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- "Multi iuvenes in America hab…
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Why are these sentences all so ameri-centric. I personally find it very off putting
I am American (through no fault of my own) and I find it off-putting as well. Was there ever the word "America" in Latin?
I'm Australian. I'm interested in Latin from a more classical perspective, so Marcus Lutetia habitat, Livia Londinium habitat would sit better with me.
I'm really pleased that an American has created Duolingo, but since he created it for all the peoples of the world, I still think there is a bit too much American cultural and linguistic imperialism on it. eg most people learning Welsh are probably speakers of British English, but the course is "Welsh from US English"
401
Well, I think he uses American culture, etc. because they're more familiar with it. Yes, he created it for the world, but they were bound to have to use a culture for the examples and such. It just makes sense that they used the culture in which they are most familiar with.
That's fine for culturally-specific things, but it would be fun to add places and names from areas that and cultures that have latin designations. New York is fine, but what about Holy Roman Emperor 'Carolus' V, or Constantinopolis (now Istanbul!)? How about Lutecia and Saguntum and Tingis? Why doesn't Livia go to Lydia and then Libia? Why doesn't Germanicus visit Helvetia?
- 422
It's still undecided. Do you live in the UK or EU? Who knows?? But bad jokes aside, I certainly understand and agree that these phrases are too America-centric. Mix it up a bit. Marcus Madrid habitat? Minime, Marcus Romae habitat. Compared to "the Old World", the Americas are a long way from the origins of Latin.
I personally just find it kind of funny, because it mentions America so many times, but also because this course uses the Classical pronunciation...so the Romans who talked like this wouldn't have known about the "America" of the future. I could maybe understand it if we were learning Ecclesiastical Latin because America was founded by the time of the printing press when books stopped being written in Latin (more or less), and of course Roman Catholic mass was said in Ecclesiastical Latin up until 1962.
But as it is, with us learning Classical Latin and all, I am inclined to think is just a looked over mistake of sorts:)
If we're going to bring Latin into this century as we seem to be doing with all these references to America and New York iuvenis can also be feminine. Only with a limiting adjective can we know that a female is being referenced.
- 296
Strange isn't? Here we are learning Latin, but spending a lot of our time on the subject of America. Why not Gaul, Germania or Britannia? (At least Italia has had a few mentions .) They even choose 'Novum Eboracum' rather than the genuine Roman city of Eboracum.
- 1037
I think the second 'a' in America would be long too, as it is in the ablative case.
Multi iuvenes, multi adulescentes. The masculine adjective can include females but not vice versa.
The at way i was taught in French class, if there is even one make in a group, the pronoun is always male. I've gone with the assumption that it's the same in Latin.
Well, this app just told me my answer were wrong... And showed me the currect answer which is the exact same answer I input...
My question is, if we are having to use US-centric examples in this lesson, why is there not a locative version of America? Would 'Multi iuvenes Americae habitant' work here?
- 2106
Multi and Multae should recognise "multiple" as correct in addition to many. Etymologically speaking multiple is closer.
Why is it "habitant" and not "habitat" as we have learned earlier? Is it because of the plural used earlier, i.e., multi iuvenes?
This is just my third day trying to learn the language so please have mercy.
- 202
This is not a productive comment on my part but all these repeats of "(something) in america" have me singing the west side story soundtrack .
If I recall correctly, cities use a locative, but countries, provinces, states (continents) do not.
My word order should not be incorrect. Oh, my bad, was this a listening exercise? I cannot stand the incorrect pronunciation of the vowels so I didn't have the sound on. The use of a long vowel for a short renders a different number and case. Nails on a chalkboard.
- 834
I find the pronunciation bad too. As for word order, the verb usually comes at the end of the sentence.
- 531
Multi iuvenes in America habitant = Many young men live in America. But in a previous question, Multi iuvenes in America sunt = there are many young men... Why the difference within the same structure? What am I missing?
According to Duolingo Iuvenis stands for singular, while Iuvenes stands for plural. Is it right?
According to Duolingo Iuvenis stands for singular while Iuvenes stands for plural. Is it right?
- 1037
The present and the present continuous are the same in Latin, so you could translate 'Multi iuvenes in America habitant' as 'Many young men are living in America', particularly as we don't have context to guide us.
If you wanted to say 'Young men living in America...' you could use the present active participle and say 'iuvenes in America habitantes...'
