Latin Language Blog

The singer Enya has sung a few songs in Latin.

One of her Latin songs is called “Cursum Perficio”. Here is what it sounds like:

The lyrics and translations are here:

http://www.pathname.com/enya/watermark.html#cursum-perficio

This next Enya Latin song is called “Afer Ventus”:

The lyrics can be found here:

http://www.pathname.com/enya/shepherd_moons.html#afer-ventus

This next song is called “Tempus Vernum”.

Translations here:

http://www.pathname.com/enya/adwr.html#tempus-vernum

Latin can be found anywhere, especially in the movies! Hearing and being able to recognize a Latin phrase makes all those years of learning Latin worth it. Don’t you think?

The first clip is funny and comes from the movie Life of Brian. In this clip Brian gets ‘schooled’ in Latin grammar!

This next clip comes from the movie Tombstone. The dialogue is as follows:

 In vino veritas. (In wine there is truth)
Age quod agis. (Do what you do, which in English is better translated as “be careful of what you do)
Credat Judaeus Apella, non ego. (Let Apella the Jew believe, not me)
Iuventus stultorum magister. (Youth is the teacher of fools)
In pace requiescat. (May he rest in peace)

This next clip is from the scary movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose. There is a bit of Latin mixed in with other languages, but let’s just focus on the Latin. First she starts to count to six in Latin:

uno duo tres quatuor quinque sex

 Then she says, “Ego sum quis habitavit in Nerone” or “I am the one who inhabited/dwelled within Nero”.

Every Latin student should have at least one solid Latin dictionary. If you’re wondering what kind of Latin dictionary to get, maybe I can help you!

Cassel’s Latin Dictionary by D.P. Simpson is a good dictionary for intermediate Latin learners. What’s good about this dictionary is that the pronunciation and origin of the word is provided for those who want to do more than just look up the meaning of Latin words. An added bonus is that this dictionary gives several examples of possible meanings for each word and even gives references to the word used in actual Latin texts. The only bad thing that I can say about this dictionary is that it’s not sufficient for graduate level Latin words or phrases.

Collins Latin Concise Dictionary by Harpercollins Publishers is extremely affordable, especially considering that dictionaries tend to be expensive. This dictionary is best suited for beginner Latin learners. There are additional pages on grammar, declensions, Latin phrases, Latin measurements and so on. In many ways, this dictionary acts beyond just an ordinary dictionary. The only negative thing I have to say about this dictionary is that in an effort to keep this dictionary compact, the publishers have used a tiny font and sometimes it makes the words hard to read.

Oxford Latin Dictionary by P.G. W. Glare is very expensive. It’s about $300, but it’s one of the best dictionaries out there. There’s a reason why this dictionary costs $300 dollars. The font is easy to read and the binding is made of quality material. To add to that, there is an abundance of sample sentences for each possible meaning of the Latin word. The only bad critique that I can give about this dictionary is that it is very large. It’s not one of those dictionaries you can carry around and look words up when you feel like it.

The last time I checked online, The Bantam New College Latin and English Dictionary, Revised Edition by John Traupman was listed at $5 on Amazon for a new copy. Considering its price, I’d say this is a decent dictionary. It’s not as thorough as the Oxford dictionary, but it’ll do for those who are casual Latin learners. Not only does it have words used in classical Latin prose, it also contains some “street” language and vulgarities. It’s a small and concise dictionary and you can certainly carry it around with you wherever you go. The only negative comment about this book is that it won’t be enough for advanced Latin students.