Chaos Project

General => Chat => Topic started by: Subsonic_Noise on September 25, 2010, 10:21:37 am

Title: "Non sum qualis eram"?
Post by: Subsonic_Noise on September 25, 2010, 10:21:37 am
So, people, I've come to a place in my life where I desire to learn Latin so I can pretend to be interlectual.


Not really, but this is part of a secret music project I'm working on (yet another one, suprise, surprise!) which needs some latin parts.
So, I stumbled upon following sentence: "Non sum qualis eram".

1. What does it mean?
2. How would you pronounce it?
3. Is anyone here fluent in latin? I'd need some translation sooner or later so that'd be awesome.

Thanks.
Title: Re: "Non sum qualis eram"?
Post by: Kett Shee on September 25, 2010, 11:38:03 am
"I am not what I once was", or "I am not what I used to be."

Apparently the pronunciation is \ˌnōn-ˌsu̇m-ˌkwä-lis-ˈer-ˌäm\.

And I don't know Latin at all. Save a few phrases. :/
Title: Re: "Non sum qualis eram"?
Post by: WhiteRose on September 25, 2010, 11:59:55 am
I think Dio's taken a few years of Latin. Maybe if you pester him enough he'll give you a few pointers now and again.
Title: Re: "Non sum qualis eram"?
Post by: Subsonic_Noise on September 25, 2010, 12:28:26 pm
Quote from: WhiteRose on September 25, 2010, 11:59:55 am
I think Dio's taken a few years of Latin. Maybe if you pester him enough he'll give you a few pointers now and again.

Dio is mah boi and therefore that will woek without any pestering.
Title: Re: "Non sum qualis eram"?
Post by: Blizzard on September 25, 2010, 12:48:36 pm
I could ask my sister, but she probably forgot most of the Latin she learned. xD

BTW, that phrase is awesome. Very deep and powerful.
Title: Re: "Non sum qualis eram"?
Post by: Subsonic_Noise on September 25, 2010, 04:43:01 pm
Quote from: Blizzard on September 25, 2010, 12:48:36 pm
I could ask my sister, but she probably forgot most of the Latin she learned. xD

BTW, that phrase is awesome. Very deep and powerful.

I know, it has been haunting me for quite a time without me knowing what it means xD It's from some book, where it is written as Known some call is air am. Try to read that out loud, you'll get this sentence. xD
Also, somehow my choir refuses to sing this #_#
Title: Re: "Non sum qualis eram"?
Post by: Diokatsu on September 26, 2010, 12:27:23 am
"I am not whatever I had been"

Everyone seems to think Latin is this deep and awesome language. It's weird. After you learn it, it's pretty straightforward and normal.

It's a cool language but it's highly structured unlike English and most modern languages. German has declensions so I don't think that's as much of a problem as it was for English speaking students.

non, like non-intellectual
sum, like soom, but shorter 'oo'
Qua, like Aqua, lis, like list without the 't'
Er, like Errrrrrr, and AH-m

It's hard to tell someone how to pronounce it in text. Whatever. I can do Latin pretty well. I'll break the sentence down to prove it.

Non, is the negative modifier. Take the nearest verb and make it NOT.
Sum is the verb of being, first principal part, first person singular. I am.
Qualis is interrogative. "of what kind?"
Eram is the plu perfect for of "sum." Plus perfect is "more perfect" so double past tense. "had been" as opposed to "was."

Don't know if this was a sentence someone wrote or whatnot, but I don't like the grammar. Not clear.

Title: Re: "Non sum qualis eram"?
Post by: Dweller on September 26, 2010, 12:59:57 am
Non sum qualis eram bonae sub regno Cynarae is a poem from the poet Ernest Dowson. I know the spanish translation: "No soy el que fui bajo el rei­na­do de la bondadosa Cinara" like "I'm not what I used to be under the reign of the caring Cinara" in english.
Title: Re: "Non sum qualis eram"?
Post by: Diokatsu on September 26, 2010, 01:12:06 am
Quote from: Dweller on September 26, 2010, 12:59:57 am
Non sum qualis eram bonae sub regno Cynarae is a poem from the poet Ernest Dowson. I know the spanish translation: "No soy el que fui bajo el rei­na­do de la bondadosa Cinara" like "I'm not what I used to be under the reign of the caring Cinara" in english.



Interesting. I'd love to check out eh historical context that the poem was written under.
Title: Re: "Non sum qualis eram"?
Post by: Blizzard on September 26, 2010, 04:15:16 am
Quote from: Diokatsu on September 26, 2010, 12:27:23 am
Everyone seems to think Latin is this deep and awesome language.


Eh, what?

Quote from: Blizzard on September 25, 2010, 12:48:36 pm
BTW, that phrase is awesome. Very deep and powerful.


Quote from: Cait Sith on September 25, 2010, 11:38:03 am
"I am not what I once was", or "I am not what I used to be."
Title: Re: "Non sum qualis eram"?
Post by: Spaceman McConaughey on September 26, 2010, 04:19:55 am
Fuck you all. I have Lean Cuisine.
Title: Re: "Non sum qualis eram"?
Post by: Subsonic_Noise on September 26, 2010, 05:27:50 am
Thanks at Dio, Caith and Dweller.
And no, it's not because I think Latin is a deep and awesome language, it's just part of the general concept of the project to have lyrics in latin, additionally to english, german and russian. Epecially Latin adds to the obscurity, which is part of the concept. I'm
gonna hopefully be able to use instruments from different countries, too.
And then there is the fact that Latin just sounds better for symphonic choirs in every way.
Title: Re: "Non sum qualis eram"?
Post by: Blizzard on September 26, 2010, 06:23:34 am
Yeah, Latin can turn some fine music into epic music.
Title: Re: "Non sum qualis eram"?
Post by: Diokatsu on September 26, 2010, 01:00:52 pm
Quote from: Blizzard on September 25, 2010, 12:48:36 pm
I could ask my sister, but she probably forgot most of the Latin she learned. xD

BTW, that phrase is awesome. Very deep and powerful.

Who said that was directed at you.

I was just commenting on the nuance that Latin seems to have.

Title: Re: "Non sum qualis eram"?
Post by: Blizzard on September 26, 2010, 01:09:34 pm
Oh, lol! It sounded like it since you used my wording. Anyway, I agree with you there, though. People are kind of overdoing it usually.
Title: Re: "Non sum qualis eram"?
Post by: Diokatsu on September 26, 2010, 01:35:17 pm
Quote from: Blizzard on September 26, 2010, 01:09:34 pm
Oh, lol! It sounded like it since you used my wording. Anyway, I agree with you there, though. People are kind of overdoing it usually.

Yeah sorry about that. It was the position of my post.

It's kind of like the obsession with Japanese. Except useful writings happened in Latin.
Title: Re: "Non sum qualis eram"?
Post by: Subsonic_Noise on September 26, 2010, 02:50:43 pm
I just proved my point. I let the choir sing this phrase in english and latin and latin definitely sounded alot more epic.