Re: TEXT:COMMENTS dragons

[Nick Nicholas <nsn@MULLIAN.EE.MU.OZ.AU>]

>I have always used the same borrowing as Nick, but the etymology seems
>to suggest that the "ne" on the end doesn't belong - the word "dragon"
>is listed as being of Greco-Latin origin without the 'n'.

In borrowing from Latin, I follow Peano's principle (from Latino sine
Flexione) of using the ablative of nouns: it virtually always ends in
a vowel, and is usually more recognisable through modern languages
than the nominative. Thus Flexione, not Flexio; Dracone, not Draco.


There are cases in which the nominative is more recognisable (Libido,
Libidine (cf. Libidinous)) --- but it is nice to be consistent in these
cases.

It's hard to come up with a similar default case for Greek borrowings;
the dative deviates too often, and has wierd final vowels; the genitive
often has a final -s, and the nominative often has the same problem as
in Latin: a different stem. One either uses the accusative (which gives
'poiema' for poem --- accusative often ends up with the same stem as
nominative) or latinise it and take the ablative (which gives
'poemate'. The Greek dative for poem is 'poiemati', and genitive,
'poiematos').

This all smells a lot like neolatin ALs, I know, but it's nice to be
consistent in these matters. It's not that essential, and if John can
get away with 'partiti' instead of 'partitione', then I suppose anything
is possible :)

"Kai` sa`n swqh~kan t'akriba` piota`,           N N O  nsn@munagin.ee.mu.oz.au
 kai` sa`n plhsi'aze pia` [h [w'ra te'sseres,   I I L  IRC:nicxjo RL:shaddupnic
 sto`n e'rwta doqh~kan eutuxei~s."              C C A  University of Melbourne.
  K.P.Kaba'fhs, _Du'o Ne'oi, 23 E'ws 24 Etw~n_  K H S  *Ceci n'est pas un .sig*