Open Thread: Vox Populorum

Latin question (0.00 / 0)

"Vox populi" means "voice of the people", right?

So I assumed populi was the plural, and populus the singular - like alumnus and alumni.

So is "populus" a single person? Or is it used here as a clever play on "populace"?

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by: elwood @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 05:22:57 AM CDT

It's as confusing in Latin as in English. (4.00 / 2)

populus, the Latin singular, means "the people." While it is grammatically singular in Latin and therefore requires a verb conjugated in the singular (Populus Romanus Caesarem amat), it is common to translate it into English as a plural (The Roman people love Caesar.

populi, the Latin plural, less often used in literature, behaves the same way we use it in English: "The peoples of the lands north of Rome are scary."

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by: Dean Barker @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 05:40:35 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Oh, and here (4.00 / 3)

I used the plural simply to emphasize that there are two distinct company names of Populus.

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by: Dean Barker @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 05:41:33 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Flashback (4.00 / 1)

populus
populi
populo
populum
populo
-
populi
populorum
populis
populos
populis

veni, vidi, recitavi

--
New Hampshire's stimulus: a train to Boston.
Visit NHBTI.org to learn about the NH Capitol Corridor project.

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 17:37:28 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Bene scriptum! (4.00 / 1)

But where are your long marks, young man?

(Actually, I have no idea how to write macra on BH)  

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by: Dean Barker @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 17:46:54 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Oops. (4.00 / 2)

In a rush this morning I now see I never really answered your question.

"Vox populi" means "voice of the people", right?

So I assumed populi was the plural, and populus the singular - like alumnus and alumni.

1) Yes, vox populi, means "voice of the people."
2) Yes, populi is the plural of populus.
3) But no, do not assume 2 is true because of 1.

As Doug writes below in his declining of the noun through its cases, populi is (unfortunately) both the genitive singular form of the noun and the nominative plural.

Not to get ridiculously pedantic, but here's a handy chart, using a 2nd declension noun like populus:

Singular
Nominative   populus   "people" (subject)
Genitive     populi    "of people"
Dative       populo    "to/for people"
Accusative   populum   "people" (direct object)
Ablative     populo    "from/with/in/by (and more) people"

Plural
Nominative   populi     "peoples" (subject)
Genitive     populorum  "of peoples"
Dative       populis    "to/for peoples"
Accusative   populos     "peoples" (direct object)
Ablative     populis    "from/with/in/by(and more) peoples"

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by: Dean Barker @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 17:58:10 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I hate declensions. (4.00 / 2)

The ascent of civilization is measured in the decline of declensions.

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

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by: Paul Twomey @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 19:19:51 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'll take declensions over conjugations any day. (0.00 / 0)

--
New Hampshire's stimulus: a train to Boston.
Visit NHBTI.org to learn about the NH Capitol Corridor project.

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 21:45:54 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Someone told me that Indonesian has neither declensions nor conjugations. (0.00 / 0)

I dont understand why it isnt the only language.

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

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by: Paul Twomey @ Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 09:35:00 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

One would think declensions and conjugations would be useful in eliminating ambiguity (0.00 / 0)

If only Latin didn't have so many endings recycled for different uses, that would probably be true.

--
New Hampshire's stimulus: a train to Boston.
Visit NHBTI.org to learn about the NH Capitol Corridor project.

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 15:31:46 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

57 (0.00 / 0)

And, for most of his life, in great shape.

We need universal coverage in this country.

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by: JimC @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 06:25:12 AM CDT

8-14-09 (4.00 / 2)

NEVER FORGET!

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by: Tim C. @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 08:28:42 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

You know, I really could have gone without seeing that (4.00 / 2)

I'm having a bad enough day; a Patrick Swazey centaur tattoo just doesn't help...

America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand. -Harry Truman

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by: Peter Sullivan @ Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 09:02:34 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Would "Republicanus Antagonistis" be right? (0.00 / 0)

I'm thinking of Aggravatin' Wilson, aka Joe the Congressman.

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by: hannah @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 08:30:31 AM CDT

LOL. (0.00 / 0)

Close.  Change the penultimate "i" to an "e".

It's a Greek work with a Greek ending.

