Saturday, November 16, 2013

Trouble with dragons.


I have had some questions about the phrase Hunc Graeci draconta vocant.

I thought it was a decent, but surmountable, little challenge. What I've said to two students is that I expected that, not having found the right word in your Cassell's, you would use the online Lewis & Short (in the instructions: "although for “draconta” you might want to see Lewis & Short"; the link among the favourites list to the right of this entry), find draco and under it find the Greek, which you would connect to the hunc Graeci vocant. So, to the best of your ability, put something in there for draconta which fits hunc Graeci vocant. For comparison, consider: "The Romans called it the "senate," but the Spartans the "Gerousia."

And remember that it is only one word in an assignment worth five percent of the year.