I also have one tiny question for someone who knows Latin (I know there is at least one of my loyal readers who does):
In a novel I'm reading, an old object is marked "I. Melchizidek fecit" (meaning, I presume, "Isaac Melchizidek made this."
What would be the form (if the form is different) for a woman having made something? Or is the -it ending having to do with the thing rather than the maker?
I'd like to know because I think it would be fun (and kind of easy) then to tag the things I've made; make up little labels with my name and then the proper from of the verb ("fecit" or whatever it may be). That idea just appeals to me, even though almost no one knows Latin any more.
2 comments:
"Fecit" is the third person singular perfect active of the verb, and is appropriate for both female and male subjects. So it would be the proper form for you to put on your work, if you want. Often, in ancient Rome, things were marked with "X me fecit" (where X is the name of the maker), meaning "X made me". I always found the idea of the object claiming its maker rather endearing!
there's a lady over on the yahoo dulaan board who wants to tag all her stuff with "i knit this for you" in mongolian. kind of the same idea
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