{"id":498,"date":"2016-07-22T07:36:38","date_gmt":"2016-07-22T11:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/?post_type=chapter&p=498"},"modified":"2016-11-30T17:21:51","modified_gmt":"2016-11-30T22:21:51","slug":"12-latin-nouns-second-declension","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/chapter\/12-latin-nouns-second-declension\/","title":{"raw":"\u00a712. Latin Nouns of the Second Declension","rendered":"\u00a712. Latin Nouns of the Second Declension"},"content":{"raw":"

Now that we\u2019re familiar with one type of Latin noun, the next category should create no problem. The 2nd declension<\/b> is subdivided into two different forms of noun, one ending in -us<\/b> (predominantly masculine in gender) and a second ending in -um <\/b>(invariably neuter). In each type, the BASE<\/b> can be found by removing that final -us<\/b> or -um<\/b>. Let us consider them in turn.<\/p>\r\n

Some 2nd declension nouns in -us<\/b> still display their original form in modern English:<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
campus<\/b><\/td>\r\ncircus<\/b><\/td>\r\ncactus<\/b><\/td>\r\nfungus<\/b><\/td>\r\nstimulus<\/b><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
bacillus<\/b><\/td>\r\nradius<\/b><\/td>\r\nfocus<\/b><\/td>\r\nalumnus<\/b><\/td>\r\nasparagus<\/b><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

The Latin plural of stimulus<\/b> was stimuli<\/b>, originally pronounced \u201cstimul-ee,\u201d but in English normally pronounced \u201cstimul-eye.\u201d How we pluralize words like this will be a good test of their acceptance into everyday English speech. Campus<\/i> and circus<\/i>, for instance, are not considered exotic or technical; no one would dream of saying \u201ccampi<\/i>\u201d <\/i>or \u201ccirci.<\/i>\u201d In contrast, most of the remaining words do retain that original Latin plural, like bacilli, radii, alumni<\/i>. Sometimes there\u2019s a choice: cacti <\/i>and cactuses<\/i> are both correct, as are fungi<\/i> and funguses<\/i>. In the case of asparagus<\/i>, we just avoid the problem altogether\u2014though the Romans quite logically called the vegetable asparagi<\/b>. This type of Latin plural can trick us into drawing false analogies. Though you may hear the form octopi<\/i>, it is historically incorrect, since octopus<\/i> is a Greek derivative meaning \u201ceight-foot.\u201d We can even invent pseudo-Latin singular forms: in Wayne and Shuster\u2019s famous Shakespearean television skit, when Julius Caesar asked for a double martini, he was told that he could have only one martinus<\/i>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
<\/a>Table 2.2<\/strong> LATIN SECOND DECLENSION NOUNS IN<\/b> -US<\/b>
<\/b><\/caption>\r\n
\u00a0animus<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0mind, feeling<\/td>\r\n\u00a0numerus<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0number<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
\u00a0campus<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0level field, plain<\/td>\r\n\u00a0oculus<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0eye<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
\u00a0circus<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0circle, Circus<\/td>\r\n\u00a0populus<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0people<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
\u00a0deus<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0god<\/td>\r\n\u00a0radius<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0staff, rod, spoke<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
\u00a0equus<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0horse<\/td>\r\n\u00a0stimulus<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0goad, spur<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
\u00a0locus<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0place<\/td>\r\n\u00a0terminus<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0boundary<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
\u00a0modus<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0measure, manner<\/td>\r\n\u00a0vulgus<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0mass(es), crowd<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

<\/b>A few of these nouns (campus<\/i>, circus<\/i>, etc.) we\u2019ve seen already. Locus<\/i> and terminus<\/i> have also entered English without change, and you may know animus<\/i> as a word that suggests \u201chostile feeling\u201d or \u201chatred.\u201d Don\u2019t be bothered by the double U <\/b>in equus<\/b>; Latin qu<\/b> was pronounced \/kw\/, virtually as in English, and the word-base here is equ-<\/b>. From modus<\/b> we get the doublets mode<\/i> and mood <\/i>(as in the \u201csubjunctive mood<\/i>\u201d). If you look up mood<\/i> in the dictionary, you will find that there are two quite different English words, identical in spelling\u2014one Germanic and one Latin. Forms like this can be described as HOMOGRAPHS<\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\r\n

