With the hamaxostichus citissimus to Rome - the “Lexicon recentis latinitatis”

Anyone who, out of passion, a love of linguistic discovery, or cultural interest, wanted to convey in Latin until a few years ago that they had, for example, travelled to Milan by express train and from there continued to Rome on the high-speed Frecciarossa, bought a metro ticket at Roma Termini station, and finally arrived in the heart of the world, had to perform highly demanding linguistic acrobatics. As is well known, there was no express train in Rome Antica, let alone a Frecciarossa, nor was there a metro ticket. The message could therefore only be conveyed through innovative circumlocutions for the missing terms. But anyone wishing to make such a statement today no longer lacks the words, even if it remains a considerable intellectual challenge in the highly demanding language of Latin.

The “Lexicon recentis latinitatis ,” compiled over fourteen years by seven Vatican specialists on behalf of the “Libraria Editoria Vaticana,” was first published in 1992 in an Italian-Latin edition. It also contains approximately 15,000 entries compiled by the editors, covering contemporary fields such as science, technology, medicine, politics, and sports—in short, the most diverse domains of our time. Carolus Egger comments in the Latin “Prooemium” that many words from recent times have been added but are not included in the dictionary (“Praeterea multa verba nova, quae haec aetas induxit, eo non continebantur.”). Therefore, it was a noble duty to add and make these words available (“Est ergo nobilis propositum (…) multa verba nova congerere (…) quae quidem ad thesaurum Latinum pertinent, sed haud facile in communibus lexicis invenientur.”). The work does not even omit the realms of youth slang, so-called scene slang, and even vulgar language, thus remaining accessible to the people and appealing to everyone. In Italy, the lexicon became a sensational success. The language of the “antenati,” their way of thinking, their high culture, were more present, more immediate, than ever before.

The numerous neologisms are also a great intellectual pleasure and often seasoned with a touch of subtle humor. They reflect the uniquely clear and logical structure inherent in Latin, and, beyond the individual word, they also convey profound cultural insights and knowledge. And, surprisingly, in most cases the Latin version sounds more pleasing than the common German one—who wouldn't prefer the birota montana (mountain bike), the purgamentorum vas (trash can), or the machina linteorum lavatoria (washing machine)? Even the opening announcement reads pleasantly—we travel to Rome with the hamaxostichus citissimus , buy a tessera vectoria there , and the hamaxostichus subterraneus takes us to Roma Antica, which we now experience as more modern than ever before.

In 2002, a German-Latin edition of the "Lexicon recentis latinitatis" was published . Unfortunately, this edition is no longer readily available, but it can still be read as an e-book ( libellus electronicus ). This latter, more secular version hardly does justice to the sheer wonder one experiences upon reading it. Therefore, we follow the advice of Drs. Roberto Carfagni* and Beat Jung, two scholars who can read and understand Latin, and who can also think and speak in this language. Thus, we may reasonably assume that their advice—to buy this precious book as soon as you see it—is formulated as closely as it would have been spoken in ancient Rome: "If you see this most precious book, I will give you a copy!"

HS-Merlin

8/11/2019

*The extraordinary projects in Latin by Dottore Roberto Carfagni in Montella near Naples are worth mentioning, both prodesse et delectare. They can also be viewed online ( quaesitio electronica ): http://scholalatina.it/en/