4.5 Speech, Thought, and Writing — Epoché
What you will be able to do Recognise forty of the commonest verbs and nouns of speech and thought. Use the English derivative of a Latin word as a memory hook, and say when not to. Recognise a deponent verb and know why its form says nothing about its meaning. Read a verb that is perfect in form and present in meaning. Read sentences like Accepistine epistulam meam? [77] — Did you get my letter? — without looking anything up. Prerequisites : lesson 4.4 — place, time and number. This is the easiest list in the volume to learn and the easiest to be careless with. Read down the fourth column of the table and count how many of the English words you know: dictate , science , eloquent , manuscript , lecture , credit , audience , intelligent . It is not a coincidence and it is not a small advantage — roughly sixty per cent of the English lexicon is ultimately from Latin, and the proportion rises sharply in exactly the semantic field this lesson covers. The trap is in the same fact. A word that has travelled a thousand years into another language has usually moved, and three of the words below have moved far enough to mislead you. They are marked in the table and dealt with after it. Word list Forty words in order of how often they appear in the corpus. The fourth column gives the English descendants, which are the point of this lesson, and the warnings, which are the other point. Word (dictionary form) Meaning Notes dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictum la to say, speak; to call Part of speech 3rd conj. How it differs from English English dictate , diction , verdict , predict . Imperative dīc drops its vowel. sciō, scīre, scīvī, scītum la to know (a fact, a skill) Part of speech 4th conj. How it differs from English English science , conscious , omniscient . liber, librī la book Part of speech m., 2nd How it differs from English Note: not the adjective līber , free — the vowel differs. English library , libretto . loquor, loquī, locūtus sum la to speak, talk Part of speech deponent, 3rd How it differs from English Note: passive in form, active in meaning. English eloquent , colloquial , ventriloquist . putō, putāre, putāvī, putātum la to think, suppose; to reckon Part of speech 1st conj. How it differs from English Originally to prune, then to reckon up. English compute , dispute , reputation . nesciō, nescīre, nescīvī la not to know Part of speech 4th conj. How it differs from English Note: a separate verb, not a negated one. Latin has several of these. scrībō, scrībere, scrīpsī, scrīptum la to write Part of speech 3rd conj. How it differs from English English scribe , describe , manuscript , scripture . legō, legere, lēgī, lēctum la to read; to gather, choose Part of speech 3rd conj. How it differs from English Note: reading and gathering are the same word. English lecture , elect , collect , legible . rēs, reī la thing, matter, affair Part of speech f., 5th How it differs from English The vaguest noun in Latin and one of the commonest. English real , republic . discō, discere, didicī la to learn Part of speech 3rd conj. How it differs from English Note: perfect is a reduplication. English disciple , discipline . verbum, verbī la word; verb Part of speech n., 2nd How it differs from English English verbal , proverb , verbatim . The plural often means speech in general. crēdō, crēdere, crēdidī, crēditum la to believe, trust Part of speech 3rd conj. How it differs from English Note: takes the dative of the person believed. English credible , creed , credit . littera, litterae la a letter of the alphabet; (pl.) a letter, literature Part of speech f., 1st How it differs from English Note: singular a character, plural a letter or learning. English literal , literature . epistula, epistulae la letter (sent) Part of speech f., 1st How it differs from English Borrowed from Greek. English epistle . audiō, audīre, audīvī, audītum la to hear, listen to Part of speech 4th conj. How it differs from English English audible , audience , obey (through French). vērus, vēra, vērum la true, real Part of speech adjective How it differs from English The neuter used as a noun means the truth . English verify , very , verdict . sententia, sententiae la opinion, judgement; a maxim Part of speech f., 1st How it differs from English Note: not a sentence in the grammatical sense. English sentence took the legal sense. timeō, timēre, timuī la to fear, be afraid of Part of speech 2nd conj. How it differs from English Takes a direct object where English needs of . English timid , intimidate . intellegō, intellegere, intellēxī la to understand Part of speech 3rd conj. How it differs from English Literally to read between . English intelligent , intellect . grātia, grātiae la favour, thanks, grace Part of speech f., 1st How it differs from English Note: the accusative plural is the ordinary way of saying thank you. English grace , gratitude , gratis . spērō, spērāre, spērāvī la to hope, hope for Part of speech 1st conj. How it differs from English English desperate is its negative. The noun spēs is fifth declension. causa, causae la cause, reason; a lawsuit Part of speech f., 1st How it differs from English Note: in the ablative after a genitive it means for the sake of . English cause , accuse , excuse . quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī la to seek, look for; to ask Part of speech 3rd conj. How it differs from English English query , question , inquire , conquer . vocō, vocāre, vocāvī, vocātum la to call, summon; to name Part of speech 1st conj. How it differs from English From the noun for voice in 4.3. English vocation , invoke , vocal . rogō, rogāre, rogāvī, rogātum la to ask, ask for Part of speech 1st conj. How it differs from English Note: takes two accusatives — you ask a person a thing. English interrogate , prerogative . fābula, fābulae la story, tale; a play Part of speech f., 1st How it differs from English From for , to speak. English fable , fabulous . respondeō, respondēre, respondī la to answer, reply Part of speech 2nd conj