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When to use "ac" instead of "et"?

What's the difference between the conjunctions: "et", and "ac"? Which one corresponds to what kind of situation? Allow me to elaborate for clarification, and to distinguish from similar questions. Consider the following two, similar university…
voices
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What would "high school" be in Latin?

There was a conversation between Joonas Ilmavirta and I in CONLOQVIVM, during which we attempted to figure out what the appropriate translation for the phrase "high school" (specifically of the American variant) would be in Latin. Needless to say,…
Ethan Bierlein
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"There is" in Latin

In English you use the phrasal verb there+[to be] to mean something different than just an object being placed somewhere visible or known to the speaker and/or listener (i.e., there). According to the Cambridge University Dictionary, we use there…
Rafael
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How to say "it's a question of" or "it's all about"?

How can I express something like the following sentences in Latin? Being a teacher is simple; it's a question of discipline. I don't care if I win or not; it's all about surviving. I can offer some translations: Facile est magister esse; nullo…
Joonas Ilmavirta
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SPQR: Why not Romani?

The motto of the Roman Republic was, of course, Senatus Populusque Romanus, or SPQR. However, Romanus is a masculine, singular adjective. What confuses me is that it is referencing Senatus Populusque. While each might individually be singular,…
Imperator
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Ablative considered as an accusative

In my Latin-Italian dictionary I found this expression: arva sanguineo gyro scribo that is translated as: I draw a blood circle on the ground. But, gyro is an ablative. Why is it considered as an accusative?
Qwerto
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Is the nominative gerund attested?

I'd always heard that the gerund had no nominative, with the present active infinitive taking the place of the missing form: volāre difficile est, rather than *volāndum. However, in the comments on this answer, I was surprised when Alex B. mentioned…
Draconis
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A phrase of L. Euler on functions

I'm trying to understand the following sentence from Leonhard Euler's Institutionum calculi integralis Vol. III Chap. 2, bottom of p.40: Huiusmodi functiones arbitrarias, prouti hic feci, eiusmodi signandi modo f:y indicabo, unde cauendum erit…
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What's the best way to translate "de Hercule famam acceperat"?

I'm translating the text: Pluto, qui de Hercule famam acceperat, eum benigne excepit (Fabulae Faciles, 53) I chose to translate it as "Pluto, who had heard stories about Hercules, received him kindly". But I realize this is a loose translation.…
ktm5124
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Did the Romans ever transcribe [ʃ]?

(Note: [ʃ] is the first sound in English "ship".) I've seen the sound [ʃ] represented in a few different ways in Greek writing: σ in Hebrew names in the LXX, σχ in modern Tsakonian, ψ in Sappho's name. But I don't think I've ever seen [ʃ]…
Draconis
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Garden path sentences in classical Latin

A garden path sentence is a sentence that leads the reader astray and forces them to reanalyze. The obvious first interpretation when one starts reading is a red herring and it comes clear that the sentence doesn't parse to anything sensible before…
Joonas Ilmavirta
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Do any Latin authors preserve Etruscan quotations?

Many Latin and a few Greek phrases are now used in English, even by people who don't necessarily know the original language, as proverbs, phrases, mottos, and so on. Many short fragments from ancient authors are also preserved through this sort of…
Draconis
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Translation of Ps 16(15), 6 (Vulgata)

Verse in question is as follows: Funes ceciderunt mihi in praeclaris; etenim haereditas mea praeclara est mihi. It would seem to me that meaning is something like this: Funes: ropes, bonds, chains ceciderunt mihi - ceased, fallen of me in…
user1846
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Medieval abbreviation for gens [actually, igitur]

I came across an abbreviation in a text that I'd like to typeset as diplomatically as possible, but I've come across an abbreviation for gens that I'm not entirely sure how it's being abbreviated (regrettably, the quality of the scan isn't very good…
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Is it acceptable/regular to use diacritics (macron) in written texts?

I'm building the brand for a web development company, and I'm using Latin for the name and slogan. However, as I am not familiar with the language, I would like some help clarifying meanings to avoid ending up like a failed tattoo. Lux Astrum —…
GregKos
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