Amo, Amas, Amat and More: A Book Review
Now, I am definitely no Latin scholar, but I do arrive at staff meetings armed with several memorized phrases from the ancient tongue, ready to whip them out whenever the occasion permits. My source? It's a breezy little tome titled, Amo, Amas, Amat and More; How to Use Latin to Your Own Advantage and to the Astonishment of Others. Its author is Eugene Ehrlich, a renowned dictionary editor and contributor to other books about words.
The book is straightforwardly presented, with the Latin phrases given in alphabetical order. Each entry consists of the phrase followed by a phonetic rendering to assist in pronunciation, then its English translation and finally, in most instances, an explanatory paragraph to help elucidate the more mysterious of the offerings.
One aspect of Amo, Amas, Amat that is particularly helpful is that the author will occasionally translate a phrase using an equivalent English expression that might not be a word-for-word rendering (although he does provide the exact translation in the follow-up paragraph).
An example: "Aliquando bonus dormitat Homerus" is translated as "You can't win 'em all," but a more precise rendering would be, "Sometimes even good Homer dozes." Ehrlich offers the history behind this phrase, which helps us to understand why our common expression about not being able to "win 'em all" is indeed a good way to translate the Latin in this case.
Amo, Amas, Amat includes an introduction by William F. Buckley, Jr., as well as an index to the English translations, which makes for a nice cross-reference.
Amo, Amas, Amat was published by Harper & Row Publishers of New York; ISBN # 0-06-181249-8.
Related Tags: books, language, culture, rome, translations, words, latin, amo, amas, amat, phrase books
H. Tim Sevets is books editor for the Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium, where he specializes in objective reviews of the top money-making reports sold over the Web. Recently, he reviewed an e-book that claims to show how to make money by tearing up old books and magazines and selling them on eBay. Read his opinion at http://www.solid-gold.info/tear-up-old-books-sell-ebay.html.
Your Article Search Directory : Find in ArticlesRecent articles in this category:
- How To Sell Anything On Craigslist Whether You Own A Business Or Not
Did you know that craigslist is one word? Did you also know that it's not capitalized? The reason is - Directors' Vicarious Liability For Dishonor Of Company Cheque
In its landmark judgment in National Small Industries Corp. Ltd v. Harmeet Singh Paintal [2010], the - Letter's To God Book Review
'P.S. I think I'll write again tomorrow'While getting ready for his fishing trip Tyler remembered he - Kyocera Mita Fs-1030d / Fs-1030dn - Ecosys Low Total Cost Printer
The most unique thing about the Kyocera Mita FS-1030D / FS-1030dn is its ECOSYS "Cartridge free" pri - Self-motivation Encourages Us To Plan Our Goals And Helps.
Self-motivation adds excitement and enthusiasm into our lives and helps us face boldly all forms of - Matt Hustons Get Him Back Forever - Afraid Of Getting Caught?
Matt Huston's Get Him Back Forever provides a powerful plan that promises to help you not only to ge - Magic Of Making Up By Tw Jackson: A Short Review
If you're looking at buying the Magic of Making Up by TW Jackson, you want to make sure you're getti - A Book Review Of Preparing To Be A Help Meet
The best thing that comes in every woman's life is marriage. In addition, it is when two people fina - 5 Steps To Self Publishing Success
The economy was not so bad when I started thinking about self publishing my first book, Planting Des - To Kill A Mockingbird Chapter Summary - Chapter 11
Jem's Birthday and Mrs. Dubose:The day that follows the previous chapter's event is Jem's 12th birth
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Digital Photography eBook Review: Camera Dollars Income System
The "Camera Dollars Income System eBook" written by Brian Moore claims to contain everything you nee - Animals Rule in Children's Literature: Frogs and Caterpillars and Bears - Oh My!
From very hungry caterpillars and penguins for every day of the year to the Kingdom of Frogavia, ani - Used Book Stores
Many college bookstores allow students to sell their books back to the stores. These used bookstores - Book Review - Through the Storm by Sha' Givens
Mahogany Malone was named for her mother's favorite dancer, and one may argue that this teenage name - A Review on: "An Empire of Wealth"
Part III of the book "An Empire of Wealth", the emerging colossus, is being reviewed in this analysi - Good Starting Places in the Fantasy Genre
I'm a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to my reading. I will deride and verbally mutilate anything o - Book Review: Fiasco by Thomas E. Ricks
Among the most illuminating, and hence the most damning recent volume about the war in Iraq is Fiasc - Book Review: State of Denial by Bob Woodward
The most recent addition to our understanding of our difficulties in Iraq, State of Denial by Waterg - The Traveler - John Twelve Hawkes Review
There is a time and a place for nearly every style of literature out there. I find myself reading a - Crystals Made Simple: a Review of "The Crystal Handbook"
A few years ago, for research purposes for something I was writing, I was searching for a comprehens
