Thursday, November 19, 2009

Latin Subjunctive -7

Result Substantive (Noun) Clause - Continued

Let us see the above verbs one by one.

'fit, efficitur, accidit, ēvenit, contingit, accēdit, fierī potest, fore, sequitur, relinquitur'

ēdit, accidit, additur, atera est rēs, committō, cōnsequor, co ingit, efficiō, ēvenit, faciō, fit, fierī potest, impetrō, integrum est, mōs est, mūnus est, necesse est, prope est, rēctum est, relinquitur, reliqutat, tantī est, tantum est



Before generalization I want to arrange the above verbs to several groups of meanings:

1) make group
faciō
to make, construct, fashion, frame, build, erect, produce, compose
fit <--- fio
to become, to be made
fierīinfinitive of fio

forefuture infinitive of fio

2) cause and effect or sequence (logic) group

cōnsequor
To follow, follow up, press upon, go after, attend, accompany, pursue any person or thing
Ref. English: consequence

effĭcĭo
to make out, work out; hence, to bring to pass, to effect, execute, complete, accomplish, make, form
Ref. English: effect

impĕtro
to accomplish, effect, bring to pass; to get, obtain, procure, esp. by exertion, request, entreaty
Ref. English: impetus

sĕquor
to follow, to come or go after, to follow after, attend.

3) completion (coming near) group
accēdo , to go or come to or near, to approach.
Ref. English: access

prŏpe
Adverb. (comp. propius, and sup. proxime, v. under propior), near, nigh (class.).
Ref. English: proxy, approximate

4) integration (addition) group
addo to put, place, lay, etc., a person or thing to another.Ref. English: add

committo
Of two or more objects, to bring, join, combine into one whole; to join or put together, to connect, unite.
Ref. English: commit

intĕger
Undiminished, whole, entire, complete, perfect
Ref. English: integral

5) happening group
accīdo
to begin to cut or to cut into; hence, so to cut a thing that it falls, to fell, to cut
Ref. English: accident

contingo
to touch on all sides. to touch, take hold of, seize (See below English con·tin·gent)
English con·tin·gent
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin contingent-, contingens, present participle of contingere to have contact with, befall, from com- + tangere to touch — more at tangent
Date: 14th century
1 : likely but not certain to happen : possible
2 : not logically necessary; especially : empirical
3 a : happening by chance or unforeseen causes b : subject to chance or unseen effects : unpredictle
c
: intended for use in circumstances not completely foreseen
4 : dependent on or conditioned by something else
5 : not necessitated : determined by free choice

ēvĕnĭo
to come out, come forth.

5) leaving (remaining) group
linquo to leave behind by removing one's self; to leave, move away from; to leave, abandon (a person or thing).

rĕlĭquus
Adjective. that is left or remains, that is left behind, remaining
-----
Others
mos
Noun. manner, custom, way, usage, practice, fashion, wont, as determined not by the laws, but by men's will and pleasure, humor, self-will, caprice
rēctus,
Aective. good, uprightness, rectitude, virtue

mūnus
Noun. duty, office, obligation


nĕcesse
Adjective. Unavoidable, inevitable, indispensable, necessary
The above four words belong to the subjunctive of general truths or should. And these do not seem to show result.

------
tantus
Of such size or measure, so great in amount, extent, value, degree, etc. (as some standard expressed or understood)

This ward belongs to the subjunctive of characteristic. As we explained before (Latin Subjunctive -2) this shows result in a special way.

Now we proceed with the above six groups and try to generalize these in terms of result.

1) make group
2) cause and effect or sequence (logic) group
3) completion (coming near) group
4) integration (addition) group
5) happening group
6) leaving (remaining) group

What is or what are common in these groups in terms of result? The text book explain briefly,

Result clauses are also called consecutive clauses because they tell you what is likely (potential) to follow (consequor) an initial action.

