Nephele Posted April 5, 2007 Report Share Posted April 5, 2007 I've been amusing myself with Vicipaedia, looking up the profile locations of various UNRV members to see what they might be in Latin. Here are a few I found: NYC = Urbs Novum Eboracum NY = Novum Eboracum Chicago = Sicagum Illinois = Illinoesia Pittsburgh = Pittsburgum Pennsylvania = Pennsilvania Columbus = Columbopolis Ohio = Ohium San Francisco = Fanum Sancti Francisci or Franciscopolis Colorado = Coloratum Manchester = Mamucium , Mancunium, Mameceastra, Mantio, or Manucium Leeds = Ledesia For the Latin scholars on this board: Any comments regarding whether or not these are plausible Latin translations by Vicipaedia's contributors? And, just for fun, how many of you have tried looking up your own location, to see how it translates into Latin? -- Nephele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pantagathus Posted April 5, 2007 Report Share Posted April 5, 2007 For the Latin scholars on this board: Any comments regarding whether or not these are plausible Latin translations by Vicipaedia's contributors? If Andrew Dalby sees this Nephele you'll get a 2 for 1 deal because I seem to remember him mentioning that he contributes to Vicipaedia... Anyway I love what they call the United States: Civitates Foederatae Americae I also love the name of my home state: Carolina Septentrionalis (North Carolina) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted April 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2007 If Andrew Dalby sees this Nephele you'll get a 2 for 1 deal because I seem to remember him mentioning that he contributes to Vicipaedia... Ah, excellent! Perhaps he can tell me if "Insula Longa" is correct for my home region of "Long Island", as Vicipaedia doesn't seem to include this. -- Nephele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Dalby Posted April 5, 2007 Report Share Posted April 5, 2007 If Andrew Dalby sees this Nephele you'll get a 2 for 1 deal because I seem to remember him mentioning that he contributes to Vicipaedia... Ah, excellent! Perhaps he can tell me if "Insula Longa" is correct for my home region of "Long Island", as Vicipaedia doesn't seem to include this. -- Nephele Well, here I am. And I do contribute to Vicipaedia, and one of the things I sometimes work on is getting the geographical names correct and properly sourced. But it's a hard task, because people, as we all know, sometimes add unsourced material to Wikipedia (in all languages!) And people have a special habit of inventing Latin names for their home towns and states (and teachers and schools and football teams and favourite musicians). This is a real problem, because Wikipedia gets used as an authority, and made-up Latin names can spread around the Web from what was originally little more than a joke entry on Vicipaedia. I've seen it happen. I myself don't touch US place names, because I don't have any reliable sources for these. But I can tell you that most of the names of US states and big cities are sourced (meaning that the name has been used in print before it got on to Vicipaedia). Often a source is cited on the page. I suspect that many smaller US city names are not sourced and ought to be taken with a pinch of salt. If anyone wants to verify a particular name, make a comment on the talk page and one of the regular US contributors will try to answer it. Long Island? Well, what else could it be, really, but "Insula Longa"! However, I can't confirm that that name has been used. I have asked and we'll see if someone replies. "Manhata" (as the Latin name for a nearly smaller island) goes back to the 17th century, no problem there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted April 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2007 Thank you, Andrew Dalby! Long Island? Well, what else could it be, really, but "Insula Longa"! However, I can't confirm that that name has been used. I have asked and we'll see if someone replies. "Manhata" (as the Latin name for a nearly smaller island) goes back to the 17th century, no problem there. Does the modern-day Catholic Church count as a source? I see that their Diocese of Rockville Centre (a town here on Long Island) is called Dioecesis Petropolitana in Insula Longa If the RC Church Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Dalby Posted April 5, 2007 Report Share Posted April 5, 2007 Looking through the names listed in the first posting, I think Vicipaedia has probably done the best it could, except that too many alternatives are given for Manchester. The first two are OK (from different historical periods). The third choice is Anglo-Saxon, not Latin. The fourth and fifth are just wrong, I strongly suspect. I have now adjusted the entry ... if anyone knows better, by all means change it back again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Dalby Posted April 5, 2007 Report Share Posted April 5, 2007 Thank you, Andrew Dalby! Long Island? Well, what else could it be, really, but "Insula Longa"! However, I can't confirm that that name has been used. I have asked and we'll see if someone replies. "Manhata" (as the Latin name for a nearly smaller island) goes back to the 17th century, no problem there. Does the modern-day Catholic Church count as a source? I see that their Diocese of Rockville Centre (a town here on Long Island) is called Dioecesis Petropolitana in Insula Longa If the RC Church Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted April 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2007 Yes! Great! Whatever we may think of their authority on moral and theological questions, they are an excellent source of modern Latin. And Vicipaedia covers modern things, so it often has to use modern Latin. OK, so that answers the question about Long Island, and, thank you, I have added the link to my resources (it's obvious now you suggest it, but I had never tried it). Yay! So, does this mean that you'll eventually be adding a Vicipaedia entry for my beloved Insula Longa? -- Nephele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted April 6, 2007 Report Share Posted April 6, 2007 I live in Pennsilvania, some 90 minutes south of Pittsburgum, not far from the border with Terra Maraie (where I actually work). I live not too far from where flight 93 crashed on 9-11. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Dalby Posted April 6, 2007 Report Share Posted April 6, 2007 Yes! Great! Whatever we may think of their authority on moral and theological questions, they are an excellent source of modern Latin. And Vicipaedia covers modern things, so it often has to use modern Latin. OK, so that answers the question about Long Island, and, thank you, I have added the link to my resources (it's obvious now you suggest it, but I had never tried it). Yay! So, does this mean that you'll eventually be adding a Vicipaedia entry for my beloved Insula Longa? -- Nephele Oh, well, OK. Look out for a stipula* this afternoon. (When I really ought to be doing something quite different.) I will have to mention the Railroad, on which I have myself been a passenger. And once I've started the article, why don't you go ahead and improve it?? *A "stub" on the English Wikipedia (a placeholder until someone writes a good long article) corresponds to a "stipula" on Vicipaedia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Dalby Posted April 6, 2007 Report Share Posted April 6, 2007 I live in Pennsilvania, some 90 minutes south of Pittsburgum, not far from the border with Terra Maraie (where I actually work). I live not too far from where flight 93 crashed on 9-11. OK, got you. Looks pretty mountainous around there. We have an article on 11 Septembris 2001 but very short and in bad Latin. We don't even mention flight 93. Any Latinists who feel like improving this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted April 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2007 Oh, well, OK. Look out for a stipula* this afternoon. (When I really ought to be doing something quite different.) I will have to mention the Railroad, on which I have myself been a passenger. And once I've started the article, why don't you go ahead and improve it?? Thank you! How very gratifying it will be to see Insula Longa in Vicipaedia! -- Nephele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julius Ratus Posted April 6, 2007 Report Share Posted April 6, 2007 Nebrasca is there, spelled with a 'c' instead of a 'k'. Great, Nebraskans have a hard enough time spelling without the added confusion. Omaha stays the same in Latin but the caput becomes Lincolnia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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