Wednesday, August 4, 2010

"Thei are fillinge me to the brim with all kindz of latin shenanigans and the partyinge heere ys out of control."

Chaucer Jr. apparently rocked his first year at Oxford, judging by his casual use of Linglish - a dialect I'm familiar with by now. When conventiculum ends, I always have a little trouble choosing Latin or English, and I alternate between them for a day or two. It's fun and kind of weird to hear everyone's "real" voices. And Marcello, it was awesome to see you again!

Videos are now online... N.B. four versions of "The Country Mouse and the City Mouse," written and acted by us. And from last year, a play acted out by the kids(I wish the one they did this year were online; it was adorable!):

7 comments:

some guy on the street said...

Haec omnia mihi sicut Graece sonnent... :P

Estne geminus (genius?) Patris Zedissimus hic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhXQWzLntk8), a momento 5:40?

Marcello said...

Hi Meredith:

This is a great line: all kindz of latin shenanigans and out of control partyinge! That's one I'm going to have to store up for future conventicula (especially if we keep up the practice of burning the candle at both ends with wacky Greek sessions in the early morning!) Oppido awesome to see you again, too. Spero fore ut nos moxmox iterum una colloquamur, praesertim si "manice"!

I hear you on the difficulties of "reentry" (there's a good Percy word!) into the English world after the conventiculum. It takes real concentration to speak to waiters and other "normal folk" in English during the conventiculum: if that isn't a good advertisement for it, I don't know what is!

Some guy: you entertain as always. Patris Zedissimus!?!?!! (for some reason, that just makes me think of Dr. Zeus). I guess I see where you're coming from, but having just seen both Professor Money and Fr. Z in the flesh (yay for blognics!), they really don't look that similar, other than that both project a kind of effete sophistication.

some guy on the street said...

They both have interesting baritone speaking voices, too, although certainly different. But the name wasn't any of mine; someone else commenting at wdtprs greeted him "ave zedissime pater", and I filed it away... oh! You must mean I've succeeded in entertaining before; and that is an encouraging thought.

The odd thing is, the first time reading through your reply, I read it as "Dr. Seuss", but imagining a semi-German orthography --- it sounded like [Zoice] in my head, if you will, or as a German would read "Seuss" --- which is again all wrong for "Zeus", becuase if you're going to read "eu" as [oi], then you might as well read "Z" as [Ts]... oh, what a messed-up head for sounds I have!

Marcello said...

Some guy: i don't think your head is "messed-up" for sounds, anymore than I think our heads were messed up when a lot of us (at the conventiculum) started mixing Latin and English without noticing. Geekily enough, I had a similar thought when typing "Dr. Zeus," reflecting on how odd it is that it isn't pronounced like the Greek Olympian's name (I guess the apes said some things differently!). I did also think of the "oi" issue (oy vay!!), but not of the necessity of doing the [ts]. Tsk tsk indeed!

Oh, and, everyone: please DO check out the conventiculum videos--even if you don't really understand Latin--ESPECIALLY the fourth group's play, in which our Meredith plays a significant role. Mereditha nostra optima est histrio! Don't believe me? Credite mihi, benevoli lectores. Intendite animum: laetabimini! [bonus points to whoever gets the literary ref.!]

some guy on the street said...

Oh, this time I got "ubi in tartarus sumus?!" (hee-hee...) and the fellow singing ... is it recipes? ... to Orff's percussive tunes, he's funny, too!

I suppose it would be too much work to add the script in subtitles?

Marcello said...

Ah, probissime! That's right: Justinus is our coquus Romanus, and in fact that very night after the plays he presented (as he does every year) a "Cena Romana," so this was of course all part of the joke.

Add subtitles?? Sit optimum si TUTE hoc officium suscipias! Anyway, Some Guy (should we call you Nescioquis Viator (!)), when in the world are you going to join us at the conventiculum?! You certainly have enough Latin to take a crack at it, and we'd love to have you. In annum proximum!! ;)

some guy on the street said...

I think you misunderstand my subtitles request: non rogo in lingua Anglice legere, sed in lingua Latina. Some of those words I just can't hear!

hmmm... Viator... interesting... nec A-Viator... although I like flying...

Well, ponderabo...
don't be decieved, though, quia habeo verba witakeri et la.wiktionary.org ad adjuvandum me festinent... per interretium, deceptionarum facere facilis est!