Potential is the key for subjunctive. Subjunctive imply 'not fixed, not defined, not specified' thing. Meanwhile result shows 'fixed, defined, specified' thing. How to solve this contradiction. Well, it is not so difficult if we think about potential of the result or a degree of the result (accomplishment). It starts from zero (full potential) to completion or realization of the potential (zero potential). There some degrees in between, from hgh potential to low potential.

full potential - high potential - low potential - zero potential
(start) - (change of potential) - (completion)

1) make group - showing the general (whole) process of the change of potential
Concern is a change or creation (positive), to make a thing or event, etc.

2) cause and effect or sequence (logic) group - also showing the general (whole) process of the change of
potential. Concern is cause and effect of a change or creation (either positive or passive)

3) completion (coming near) group - showing low potential to zero potential

4) integration (addition) group - showing a change of potential step by step (one by one)

5) happening group - also showing the general (whole) process of the change of potential
Concern is a change or creation, but rather passive - be made (happen)

6) leaving (remaining) group - showing full potential - high potential (starting stage or not started yet)

In either way, when you are talking a result, conscientiously or unconscientiously you are referring to the potential. So result and subjunctive is not contradictory.


sptt


Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Latin Subjunctive -6

Result Substantive (Noun) Clause

Substantive clause is a noun clause. Certain verbs take a noun form of ut + subjunctive and showing a result. Some examples.

Gravitas morbi facit ut medicina egeamus. The severity of the disease makes us need medicine (the severity of the disease causes with the result that we need medicine).

Eficiam (Faciam) ut intellegatis. I will make you understand.

Please compare the Latin and the English sentences carefully.

Latin: Facio ut + subjunctive
Englishi: to make + infinitive

The English (using make + infinitive) is considered to be developed or evolved from Latin but something is missing, something which the Latin ut + subjunctive brings. The following advertisement phrase would be new to Latin people.

"For those people determined to make things happen ....."

Some more examples:

ex quō efficitur, ut voluptās nōn sit summum bonum. From which it follows that pleasure is not the greatest good.

ita fit, ut nēmō esse possit beātus. Thus it happens that no one can be happy.

accēdēbat ut nāvēs deessent. Another thing was the lack of ships (lit. it was added that ships were lacking).


The text book says 'fit, efficitur, accidit, ēvenit, contingit, accēdit, fierī potest, fore, sequitur, relinquitur' take ut + subjunctive

-----
Another text book shows:

verbs and phrases taking an ut-clause of result as subject or object are accēdit, accidit, additur, altera t rēs, committō, cōnsequor, contingit, efficiō, ēvenit, faciō, fit, fierī potest, fore, impetrō, integrum est, mōs est, mūnus est, necesse est, prope est, rēctum est, relinquitur, reliqutat, tantī est, tantum abest , and a few others.

and shows some common meanings:

1) accomplishment of an effort for faciō and its compounds ( efficiō , cōnficiō , etc.):—
  1. efficiam ut intellegātis (Clu. 7) , I will make you understand (lit. effect that you, etc.). [So, faciam ut intellegātis (id. 9).]
  2. commeātūs ut portārī possent efficiēbat (B. G. 2.5) , made it possible that supplies could be brought.
  3. perfēcī ut ē rēgnō ille discēderet (Fam. 15.4.6) , I brought about his departure from the kingdom.
  4. quae lībertās ut laetior esset rēgis superbia fēcerat (Liv. 2.1) , the arrogance of the king had made this liberty more welcome.
  5. ēvincunt īnstandō ut litterae darentur (id. 2.4), by insisting they gain their point,—that letters should be sent. [Here ēvincunt = efficiunt .]
in passive

impetrātum est utin senātū recitārentur (litterae) (B. C. 1.1), they succeeded in having the letter read in
the senate
(it was brought about that, etc.).

ita efficitur ut omne corpus mortāle sit(N. D. 3.30) , it therefore is made out that every body is mortal.

2) Of Impersonals meaning it happens, it remains, it follows, it is necessary, it is added, and the like
    1. accidit ut essetlūna plēna (B. G. 4.29) , it happened to be full moon (it happened that it was, etc.). [Here ut esset is subject of accidit .]
    2. reliquum est utofficiīs certēmusinter nōs (Fam. 7.31) , it remains for us to vie with each other in courtesies.
    3. tat ut hōc dubitēmus(Rosc. Am. 88) , it is left for us to doubt this.
    4. sequitur ut doceam(N. D. 2.81) , the next thing is to show (it follows, etc.).