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by: Dean Barker @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 19:06:51 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Civility (4.00 / 1)

This is more like it:

A guy traveling through Mexico  on vacation lost his wallet and all identification.  Cutting his trip short he attempts to make his way home but is stopped by the U.S. Customs agent at the border.

"May I see your identification, please?" asks the agent.

"I'm sorry, but I lost my wallet," replies the guy.

"Sure buddy, I hear that every day.  No ID, no entry," says the agent.

"But I can prove I'm and American!" he exclaims.  " I have a picture of Ronald Reagan tattooed on one butt cheek and George Bush on the other."

"This I gotta see," replies the agent.  With that, the guy drops his pants and shows the agent.

" By golly, you're right!"  exclaims the agent.  "Have a safe trip back to Chicago ?"

"Thanks!" he says.  "But how did you know I was from  Chicago ?"

The agent replies, "I recognized Barrack Obama in the middle."

www.KusterforCongress.com  

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 08:45:53 AM CDT

The NHGOP collapse.. (4.00 / 1)

Every time I see they have floated out another poll I take it as further evidence of the complete collapse of the NH Republican operation. If they were doing well, they wouldn't need to make such fools of themselves with such ridiculous polls.

"JFK inspired America, RFK challenged America, EMK changed America" - Sen. Christopher Dodd

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by: Ray Buckley @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 09:07:14 AM CDT

Doctor Dean Says: "Ram it Through" (4.00 / 1)

If you don't like PUBLIC OPTION, take out the 'O' and call it MEDICARE OPT-IN.

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by: hannah @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 11:05:31 AM CDT

Entertainment worth watching (4.00 / 3)

Stewart's coverage of the march of the morans:

Good snark.

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by: GreyMike @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 11:50:49 AM CDT

I totally agree. (4.00 / 3)

The real "jackass" of the Obama Kanye remark is Terry "Moran" Moran.

Of course, in a just world, sources would promptly stop speaking off-record to Moran.

But instead this'll just add to his celebrity journalist status.

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by: Dean Barker @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 18:35:54 PM CDT

If you get a chance to talk to the President with his guard down on the condition that it's off the record, (4.00 / 3)

Say thank you, be grateful, and keep your promise.

--
New Hampshire's stimulus: a train to Boston.
Visit NHBTI.org to learn about the NH Capitol Corridor project.

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 18:58:57 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Or at the very least, (4.00 / 1)

save it for your tell-all book when you're done with journalism.

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by: Dean Barker @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 19:05:45 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Decades ago, President Gerald Ford blurted some revealing things to a reporter. (0.00 / 0)

Ford immediately realized what he had said and became very serious.  He told the reporter, "write it when I'm dead."  The book came out a year or two ago.

--
New Hampshire's stimulus: a train to Boston.
Visit NHBTI.org to learn about the NH Capitol Corridor project.

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 22:34:02 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'm not sure that Moran erred. (0.00 / 0)

It was a CNBC interview.  They knew it was off the record.

Moran is an ABC reporter.  I have seen no evidence that he knew it was off the record.

Whoever got the information to Moran violated ethical rules.  If Moran received the information without knowing that it was OTR, then he did nothing wrong in publishing it, save being snarky about it, since Kanye clearly was a jackass, and plain speaking of obvious truths most certainly is Presidential, if uncommon.

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by: Tim C. @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 23:30:47 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

ABC apologized (0.00 / 0)

http://www.bluenewstribune.com...

Nobody knows the rules any more, which essentially means the rules don't exist.

They should just insist everything is on the record.

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by: JimC @ Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 09:12:02 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

on another topic... (0.00 / 0)

I would be interested to know why Paul Hodes voted "no" on the Joe Wilson bill. Anyone?

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by: michael57 @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 23:56:47 PM CDT

Perhaps the same reason Barney Frank said he would? (0.00 / 0)

Struck me as a useless gesture.  Aggravatin' Wilson was put up to it by the media management consultants. Disruption, distraction and discouragement is part of the arsenal.  Not just one clown; a whole circus.

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by: hannah @ Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 02:48:41 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Did we miss this? Found on British blog. (4.00 / 1)

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by: hannah @ Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 02:49:41 AM CDT