LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

  c. (“Circa,” or around: c. 1776) cf. (“Confer”, compare.) e.g. (“exempli gratia,” for example) i.e. (“id est,” that is) JD (“Juris doctor,” Doctor of Law) LL.B (“Legum baccalaureus,” Bachelor of Laws) M.D. (“Medicinae doctor,” Doctor of Medicine) PhD (“Philosophiae doctor,” Doctor of philosophy)   Mark obtained his PhD c. 2015, but better cf. his University records, i.e. his transcript, to make sure. He wanted to be an M.D., but finally changed his mind, and for a while thought about getting a JD, although he didn´t have an LL.B.  

  Cuando se estudiaba latín en las escuelas, los alumnos decían que el latín era “la lengua madre y el tostón padre.” Ya lo han quitado de la enseñanza y, además, han aguado el resto de asignaturas. Lo que no han quitado son las tareas ni los deberes para casa. Pero no divaguemos. El origen de muchas expresiones y refranes en inglés y castellano provienen de esta lengua, que es madre para el español. Por ejemplo: --Better a poor compromise than a strong case / Más vale mala avenencia que buena sentencia. Lat. Cum licet fugere, ne quoere litem . --El hombre es un lobo para el hombre / Man is a wolf to man. Lat. Homo homini lupus. --Cada gallo canta en su muladar / Every cock crows on his own dunghill. Lat. Gallum in suo sterquilinio plurimum posse . --One swallow does not make a summer / Una golondrina no hace verano. Lat. Una hirundo non facit (effecit) ver. --No hay nada nuevo bajo el sol / There is nothing new under the son. Lat. Nihil sub sole novum . --Desperate d...

Madrid is holding yet another Second-hand Book Fair in Paseo de Recoletos, near Cibeles. I try to visit the stands in order to keep in touch with my literary youth and recollect old books read as a child. Suddenly my eyes discover Emilio Salgari, James O. Curwood, Emile Zola, Rafael Sabatini... and so many others we can no longer find in the few bookstores that are left open. Yesterday I saw a two-volume set of St. Thomas Aquinas ´ Summa Theologica in Latin. The price was 150 euros. The combination of author, title, and language got me to ponder. 150 euros for a title written in a dead language, few can read today, is a hefty sum. St. Thomas Aquinas is no celebrity -he has not appeared on TV recently!- and Latin is not a popular language people are trying to master. When nationalisms decided to use local languages and do away with Latin, European civilization lost a means of scientific and cultural communication of great importance. Educated people throughout Europe read Lati...