Latin

Latin still is used in some specialized fields of life in Ill Bethisad.

Scientific Latin (LSF)

Latin, in the form of Latino Sine Flexione (Latin Without Inflexions), is still the international language of the sciences, and most scientific papers have been written in it since the time of Peano. Most world-class journals accept papers in a variety of languages, but since GW1 Latino Sine Flexione has been strongly preferred. (JC, 19150, 16370)

Why is Latin still alive and well in IB? Unlike *here*, the Humanist reforms of Medieval Latin were not quite so successful. Instead, they succeeded in everything except reform of vocabulary.

*Here*, the Humanist reforms were largely a reaction against the medieval Latin. The reforms greatly affected the language, so that blackletter scripts for the most part stopped being used, and Latin was essentially turned from a language which could be used outside of education into one which was officially dead. It's also interesting that Latin became less precise.

Thus in IB, the modern vocabulary that Medieval Latin introduced and made useful as a language was preserved, yet the useful innovations of Humanist Latin (such as lower-case letters, less formality in writing, &c.) were also preserved. The result was that the more puritan elements of the Humanist reforms did not gain wide currency, but the wider idea of reforming Latin, which at the time was written largely like the writer's native language but with Latin words, survived as an effort to give the language a coherent grammar again, culminating in LSF.

Peano's later Latino sine Flexione had more chance of success under these circumstances, thereby making Latin a practical technical auxiliary language.

I wonder if there's a list of words which the Humanists rejected which were common in Medieval Latin?

(KG, 26510)
(BG, 26515)

Ecclesiastical Latin

Main page: Catholicism#Language Issues

Latin remains the official language of the Roman Catholic Church and all documents that pertain to the Roman Rite are written in Latin. Documents pertaining to the other rites are written in the chief language of that rite and equivalent Latin versions subsequently deposited in the Vatican archives. The Isidorian Rite officially adheres to the tradition of the liturgy in Latin, but there is an increasing move towards vernacularisation. The Divine Liturgy may NOT be sung in the vernacular, though some portions of the Liturgy (certain prayers and intercessions) may be sung in either Latin or the vernacular. The education of Catholic children was totally revised in 1990 to focus more on understanding what is happening in the Mass and learning the meanings behind the gestures and words. On the positive side, priests are explicitly prohibited from mumbling the Latin - they too must learn to intone clearly.

The Eastern Catholics have long had the tradition of singing the liturgy in the vernacular tongue. The Cambrian Catholics have also shared this tradition, with the exception of the Dumnonians who have maintained their own tradition of the liturgy in Latin.

(PB)

Insular Legal Latin

A form of Latin is still used in Dumnonian and Paesan courts and used in legal documents. Legal Latin is a kind of Vulgar Latin that ceased evolving in the 7th and 8th centuries. It forms the basis of British legalese, and indeed legal documents are still often written in this language. This is quite different than the high Church Latin (more or less, Classical Latin) and the Romanis (i.e. Romance) spoken by Britons in the early middle ages. Following is a sample of a birth certificate.

::per le utilitate luor necessitantum, extendo ocs illes presentes triginta die Equo mmij apud civitatem Iscam Dunoro in Prouincia Duneno::

Triginta die Equo camulo Dunnoro apud Isca Dunoro maiore Marco Iowanes rege Gerontio xiij imperatore Constantino xj Bizantio, anno domino mmij anno auc mmdcclv; facetor oc:

Apud Iscam Dunoro in oc die, uenitor apud me Theodosio derwido oc omo, __Alexander Iulius-Cesar Dawies__, conductor, apud Iscam uiuens et oc faxit gnotum:

Et oc affirmot ille quid apud Iscam uiginta et tertio die Equo nonas horas ante meridianas peperciter filio mapono, tertiogenito, quis est filio mapono de matre Maria Antonia Dawies- Vasquez, desecuentimongeir, apud Iscam uiuens & de patro Alexander Iulius-Cesar Dawies, conductor, apud Iscam uiuens;

et fuit natiuitas in __domullo No. vij Ystrada Constantino in “Via Regum”__, domus de matre et patreque;

et, mici atetulit patris documento de illa obstetrice quid affirmot: natiuitas facile agitor et peperciter filio mapono de forma normale et umbilico transfixo; Elizabeth MacInnis obstetrico.

Apud Iscam, testifacio __Alexander Iulius-Cesar Dawies__; __Marco Pendrosa__; __Caratacos Gaius Pendsantos__. Oc copia est fidele originale in Libro __4__, folia __72__, actum no. __1766__. Oc copia fuit enscripta per __Julia Farario__ ante mici presente.

__Theodosios derwidos__

For convenience of whoever might have need, the Present is extended the thirtieth day of Equo at the City of Isca of the Dumnonii in the Province of Dûnein.

On the thirtieth day of Equo, in the subkingdom of Dunnow at Isca of the Dumnonii, Marcus Jones being Mayor, Gereint XIII being King under Constantine XI at Byzantium, in the year of our lord 2002, being the 2760th of the City, the following was enacted:

At Isca of the Dumnonii in this day, there came to me, priest Theodosius, a man, Alexander Julius Caesar Davies, a trolly driver, living at Esca and he made the following known:

He affirmed that at Isca on the 23rd day of Equo at nine in the morning there was born a male child, third born, who is the son of the mother Maria Antonia Davies-Vasquez, a second hand shop owner, living at Esca and son of the father Alexander Julius-Caesar Davies, a trolly driver, living at Esca;

and the birth was at a house, no. 7 Constantine Street in Via Regnum, the house of the mother and father;

and the father gave me a document from the midwife which affirms: the birth was simply done and there was born a male child of normal form and the cord was severed; Elizabeth MacInnis, midwife.

SIGNED: Alexander Julius-Caesar Davies; Marcus Pendrosa; Caratacus Gaius Pendsantos. This is a faithful copy of the original in Book 4, Page 72, Act. No. 1766. This copy was transcribed by Julia Farario, me being present: Theodosius, priest.