pay special attention to training philologists as they are likely to teach the basics of Latin to the students of other majors. There are some problems connected with the study of Latin in the 21st century. For instance, this language is learnt only for one or two semesters in modern Ukrainian institutions of higher education. Therefore, it is impossible to learn a large number of Latin words. So, the authors recommend choosing some frequently used words, as well as some proper nouns. It has been underlined that learning Latin is a complicated activity because of the absence of native speakers and lack of definitive knowledge about the Latin phonetics. It has been mentioned that not so many texts survive from Classical Antiquity and there is only a limited number of post-classical Latin-language texts. This language, like any other one, has changed a lot, so we focus on learning Classical Latin. It was used as a literary standard by writers of the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. But we use the texts adapted for the present-day students. Foe example, the words are spelt separately and the letters u and j are used. In this article the authors have distinguished several clusters of Latin words that are to be learnt. Students are asked to find out the etymology of modern English words that have Latin origin. It has been shown that Latin helps students to get ready for learning other languages. The linguodidactic potential of Latin proverbs has been shown. Besides, the authors have used some mottos of countries, regions and cities. It is suggested to use modern Internet sources including Englishlanguage ones. The article contains an example of a multiple-choice exercise aimed at training grammar skills. The authors assume that learning Latin should be supported with discussions and self-study work presentations. Special attention is paid to motivation of students.

This paper analyses the reception of Latin language and culture in the research of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It focuses on the works of various disciplines – social and cultural history, literary research, art criticism, etc. – and seeks to identify the recurring themes, symbols and topics that comprise homogenous narratives and interpretations. They consolidate the findings of different fields of study and thus allow to analyse the Latinitas of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as an integral part of the political community’s identity.The symbols of Latin language and culture can be identified as a basis for a Shift from oral to written culture. It conveys the ideas of order and organisation, as it transforms customary law into a codified one, a natural religion into that based on Scripture, etc. It alters the society as well, mainly because writing and written culture marks a shift in identity and behaviour. Also, by focusing on social and educational aspects, the Shift marks an institutional change, which permeates the developments of the state and society as a whole.The multipolar cultural field of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania is described by four cultural models – Polish, Lithuanian, Ruthenian, and Latin. The metaphor of Interaction shows how Latin culture and language is seen as one of the four ideological alternatives that legitimize the state, dynasty and sovereignty.Thirdly, the metaphor of Tension depicts Latinitas as part of the dichotomy between Eastern and Western civilizations by expressing the symbolical content of the latter. This narrative also emphasizes the internal confessional disputes inside the Western Church, and by exploiting the specific understanding of the Renaissance humanism, it becomes a means to understand sociocultural conflicts of the Early Modern state.The interpretation of Latinitas as a communication channel is nested under the metaphor of Medium. Works in this category usually portray Latin language as an expression of a social, economic, political, etc. status quo, which differs in each European state. Latin culture thus helps to articulate national interests and identity, and enables the cultural exchange among the Western countries as well.Finally, by emphasizing the poor literacy of the society and only limited possibilities to learn Latin and acknowledge its cultural code, researchers portray Latinitas as a Secret. The speakers and writers of Latin form a hermetic group, possessing the knowledge of a cultural matrix inaccessible to others. The dignity of Latin language also strengthens the status of vernacular languages, and thus accumulates the process of identity formation.These five narratives exemplify how Latinitas is embedded within the economic, political, and cultural activities of the society. It also depicts the different ways by which it becomes an integrating principle of the identity of the intellectual and political classes in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It provides an account of Roman descent, sustains the claim for political sovereignty, and indicates the civilizing process. By adopting those five different narratives, researchers may further analyse Latinitas not only as a separate cultural layer, but as a part of social identity as well.

Ancient writers on the Latin language had the concept of ‘reconstruction’ of words which existed in earlier stages of the language. In some ways this was similar to modern notions of reconstruction, in others different. In this article I show how writers subsequent to Varro continued to use concepts of relationships of sounds between older and classical Latin, and between Latin and other languages, to come up with their reconstructions. I will also show that these reconstructions could be considered to have once existed, to the extent that they could be treated as real words in lexica.

