Latin motto clinic

[Bears Armed]

Would this also be a good place for Latin classification of faux species?

Yes, they've already answered a number of my questions about such matters.

[Astrolinium]

A perhaps bizarre question with no real answer, but what would be the most legit-sounding Latin version of my country's name? It doesn't need to make much etymological sense, just to be orthographically correct and conceivably be able to evolve into its current form after the end of Latin influence in the 400s.

As ET has said, it depends on how it's pronounced, I suppose. Given the sounds, you might actually be better off with a Greek origin that passes through Latin -- there happens to be a Greek "αἰνήν", the feminine accusative of the word for "horrible" or "dreadful", which happens to be where the Greeks and Romans thought the name "Aeneas" came from. From Greek αἰνήν we might derive a Latin "Aenen", as ET has suggested, though you'd have to explain why the feminine accusative. The city of Istanbul may be instructive here, as its name etymologically descends from "εἰς τὴν Πόλιν", eis ten Polin, pronounced in Medieval Greek as "Is ten bolin", hence "Istanbul". Likewise, "Ainin" might be derived from a phrase such as εἰς τὴν χώρην αἰνήν, eis ten khoren ainen, or "into the horrible/terrible/dread country", from which "Aenen" got separated out linguistically at some point while passing into Latin.

[Tracian Empire]

How would these two ideas sound in Latin? Power through balance, balance through power, and Power through dominance, dominance through power ?

Though, if it's easier to translate, Power in balance, balance in power, and Power in dominance, dominance in power would also work!

Thanks in advance!

[Astrolinium]

How would these two ideas sound in Latin? Power through balance, balance through power, and Power through dominance, dominance through power ?

Though, if it's easier to translate, Power in balance, balance in power, and Power in dominance, dominance in power would also work!

Thanks in advance!

Potestas per aequilibrium, aequilibrium per potestatem and Potestas per dominatum, dominatus per potestatem, respectively.

[Cabo Corelli]

Hi! Could someone translate the motto "Reason, Balance, Unity" for me? Much obliged

[Great Nortend]

Ratio, Statera, Unitas.

[Nogodia]

Can someone translate "To cause death is an honor!"

[Astrolinium]

Can someone translate "To cause death is an honor!"

Mortem Efficere Est Honos.

[Bears Armed]

Various RL species in the genus Equus -- which contains the [living species of] horses & their close relatives -- have been given specific names with the ending "-us" ("caballus","ferus", "asimus", "africanus", "hemionus" ...), so presumably defining a species of rather small horse* that lives in one NS nation as "Equus parvus" would be acceptable?
Would E. minor also be valid Latin, or would the ending of "minor" need to be changed?


(* Yes, they could be described in English as "little ponies": No, they are not sapient or magical or brightly-coloured. They're just an example of the 'island dwarfism' phenomenon...)

[Almonaster Nuevo]

E. nanus?

[Ironspire]

Could I have 'People of Iron Will' translated please?

[Dragonvista]

Hi,
Could someone translate "Tickle the sleeping dragon at your peril" ? Thanks in advance!

[Bears Armed]

E. nanus?

How much difference is there, if any, in [usual] translated meaning between 'parvus' and 'nanus'?

[Conoga]

E. nanus?

How much difference is there, if any, in [usual] translated meaning between 'parvus' and 'nanus'?

Nanus is a dwarf, and is used to refer to small horses specifically, parvus means small.
So nanus is smaller than parvus, I think.

[Bears Armed]

How much difference is there, if any, in [usual] translated meaning between 'parvus' and 'nanus'?

Nanus is a dwarf, and is used to refer to small horses specifically, parvus means small.
So nanus is smaller than parvus, I think.

H'mm, then I'm going to have to think about this. Despite the wording of the term, though, 'island dwarfism' generally involves just a reduction in overall size rather than also the sort of change in relative proportions of body-parts that's fairly common in [RL] human 'dwarfs'. For a species whose members retain comparable proportions to "full-sized" equids and reach c.2' at the shoulder, I think that 'parvus' might still be the better choice.
Would 'parvulus' also be a valid Latin term for something that's a bit smaller than 'parvus'? If so, then I might use this term for this species and save 'parvus' for one of its [slightly larger] fossil ancestors...

[Conoga]

Could I have 'People of Iron Will' translated please?

Populus ferreus

Nanus is a dwarf, and is used to refer to small horses specifically, parvus means small.
So nanus is smaller than parvus, I think.

H'mm, then I'm going to have to think about this. Despite the wording of the term, though, 'island dwarfism' generally involves just a reduction in overall size rather than also the sort of change in relative proportions of body-parts that's fairly common in [RL] human 'dwarfs'. For a species whose members retain comparable proportions to "full-sized" equids and reach c.2' at the shoulder, I think that 'parvus' might still be the better choice.
Would 'parvulus' also be a valid Latin term for something that's a bit smaller than 'parvus'? If so, then I might use this term for this species and save 'parvus' for one of its [slightly larger] fossil ancestors...