What is or what are common with Result among these verbs mentioned above? Result and subjunctive (showing potential) are contradictory.

There many types of verbs (in terms of meaning) but the basic function of verbs is to shows 'action' and 'change (including no change)'.

Let us see the above verbs one by one.


sptt


Monday, November 16, 2009

Latin Subjunctive -5


Relative Clause of Characteristic and Result Clause

Result is a fact, fixed, defined and specified fact so that result should not be expressed in subjunctive which is potential, not fixed. Logically result and subjunctive are contradictory.

Relative Clause of Characteristic and Result Clause are closely related and basically in the same group, which I would like to call clause with some degree if you do not mind a new name. But the new name would only make the mater more unnecessarily complicated.

As explained in Latin Subjunctive -2, Subjunctive itself has a function of expressing generalization, but a partial or limited generalization - limited by the subjunctive clause.

The following examples show this partial or limited generalization - limited by the subjunctive in both Relative Clause of Characteristic and Result Clause.

Relative Clause of Characteristic
Non is sum qui improbos laudem. I am not the sort of man who praises the wicked.
[Compare: non is sum qui improbo laudo. I am not that (specific) man who is praising the wicked.)
Nemo est quin saepe audierit. There is no one who has not often heard.
Result Clause

Qui est tam demens ut sua voluntate maeret? Who is so senseless that he would mourn by his own free will?

Nemo est tam senex qui se annum non putet posse vivere. No one is so old that he does not think that he could live for a year
Nemo est tam certus quin umquam perturbetur. No one is so certain that he is not ever confused.
The meaning of the above Result Clause examples look like showing the result but more generally implying the meaning of a certain defined degree. That is why subjunctive is used not because it shows a result. So Result clause is rather misleading.


sptt

Friday, November 13, 2009

Latin Subjunctive -4


Now we have two weapons - big one potential and not big but potentially workable one to some degree.
We have already introduced purpose clause in Latin Subjunctive -3.

"
There is no infinitive of purpose in Latin. Instead, the Romans use the subordinate conjunctive ut/ne + the subjunctive mood to express purpose.

Edimus ut vivamus
. We eat in order to live.
"
A purpose is surely potemtial - not realzed - as well as realted with will.

Some more expamles.
habes locum ubi sedeas. = "you have a place to sit" or "... where you should sit."
Pugnamus ne superemur: We are fighting so as not to be defeatedNon pugnabamus ut superaremur: We were not fighting so as to be defeated
Quintus donum Scintillae dedit ut eum amet - Quintus gave Scintilla a gift so that she would love him.
Fabius equos domum duxit ne tempestate timerentur - Fabius brought the horses home lest they be frightened by the storm.
Marcus Graeciam fugit ut matrem suam Romae inveniret - Marcus fled Greece to find his mother in Rome.
Currit ut nuntium videre. He ran to see the messenger.
Missi sunt ut acciperent cibum = they were sent to get food, so that they might get food, in order to get food, for the purpose of obtaining food.


Tabernam ambulamus ut ancillam videremus. We are walking to the shop in order to see the slave-girl.


sptt

Latin Subjunctive -3

What exists behind the subjunctive? Or what kind of things would (or could) exist behind the subjunctive ?

A general answer will be potential. Potential has not been realized (when time is involved). Potential is not 100% fixed, not 100% defined, not 100% specified but rather fixed, defined, specified to some degree either intentionally or unintentionally (due to some force) by a speaker or writer.
Here, the point is to some degree. By using the engineering terms, potential is specified with a certain (specified) tolerance, which is usually called 'characteristic' of products - a group of products. This concept - fixed, defined, specified to some degree - explains some of the the following uses of subjunctive.

Uses of the Subjunctive (defined below)
Main clauses
Subordinate clauses
Potential Subj.
Optative Subj.
Volitive Subj.
Hortatory Subj.
Jussive Subj.
Prohibitive Subj.
Concessive Subj.
Deliberative Subj.

