The other type of 2nd declension noun ended in -um<\/b>. English has borrowed a number of these directly from Roman public and private life: forum, atri<\/i>um, rostrum, stadium <\/i>(originally Greek). <\/i> Others are more complex words whose form we\u2019ll come to understand later in the course: aquarium, auditorium, memorandum, referendum<\/i>. As you are surely aware, the Latin plural of words in -um <\/b>is -a. <\/b>In English, we can choose as we like between forums<\/i> and fora<\/i>, auditoriums<\/i> and auditoria<\/i>, referendums<\/i> and referenda. <\/i>But don\u2019t forget that data <\/i>and media <\/i>are plural forms; purists use them only with plural verbs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
<\/a>Table 2.3<\/strong> LATIN SECOND DECLENSION NOUNS IN -UM<\/b><\/caption>\r\n
fatum<\/b><\/td>\r\nfate, destiny<\/td>\r\npretium<\/b><\/td>\r\nvalue, price<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
granum<\/b><\/td>\r\ngrain, seed<\/td>\r\nsignum<\/b><\/td>\r\nmark, token, sign<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
monstrum<\/b><\/td>\r\nevil omen, monster<\/td>\r\ntaedium<\/b><\/td>\r\nweariness, disgust<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
odium<\/b><\/td>\r\nhatred<\/td>\r\nverbum<\/b><\/td>\r\nword<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
officium<\/b><\/td>\r\nservice, duty<\/td>\r\nvitium<\/b><\/td>\r\nfault, vice<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n

Spelled as it was in Latin, the English noun odium<\/i> suggests the hatred that clings to a person who has become dishonored or disgraced; a close synonym is another Latin 2nd declension derivative, opprobrium<\/i>. Our word office<\/i> usually implies either a place of business (\u201cI\u2019m going to the office\u201d) or a position in a hierarchy (\u201cShe was elected to high office\u201d). The original Latin meaning can often be found in Elizabethan English, and is still alive in expressions such as \u201cthrough your kind offices.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

In classical Latin, officium<\/b> was pronounced \u201cof-fee-kee-oom\u201d and pretium<\/b>, \u201cpreh-tee-oom\u201d; there was no risk of confusing the sounds of ci-<\/b> and ti-<\/b>. In late Latin, however, both these syllables were pronounced [tsi], and pretium<\/b> (now \u201cpreh-tsee-oom\u201d) was often misspelled as precium<\/b>. This fact helps explain the spelling of price<\/i> and precious<\/i>. In medieval Latin, the diphthong ae<\/b> and the long vowel e<\/b> also became almost identical in sound (\u201cay\u201d); thus taedium<\/b> was spelled tedium<\/b>, and praemium<\/b> (\u201creward\u201d), premium<\/b>.<\/p>\r\n

The Latin word signum<\/b> was amazingly flexible in meaning. Any kind of mark or indicator, it could be a military standard, a signal, a token, a symptom, a statue, a seal, or a heavenly constellation (a sign of the zodiac). The English derivative is almost as versatile.<\/p>","rendered":"

Now that we\u2019re familiar with one type of Latin noun, the next category should create no problem. The 2nd declension<\/b> is subdivided into two different forms of noun, one ending in -us<\/b> (predominantly masculine in gender) and a second ending in -um <\/b>(invariably neuter). In each type, the BASE<\/b> can be found by removing that final -us<\/b> or -um<\/b>. Let us consider them in turn.<\/p>\n

Some 2nd declension nouns in -us<\/b> still display their original form in modern English:<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n
campus<\/b><\/td>\ncircus<\/b><\/td>\ncactus<\/b><\/td>\nfungus<\/b><\/td>\nstimulus<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
bacillus<\/b><\/td>\nradius<\/b><\/td>\nfocus<\/b><\/td>\nalumnus<\/b><\/td>\nasparagus<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

The Latin plural of stimulus<\/b> was stimuli<\/b>, originally pronounced \u201cstimul-ee,\u201d but in English normally pronounced \u201cstimul-eye.\u201d How we pluralize words like this will be a good test of their acceptance into everyday English speech. Campus<\/i> and circus<\/i>, for instance, are not considered exotic or technical; no one would dream of saying \u201ccampi<\/i>\u201d <\/i>or \u201ccirci.<\/i>\u201d In contrast, most of the remaining words do retain that original Latin plural, like bacilli, radii, alumni<\/i>. Sometimes there\u2019s a choice: cacti <\/i>and cactuses<\/i> are both correct, as are fungi<\/i> and funguses<\/i>. In the case of asparagus<\/i>, we just avoid the problem altogether\u2014though the Romans quite logically called the vegetable asparagi<\/b>. This type of Latin plural can trick us into drawing false analogies. Though you may hear the form octopi<\/i>, it is historically incorrect, since octopus<\/i> is a Greek derivative meaning \u201ceight-foot.\u201d We can even invent pseudo-Latin singular forms: in Wayne and Shuster\u2019s famous Shakespearean television skit, when Julius Caesar asked for a double martini, he was told that he could have only one martinus<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Table 2.2<\/strong> LATIN SECOND DECLENSION NOUNS IN<\/b> -US<\/b>
<\/b><\/caption>\n
\u00a0animus<\/b><\/td>\n\u00a0mind, feeling<\/td>\n\u00a0numerus<\/b><\/td>\n\u00a0number<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0campus<\/b><\/td>\n\u00a0level field, plain<\/td>\n\u00a0oculus<\/b><\/td>\n\u00a0eye<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0circus<\/b><\/td>\n\u00a0circle, Circus<\/td>\n\u00a0populus<\/b><\/td>\n\u00a0people<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0deus<\/b><\/td>\n\u00a0god<\/td>\n\u00a0radius<\/b><\/td>\n\u00a0staff, rod, spoke<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0equus<\/b><\/td>\n\u00a0horse<\/td>\n\u00a0stimulus<\/b><\/td>\n\u00a0goad, spur<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0locus<\/b><\/td>\n\u00a0place<\/td>\n\u00a0terminus<\/b><\/td>\n\u00a0boundary<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0modus<\/b><\/td>\n\u00a0measure, manner<\/td>\n\u00a0vulgus<\/b><\/td>\n\u00a0mass(es), crowd<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

