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Roman uses of diacritical marks

In what circumstances did Romans use diacritical marks, like macrons, in their writing? In particular how common was it to use diacritics in naming letters?
JOHN CORCORAN
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Did the Romans have a Latin name for their domestic peristylia?

A typical upper- and probably also middle-class Roman house in the classical age contained a peristylium or peristylum, or so I was told. I wonder why they used a Greek word for such a standard Roman architectural feature. Did they also have a Latin…
Cerberus
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Request for a Latin phrase as motto "God is highest/supreme"

I'm looking for someone that can help me produce a correct, coherent Latin phrase for a school project to be used as a motto, similar to the Marine Corps motto Semper Fidelis, etc. I would like the phrase to say "God is highest" or "God is…
preahkumpii
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Does Latin have any neuter words for humans?

In Ancient Greek, diminutives are almost always neuter, regardless of the original noun's gender. This leads to words like paidíon, "small child" (from país "child"), which are neuter even though they refer to people. In modern German, the same…
Draconis
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What are New Latin's comma rules?

What are New Latin's comma rules? Specifically, where do New Latin's comma rules differ from modern English's comma rules (e.g., as documented in the 16th ed. of the Chicago Manual of Style §§6.15-6.53)? For example, I frequently see a comma between…
Geremia
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Do any Latin authors mention other Italic languages?

By the power of modern linguistics, quite a lot is known about the early history of Latin: for quite a while it coexisted with close relatives like Oscan, Umbrian, and Faliscan, as well as the unrelated Etruscan. Several Classical Latin words show…
Draconis
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Parsing "quod Deus optime vertat"

I want to understand a diploma text: DIPLOMA QVOD DEVS OPTIME VERTAT EX LEGIBVS VNIVERSITATIS JYVÄSKYLÄENSIS ATQVE EX DECRETO FACVLTATIS (…) If I consider Diploma as a title and Quod Deus optime vertat a subtitle (not grammatically tied to…
Joonas Ilmavirta
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Miserere mei! Miserere nostri! Why genitive?

Why is the object of mercy ("me", "us") rendered in the genitive in these two cases? miserere mei (Psalm li) miserere nostri (Psalm cxxi) I would expect accusative, or even dative. But, genitive surprises me. Actually, the dative appears in…
davidrmcharles
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What is a black sheep in Latin?

It is easy to translate "black sheep" literally: ovis nigra. I suspect that this phrase does not have the same meaning as in English (and Finnish), judging by its absence in literature — assuming my searches were correct. Is there a Latin phrase…
Joonas Ilmavirta
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When is "ei" a diphthong?

Many introductory Latin books will explain that Classical Latin has four diphthongs: ae and au are common, while oe and ei are rarer. (Eu and ui also show up, but if I understand right that's a Greek influence that doesn't appear in native…
Draconis
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Can Latin "inde" introduce a temporal clause?

Lines one and two of book 2 of Vergil's Aeneid sparked this question: Conticuere omnes intentique ora tenebant inde toro pater Aeneas sic orsus ab alto: I had two interpretations. My first interpretation is that the -que in intentique links the…
Bounce
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Did "benedicere" ever mean "to blaspheme"?

I was struck by some verses in Chapter 21 of 3 Regum, Vulgata. This tells the story of Naboth, an Israelite who owned a vineyard which was adjacent to the palace of the Israeli King, Achab. Naboth didn't want to sell the land to Achab. In return,…
luchonacho
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On the literal meaning of "in saecula saeculorum"

Literally, this phrase (found originally in the New Testament of the Vulgata) is translated as "into [the] ages of [the] ages". It's supposed to be an expression of eternity, and it's commonly translated in English as "forever and ever". In Spanish…
luchonacho
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Was -oe- used natively in standard classical Latin, or was every word with -oe- adopted from a foreign or non-standard origin?

Latin has quite a few words with -oe-, such as Poenus and moenia. But I've heard it said that all of those words are either translitterations from Greek -oi- or adopted from non-standard dialects of Latin (although I thought the Romans seldom passed…
Cerberus
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aret = aridus est?

Is there any semantic or aspectual difference between aret and aridus est (cf. rubet/ruber est; calet/calidus est, candet/candidus est, i.a.)? Ager aret. (Col. 2.8.5) Ager aridus erat. (Sal. Iug. 90) The aspectual differences between aret,…
Mitomino
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