Sure! It's up to you. Parvulus is a perfectly fine word, it's the diminutive. You might consider pusillus, which would be even smaller than that.

[Bears Armed]

Could I have 'People of Iron Will' translated please?

Populus ferreus

H'mm, then I'm going to have to think about this. Despite the wording of the term, though, 'island dwarfism' generally involves just a reduction in overall size rather than also the sort of change in relative proportions of body-parts that's fairly common in [RL] human 'dwarfs'. For a species whose members retain comparable proportions to "full-sized" equids and reach c.2' at the shoulder, I think that 'parvus' might still be the better choice.
Would 'parvulus' also be a valid Latin term for something that's a bit smaller than 'parvus'? If so, then I might use this term for this species and save 'parvus' for one of its [slightly larger] fossil ancestors...

Sure! It's up to you. Parvulus is a perfectly fine word, it's the diminutive. You might consider pusillus, which would be even smaller than that.

Thank you. In that case, I think that parvulus (with an ancestor parvus) will be it

[Astrolinium]

Hi,
Could someone translate "Tickle the sleeping dragon at your peril" ? Thanks in advance!

I would go with something like: Draco Dormiens Periculo Tuo Titillatur, literally "a sleeping dragon is tickled at your peril".

[Dragonvista]

Hi,
Could someone translate "Tickle the sleeping dragon at your peril" ? Thanks in advance!

I would go with something like: Draco Dormiens Periculo Tuo Titillatur, literally "a sleeping dragon is tickled at your peril".

Ah, I love it, thank you!

[Bears Armed]

Me again.
Is Equus anciens good enough Latin for a species' name, or would the ending or form of anciens need to be changed?

(Thanks in advance.)

[Erythrean Thebes]

Me again.
Is Equus anciens good enough Latin for a species' name, or would the ending or form of anciens need to be changed?

(Thanks in advance.)

I think the expertise you need is taxonomic, not linguistic. But it seems to me that the name is correct, but you might want to add another adjective if you want to be more specific about the species' characterstic

[Bears Armed]

Me again.
Is Equus anciens good enough Latin for a species' name, or would the ending or form of anciens need to be changed?

(Thanks in advance.)

I think the expertise you need is taxonomic, not linguistic. But it seems to me that the name is correct, but you might want to add another adjective if you want to be more specific about the species' characterstic

That's standard taxonomic practice. Species get the genus name (in this case 'Equus') and one other word to denote the species (in this case 'anciens'): Adding a third word -- "another adjective", as you say -- would be done only to indicate organisms' membership in a particular sub-species within that species. Trying to give a species (rather than a sub-species) a three-part name would get that name rejected, as invalid, by the scientific authorities who judge such matters. (Well, okay, in some cases a sub-genus might also be named, but that name takes an upper-case first letter and goes in parentheses between the genus's name and the part that designates this particular species...)

[Erythrean Thebes]

I think the expertise you need is taxonomic, not linguistic. But it seems to me that the name is correct, but you might want to add another adjective if you want to be more specific about the species' characterstic

That's standard taxonomic practice. Species get the genus name (in this case 'Equus') and one other word to denote the species (in this case 'anciens'): Adding a third word -- "another adjective", as you say -- would be done only to indicate organisms' membership in a particular sub-species within that species. Trying to give a species (rather than a sub-species) a three-part name would get that name rejected, as invalid, by the scientific authorities who judge such matters. (Well, okay, in some cases a sub-genus might also be named, but that name takes an upper-case first letter and goes in parentheses between the genus's name and the part that designates this particular species...)

Wish I knew, I guess it depends most of all on what the horse is like

[Astrolinium]

Me again.
Is Equus anciens good enough Latin for a species' name, or would the ending or form of anciens need to be changed?

(Thanks in advance.)

Having done a quick search through the Library of Latin Texts, the word anciens does not seem to appear in Latin. Now, this isn't necessarily the end of the world for taxonomy, which uses quite a lot of dog Latin from time to time, so you could theoretically get away with it, but if you want the name to genuinely mean "ancient horse", which I'm assuming you do, you'll want something like E. antiquus.

[Bears Armed]

Me again.
Is Equus anciens good enough Latin for a species' name, or would the ending or form of anciens need to be changed?

(Thanks in advance.)

Having done a quick search through the Library of Latin Texts, the word anciens does not seem to appear in Latin. Now, this isn't necessarily the end of the world for taxonomy, which uses quite a lot of dog Latin from time to time, so you could theoretically get away with it, but if you want the name to genuinely mean "ancient horse", which I'm assuming you do, you'll want something like E. antiquus.

Thank you. Unfortunately taxonomy already recognises a species of prehistoric horse from RL as E. antiquus, so I can't use that name here.