Objective. To show the advantages of using innovative methods in teaching the subject"Latin language" for medical students.Material and methods. Methodical developments and guidelines for practical andseminar classes, lecture material on the subject "Latin language and the basics of medicalterminology", developed by the teachers of the Department of Foreign Languagesof Bukovinian State Medical University, which allow to show through the prism ofsystematization of innovative teaching methods, the advantages of using the scribingmethod in teaching the course "Latin language" at the medical, pharmaceutical and dentalfaculties.Research results. The research shows that it is the use of innovative methods of teachingsubjects in a medical higher educational establishment that will maximize the system ofeducational activity of each student, taking into account their individual characteristics.According to the aforementioned, the teachers of the department have developed scribingprojects of different complexity levels, which allows giving, practical and seminars onsubjects effectively and at a modern level.Conclusions. The proposed research has a practical direction and theoretical substantiation,because it has a connection with important scientific and pedagogical tasks of the present- the development of communication skills, creative thinking, creativity in students whilemastering new material, as well as contributes to a modern, non-standardized organizationand diversity of educational activities.

10 The expansion of Rome: from city-state to superstate - the Latin language - Roman names

Kyivan Rus’ had extensive political, economic and cultural connections with other European states. Knowledge of foreign languages, the Latin language in particular, was in demand to maintain these connections. The article outlines the context in which the Latin literature in medieval Kyiv emerged and also the spheres where the Latin language was used. The history of one ruling family, Prince Iziaslav of Kyiv, Princess Gertruda of Kyiv, their son Prince Yaropolk and daughter-in-law Cunigunda, is preserved in texts and artefacts. Primary and secondary sources as well as the sphragistic data, related to international contacts of the family with Pope Gregory VII, the Papal legates, Duke Bolesław II the Bold of Poland and King of Germany Heinrich IV, provide facts of usage of Latin by the Kyivan royals. The article analyses usage of Latin in foreign relations of Kyiv and in literature of the second half of the 11th century. The Latin language was used in Kyivan Rus’ in the second half of the 11th century in literature (prayers, religious poetry and chants), votive inscriptions, in administration (seals) and ecclesiastic and foreign correspondence.

The use of Latin in the multilingual society of Roman Egypt was never more than marginal. Yet, as a language of the ruling power, the Roman Empire, Latin enjoyed to some extent a privileged status. It was generally more widely applied in the army, as well as on some official occasions, and in the field of law. Less expectably, various Latin inscriptions on stone had religious contents or were found in sacred spaces and contexts. Such texts included honorary and votive inscriptions, visitors’ graffiti, and funerary inscriptions. All three groups are surveyed and evaluated focusing especially on their actual relation to the religious sphere and social background, noting both continuity and changes of existing practices and traditions. Such analysis of the inscriptions allows to draw conclusions not only regarding the use of Latin in religious matters in Egypt but also reveal some aspects of the use of Latin in Egypt in general and the role of Roman culture in the Egyptian society.