<\/b>A few of these nouns (campus<\/i>, circus<\/i>, etc.) we\u2019ve seen already. Locus<\/i> and terminus<\/i> have also entered English without change, and you may know animus<\/i> as a word that suggests \u201chostile feeling\u201d or \u201chatred.\u201d Don\u2019t be bothered by the double U <\/b>in equus<\/b>; Latin qu<\/b> was pronounced \/kw\/, virtually as in English, and the word-base here is equ-<\/b>. From modus<\/b> we get the doublets mode<\/i> and mood <\/i>(as in the \u201csubjunctive mood<\/i>\u201d). If you look up mood<\/i> in the dictionary, you will find that there are two quite different English words, identical in spelling\u2014one Germanic and one Latin. Forms like this can be described as HOMOGRAPHS<\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n

The other type of 2nd declension noun ended in -um<\/b>. English has borrowed a number of these directly from Roman public and private life: forum, atri<\/i>um, rostrum, stadium <\/i>(originally Greek). <\/i> Others are more complex words whose form we\u2019ll come to understand later in the course: aquarium, auditorium, memorandum, referendum<\/i>. As you are surely aware, the Latin plural of words in -um <\/b>is -a. <\/b>In English, we can choose as we like between forums<\/i> and fora<\/i>, auditoriums<\/i> and auditoria<\/i>, referendums<\/i> and referenda. <\/i>But don\u2019t forget that data <\/i>and media <\/i>are plural forms; purists use them only with plural verbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Table 2.3<\/strong> LATIN SECOND DECLENSION NOUNS IN -UM<\/b><\/caption>\n
fatum<\/b><\/td>\nfate, destiny<\/td>\npretium<\/b><\/td>\nvalue, price<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
granum<\/b><\/td>\ngrain, seed<\/td>\nsignum<\/b><\/td>\nmark, token, sign<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
monstrum<\/b><\/td>\nevil omen, monster<\/td>\ntaedium<\/b><\/td>\nweariness, disgust<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
odium<\/b><\/td>\nhatred<\/td>\nverbum<\/b><\/td>\nword<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
officium<\/b><\/td>\nservice, duty<\/td>\nvitium<\/b><\/td>\nfault, vice<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Spelled as it was in Latin, the English noun odium<\/i> suggests the hatred that clings to a person who has become dishonored or disgraced; a close synonym is another Latin 2nd declension derivative, opprobrium<\/i>. Our word office<\/i> usually implies either a place of business (\u201cI\u2019m going to the office\u201d) or a position in a hierarchy (\u201cShe was elected to high office\u201d). The original Latin meaning can often be found in Elizabethan English, and is still alive in expressions such as \u201cthrough your kind offices.\u201d<\/p>\n

In classical Latin, officium<\/b> was pronounced \u201cof-fee-kee-oom\u201d and pretium<\/b>, \u201cpreh-tee-oom\u201d; there was no risk of confusing the sounds of ci-<\/b> and ti-<\/b>. In late Latin, however, both these syllables were pronounced [tsi], and pretium<\/b> (now \u201cpreh-tsee-oom\u201d) was often misspelled as precium<\/b>. This fact helps explain the spelling of price<\/i> and precious<\/i>. In medieval Latin, the diphthong ae<\/b> and the long vowel e<\/b> also became almost identical in sound (\u201cay\u201d); thus taedium<\/b> was spelled tedium<\/b>, and praemium<\/b> (\u201creward\u201d), premium<\/b>.<\/p>\n

The Latin word signum<\/b> was amazingly flexible in meaning. Any kind of mark or indicator, it could be a military standard, a signal, a token, a symptom, a statue, a seal, or a heavenly constellation (a sign of the zodiac). The English derivative is almost as versatile.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"menu_order":5,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"Chapter 2: The Latin Noun (Declensions 1 & 2)","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[52],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-498","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":442,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1931,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/498\/revisions\/1931"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/442"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/498\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=498"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=498"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}