Purpose Clause
Relative Clause of Characteristic
Result Clause
Fear Clause
Causal Clause
Cum Temporal
Cum...Tum
Antequam/Postquam
Dum Clause
Substantive Clause
Volitive Subst. Clause/Indirect Imperatives
Optative Subst. Clause
Result Subst. Clause
Quin Subst. Clause
Indirect Questions
Adversitive Clause
Subj. by Attraction
Logical Conditions
Ideal Conditions
Future Less Vivid
Unreal Conditions
Present Contrary to Fact
Past Contrary to Fact
General Conditions
Present General
Past General
Condition of Comparison


There is no infinitive of purpose (e.g. "I went to the store to buy bread") in Latin. Instead, the Romans use the subordinate conjunctive ut/ne + the subjunctive mood to express purpose.

o Edimus ut vivamus. We eat in order to live.
Likewise there are no articles in Latin equivalent to the indefinite article 'a' and definite article 'the'. How to solve this problem - distinction between 'a' and definite article 'the'? Historically this is preposterous. Why and how 'a' and 'the' started to be used in English? This is another big topic to study.

The article 'the' is relatively simple because 'the' is definite - defined (fixed, specified). The indefinite article 'a' is not this simple because 'indefinite' does not mean 'non-definite' (100% or completely 'not definite') and it means rather 'not-definite' or 'partially definite' or 'definite to some degree'. Some is indefinite - indefinite pronoun - indefinite adjective.

sptt

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Latin Subjunctive -2

As the Latin subjunctive mood covers a diverse meanings as shown below (for instance) it is better to have some general ideas covering all or most of the these meanings than to study and memorize one by one. I have tried to this generalization. Only one very general idea is good but I have not been successful to find it.

Uses of the Subjunctive (defined below)
Main clauses
Subordinate clauses
Potential Subj.
Optative Subj.
Volitive Subj.
Hortatory Subj.
Jussive Subj.
Prohibitive Subj.
Concessive Subj.
Deliberative Subj.



















Purpose Clause
Relative Clause of Characteristic
Result Clause
Fear Clause
Causal Clause
Cum Temporal
Cum...Tum
Antequam/Postquam
Dum Clause
Substantive Clause
Volitive Subst. Clause/Indirect Imperatives
Optative Subst. Clause
Result Subst. Clause
Quin Subst. Clause
Indirect Questions
Adversitive Clause
Subj. by Attraction
Logical Conditions
Ideal Conditions
Future Less Vivid
Unreal Conditions
Present Contrary to Fact
Past Contrary to Fact
General Conditions
Present General
Past General
Condition of Comparison

The following is one of the possible general ideas I have found. The following explanation on Relative Clause of Characteristic gave me a hint.


"
Relative Clause of Characteristic

o Expresses a quality or characteristic for a general or unspecific antecent/set of people.
o Introduced by the relative pronoun (form of qui), negative non qui.
o The negative can also be introduced by quin which is a contraction of qui + non.
o Non is sum qui improbos laudem. I am not the sort of man who praises the wicked.
[Compare: non is sum qui improbo laudo. I am not that (specific) man who is praising the wicked.)
o Nemo est quin saepe audierit. There is no one who has not often heard.
"

My note: This does not apply only to people and can apply to things too.

Subjunctive itself has a function of expressing generalization as shown above. The point is that the generalization by subjunctive is not a full generalization but a partial or limited generalization - limited by the subjunctive clause.

sptt

Latin Subjunctive

I have tried to learn Latin several times before in my life but had failed all the time until recently. I found the following fact in my recent x-th time trial.

The subjunctive mood (subjunctive) should be learned first in Latin grammar (for the purpose of understanding what is written in Latin) because

1) subjunctive is very frequently used in sentences in Latin.

2) It is generally difficult to guess the meanings of Latin sentences having subjunctive by using
your knowledge of English as basically there are no subjunctive in English (no subjunctive in Japanese and Chinese either) (I am Japanese living in Hong Kong).

So without some knowledge of the subjunctive it is very difficult to understand the meanings of most sentences you encounter.

As subjunctive is usually introduced at some later part in a Latin grammar text book it is recommended to start reading a text book backward if you failed or gave up repeatedly in learning Latin like me.

sptt