The present issue of the International Journal of Quantum Chemistry is especially devoted to the Proceedings of the 33rd Congress of Theoretical Chemists of Latin Expression (QUITEL in Spanish and CHITEL in other Latin languages). This Congress took place in Havana, Cuba, from September 17 to 21, 2007, and was hosted by the University of Havana in the year of its 280th anniversary (Jan. 5, 1728–2008). One of the oldest universities in the Americas hosted one of the newest branches of science. The Congress followed a long lasting tradition by itself, because the series began in Modena, Italy (1969), and has been extended to many countries where Latin languages are official, and even some others like those in the Magreb, where French, Spanish, and Italian are used extensively in the academic community. An updated history list of CHITEL's is being published in the following pages of this IJQC issue. CHITEL's are not exclusive regarding languages. English and other international languages can be used for written materials (as graphical presentations and posters) although participants are requested to present their oral communications in any Latin language. It creates a significant atmosphere of cooperation, communication, and even fraternity. It is a fact, although the origins of these effects are matters of social research, and any comment would be speculative. Havana resulted as a warm and familiar environment and the large number of attendants together with the scientific level of them broke expectations, not only from the point of view of Cuban organizers but also foreign visitors. The Hotel Nacional de Cuba, an emblematic place in the city, brought also an unexpected scientific spirit. The occasion was also opportune to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the famous paper of Heitler and London 1 showing the first quantum description of chemical bond and the 40th anniversary of the first Cuban paper on quantum chemistry by Lodos and Pérez 2. Havana's QUITEL in 2007 has considered different areas of general interest, such as theoretical foundations, biomolecules, dynamics and kinetics, spectroscopy, surfaces and catalysis. This special issue comprises carefully peer-reviewed contributions presented in the Congress on these themes. About 50 oral communications took place in the Congress (either as plenary lecturers or invited speakers), all of them of very high scientific quality. Moreover, 150 posters distributed into four sessions were also presented, preceded by short oral announcements. The time schedule was truly stressing, although allowed that all participants had access to all presentations. The invited opening lectures were as follows: The attendance was of circa 180 participants coming from different countries: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, France, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay, and Venezuela. It was truly regrettable the nonpossibility of several interested colleagues in the United States of America to come. In this edition, several Latin-American residents in Europe and Canada have been included in the Program to increase and stimulate their interaction with Latin-American and European colleagues and with students. We wish to thank the speakers for their lucid and interesting conferences and their active participation in the poster sessions and useful contribution to the plenary activities. We also greatly appreciated all the individuals and institutions allowing QUITEL 2007 to be held in Cuba. The International Scientific Committee was constituted by Manef Abderrabba, from the Université de 7 de Novembre a Carthage, Tunisie, Gustavo Arteca, from the Université Laurentienne, Sudbury, Canada, Gloria Cárdenas-Jirón, from the Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile, Laura Coitiño, from the Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay, Chantal Daniel, from the Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France, Claude Daul, from the Université de Fribourg, Fribourg, Suisse, Darío Estrín, from the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Stefano Evangelisti, from the Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France, Francesc Illas, from the Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, España, Najia Komiha, from the Université Mohammed V-Agdal, Rabat-Agdal, Maroc, Christian Minot, from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France, Fernando Rei Ornellas, from the Universidade do Sao Paulo, Brazil, Pedro Ortiz, from the Universidad de La Habana, La Habana, Cuba, Adrián Roitberg, from the University of Florida, Gainesville, USA, Nino Russo, from the Università della Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italia, Luis Seijo, from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, España. They largely contributed to the high quality of the meeting. The local organization was carried out by a committee integrated by many individuals from different Cuban institutions (in alphabetical order according family names): Carolina Aguiar Puñal, Facultad de Química, Universidad Central de Las Villas ([email protected]), Esther Alonso Becerra, Facultad de Química, Universidad de La Habana ([email protected]), Yoanna Álvarez Ginarte, Centro de Química Farmacéutica ([email protected]), Yania Caballero López, Universidad e La Habana ([email protected]), Ramón Carrasco Velar, Centro de Química Farmacéutica, (ramon.carr[email protected]), Edelsys Codorniú Hernández, Instituto Superior de Ciencias y Tecnologías Aplicadas ([email protected]), Rachel Crespo Otero, Facultad de Química, Universidad de La Habana ([email protected]), Lourdes Alicia Díaz Fernández, Facultad de Química, Universidad de La Habana ([email protected]), Alejandro Gil Tey, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de La Habana ([email protected]), Augusto González, Instituto de Cibernética, Matemática y Física ([email protected]), Susana González Santana, Facultad de Química, Universidad de La Habana ([email protected]), Anabel Lam Barandela, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales ([email protected]), Kalet León, Centro de Inmunología Molecular ([email protected]), Leonardo Mokarzel Falcón, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de La Habana ([email protected]), Ana Lilian Montero Alejo, Facultad de Química, Universidad de La Habana ([email protected]), Luis Alberto Montero Cabrera, Facultad de Química, Universidad de La Habana ([email protected]), Noel Moreno Lemus, Universidad de las Ciencias Informáticas ([email protected]), Ernesto Moreno, Centro de Inmunología Molecular ([email protected]), Cercis Morera Boado, Facultad de Química, Universidad de La Habana ([email protected]), José Manuel Nieto Villar, Facultad de Química, Universidad de La Habana ([email protected]), Pedro Ortiz del Toro, Facultad de Química, Universidad de La Habana ([email protected]), Juan Alexander Padrón García, Facultad de Química, Universidad de La Habana ([email protected]), Yoana Pérez Badell, Facultad de Química, Universidad de La Habana ([email protected]), Carlos Pérez Martínez, Facultad de Química, Universidad de La Habana ([email protected]), Germán Rojas, Instituto Superior de Ciencias y Tecnologías Aplicadas ([email protected]), Migdalia Romero, Facultad de Química, Universidad de La Habana ([email protected]), Jesús Rubayo Soneira, Instituto Superior de Ciencias y Tecnologías Aplicadas ([email protected]), Angel Rabdel Ruiz Salvador, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales ([email protected]), Miguel Ángel Sirés Mitjans, Facultad de Química, Universidad de La Habana ([email protected]), and Reynier Suardíaz del Río, Facultad de Química, Universidad de La Habana ([email protected]). The great majority of such a huge number of individuals were also scientists submitting relevant advances in the congress. We like to mention especially all referees who contributed by reviewing the manuscripts for this issue. Their very delicate, rigorous, valuable, and voluntary collaboration made possible the present publication. The main editorial office of the International Journal of Quantum Chemistry was very collaborative and opened for publishing this special issue. Finally, we would like to express our warmest gratitude to all participants to the Congress, because they truly contributed to the friendly atmosphere and the success of this meeting. Even in adverse conditions when countries and peoples appear very far of mutual understanding, science and good will can overcome all barriers and provide a dose of a very necessary humanity.

