Latin of the New Sun

David Duffy · 21 Jul 2008, 22:47 · from 2008-July.txt.gz

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From: David.Duffy at qimr.edu.au (David Duffy)
Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:47:19 +1000 (EST)
Subject: (urth) Latin of the New Sun
In-Reply-To: <133476.14811.qm at web83711.mail.sp1.yahoo.com>
References: <133476.14811.qm at web83711.mail.sp1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0807220836340.7001 at orpheus.qimr.edu.au>

On Mon, 21 Jul 2008, John Smith wrote:
>
> When Severian receives his sword, he says he had
> learned enough of ancient languages to know that
> "Terminus Est"  means "This is the Line of Division."
> (Shadow, XIV)   A simpler translation would be "This
> is the end."
>
> Is Wolfe making little jokes (showing that Valeria and
> Severian don't understand the dead languages as well
> as they think) or is there something deeper going on?
>

No, I think they are word games, that often have a depth to them.  Wolfe 
delights in giving false etymologies, eg in _Peace_ for "brand new" and so 
forth.  My hypothesis has been that he uses the same Shorter Oxford 
Dictionary as I do, so for example "apheta [L f. Gk. aphetes starter, 
sender off.] Astrol. = Hyleg.  Hyleg...Astrol. The giver of life in a 
nativity" is funny, but the fuller definition of a hyleg by astrologers 
isn't.

So in the case of "terminus" "2a Rom. Antiq. The god presiding over 
boundaries or landmarkers ... 3. A boundary, a limit rare L17...4b the 
point at which something comes to an end".

David Duffy.

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