Step in the Arena

Jessica:

First of all, apologies it took me so long to get back to you on your questions, but I forget to check the blog these days, going as fast as we are going. I am very glad you posted this, not only because THERE ARE NO SILLY QUESTIONS (I have spent years and years repeating this!), but also because others who have the same questions might see this and resolve any confusion. Do come back with more questions either here, in class, or in person, whenever you have time. And no, I don’t think of you less because you dash out of the class—I commend all of you who work and take Latin too! Ok, here goes my attempt to answer your questions, and I hope it helps:

To Professor M. actually shed a good bit of light on my noun declension problem the other day when she explained that -i stems usually follow one of the following patterns:
1. Nom & Gen singular both end in –is

Correct: civis, civis (citizen); collis, collis (hill); hostis, hostis (enemy); as we said in class, they all sound sing-song, so it’s easy to pick them out.

2. monosyllabic Nom & Gen singular are resolved in two consonents (dens, dentis)

Correct: These resolve their GENITIVE case into two consonants, so you must memorize the genitive, like you do for all third declension nouns. See exx. fons, fontis (fountain), nox, noctis (night), pons, pontis (bridge) and the like.


However, I still struggle sometimes trying to determine which conjugation verbs belong in. My two issues are this:
1. The infinitive for 2nd, 3rd, and 3rd -io verbs all look the same to me.

They absolutely do! That’s why, to differentiate between them, you must memorize not only the infinitive, but also the first person sg. It’s the combination of the two that will reveal whether you are looking at a 2nd, 3rd, and 3rd -io verb. So, take off the personal ending –o, from your 1st. sg. and see what are you left with:

1. If your last letter is –e- (e.g. sede-o), you are in the 2nd conjugation.
2. If your last letter is a consonant (leg-o, ascend-o, disc-o) you are in the 3rd conjugation.
3. And if your last letter is –i- (capi-o, fugi-o) you are in the third –io conjugation.
4. Now, the 1st sg. of the third –io (capi-o) looks exactly like the 1st. sg. of the fourth conjugation (audi-o). However, if you look at your infinitives, you can tell where you are. Take off the infinitive ending –re. Now, if your last letter is –i- (audi-re), you are in the fourth. If your last letter is –e- (cape-re, fuge-re) you are in the third io.


In other words, Latin will always provide known variables which you can use to work out the stuff that looks similar, the stuff that overlaps, or the stuff that you simply don’t know. One of my favorite parts in our class is finding the cognates, and seeing the light bulbs go on when peeps make connections between Latin and English. Oh, and Olivia, speaking of pulchritude, did you see the movie Akeela and the Bee? Ok, first, this movie will make you cry, then it will make you want to be a teacher, then it will make you fall in love with Latin and Greek! Seriously! Anyway, the word pulchritude plays a major role in this movie---I am not going to give away any spoilers, but do see it if you haven’t already! (Parenthesis: put your blogathon e-mail up here in case the newbies browse the blog).

What else? Oh, first, I see your cat and I raise you mine (see pic), and, second, here is an interesting video that Jordan sent me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsS__6LZK_g&mode=related&search=

It is a song (90’s rap with definite jazz overtones, I think) in which the artist Guru describes his struggle to dominate the rap scene in terms of a gladiatorial combat in the Colosseum, and includes other Greco-roman references and vocabulary. Here are the lyrics (explicit stuff omitted), which I at least needed to follow along:



Gang Starr Step In The Arena lyrics

{DJ Premier cuts the phrase Step up... over and over}
[Guru]
Once you step in the arena, cheater; you're gonna be a-
mazed when you gaze at the armor on this leader
Fully clad and glad to find a cause, I won't pause
Fear is a joke, slowpoke, I'm like claws
that'll rip 'cause your gift, is merely flesh
Superficial and I wish you, would give it a rest
But if you don't, I'll unsheath my Excalibur
Like a noble knight, so meet ya challenger
A true hero, while you're a through zero
Gettin beat to a pulp so that you can't run for help
I heard a gulp in your throat, cause you hope that I'll be merciful
but coo-cluck, I made you strut as I rehearse a few
battle drills, and watch your bladder spill
yellow fluid, check out how I mellowed into it
Face to feet to defeat, you can tell I'm into it
As I'm pullin out my lance, to kill you and advance to
the winner's throne; cause I own you once you step in the arena
{DJ Premier cuts the phrase Step up... over and over}
[Guru]
In the arena... or rather Colliseum
There's people gatherin by multitudes to see one
perpetrator fall to the dust after the other
Quickly disposed of at the hand of a known brother
Born wit the art in his heart that is Spartacus
And one-to-one combat Jack, just a thought of this
match-up, makes GangStarr wanna snatch up
one or two phrases from the new book with new pages
of rhymes that are built like a chariot
Dope vocals carry it, to the battle set
If a beat was a princess, I would marry it
But now I must bow to the crowd as I stand proud
Victorius, glorious, understand now
cause battles and wars and much fights I have been through
One MC got beheaded, and you can too
Forget it, cause you'd rather be just a spectator
An onlooker, afraid you may get slayed or
struck by a blow, from a mic gladiator
I betcha that later you might be sad that you played yourself
cause you stepped up, chest puffed out
And in just one lyric, you got snuffed out
Cause rhymin is serious, I'm strong, I'm like Hercules
You'll get hurt with these lines, close the curtains please
and suckers can jet cause I wreck once you step in the arena
{DJ Premier cuts the phrase Step inside my... arena over and over}
[Guru]
In the arena or forum, weak MC's I will floor 'em
Causin mayhem, I'll slay them, and the blood'll be pourin
Furthermore I implore, that as a soldier of war
I go in only to win and be the holder of more
trophies, titles, and triumphs cause I dump all the sly chumps
Never choosin to lose my spot, not once
For the mere idea of an opponent that I fear
is foolish utterly.......[explicit lines]
you better sit again citizen, weak MC's I get rid of them
Watch the way they get distraught when they get caught
in the worst positions, cause they didn't listen
and tried goin up against a hungry killer who's itchin
to mame and murder, those who claimed that they were the
toughest ones, they get done once they step in the arena
{DJ Premier cuts the phrase Step inside my... arena}

Gang Starr Step In The Arena lyrics