The manual consists of 34 tests on the Latin language, which test linguistic terminology, phonetics, vocabulary, grammar and word formation of the Latin language of the classical period. The tests are grouped into sections: phonetics, morphology, syntax, and case functions. Each test consists of two parts: the first part (the first ten questions) tests knowledge of theory, the second part (the second ten questions) contains practical tasks in the Latin language. The tests correspond to the federal state educational standard in the discipline “Ancient Languages and Cultures” for training areas 44.03.01 “Pedagogical Education”, 45.03.01 “Philology”, 45.03.02 “Linguistics”, as well as for other humanitarian areas of university training. At the end of the manual there is a Latin-Russian dictionary, which presents the words used in the tests. The manual is intended for students of higher educational institutions, high school students, as well as for everyone interested in the Latin language.

Cracking etymological enigmas: unravelling the Greek and Latin languages’ contributions in marine taxa nomenclature

The use of information and communication technologies in educational activities has expanded the possibilities of linguodidactic services, including the process of learning the Latin language. Digital educational resources have changed the quality of life in the context of globalization by providing new opportunities for access to digital resources of world libraries, active use of the linguodidactic potential of teaching Latin from leading educational institutions and practitioners. This actualizes the presented study, the problem of which is to reveal the educational potential of the Internet environment as a driver for learning the Latin language.The purpose of the research is to substantiate the possibility of using Internet resources as a means of Linguodidactics in the study of the Latin language. To achieve the stated goal a set of research methods has been used: analysis of scientific research on the problem under study, generalization of information sources on the Internet, systematization, classification, methods of visual presentation.The results and key conclusions are as follows: a range of educational Internet resources that can be used to learn the Latin language have been reviewed; the didactic potential of Internet resources in Latin analyzed; the advantages of computer linguodidactics for learning the Latin language described.The results of the research expand the understanding of linguodidactic services on the Internet using the example of the Latin language, which in general expands the theory and teaching methods. The proposed classification of educational Internet resources can be used by teachers in teaching the Latin language.