Duolingo Lesson: Wednesday 22nd July: Hebrew Determiners:

zeh_determiner_demonstrative_colon_this-copy-1.docx

zeh_determiner_demonstrative_colon_this-copy.pdf

Introduction:

At present, that I may one day be able to read the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, or “Old Testament” in its original Hebrew, I am studying Modern Hebrew, for free, via the Duolingo App. I employ this gamified app so as to learn a form of Hebrew that is more similar to Classical/Biblical Hebrew than it is dissimilar. I can, therefore, through the employment of Brown, Driver Briggs and wiktionary, leverage this addictive, and free gamified app so as to learn some Classical/Biblical Hebrew. According to Hector Avalos in The End of Biblical Studies (2007), even though biblical studies is both a dying and oversubscribed [1] profession, nevertheless there is a shortage of talent and competency for the few lecturing positions available. At PhD level, Avalos recommends that those wishing to lecture, should know at least four languages among the following:

 Latin, Greek, Hebrew, German, Aramaic and Syriac,

to some degree of fluency, and that, ideally, one would also be able to decipher some French, Coptic, and Akkadian, as well.

Therefore, wishing eventually to lecture Philosophy of Religion[2] at a PhD level, some day, I am actively trying to learn Latin, Greek, Hebrew, German and Aramaic and Syriac. Aramaic and Syriac are dialects of the same language. The gamified nature of Duolingo is enabling me to build up competency in a lot of the above-mentioned languages.

In this article, I examine some instances of Hebrew determiners.

Body:

 

Masculine Singular Form:

The Hebrew word, infrā:

 

זֶה

is a ‘determiner,’ which means:

‘this (masculine, singular)’

. The Hebrew word, suprā, when transliterated into the alphabet used by English speakers, appears thus:

‘zēh.’

The word, suprā, when its phonemes be transcribed phonetically into the International Phonetic Alphabet appears thus:

/zeː/

The word, suprā, whenspelled with Hebrew letters, appears thus:

‘zayin, segol; hey.’

In Biblical Hebrew, we employ the phrase:

הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה

or, when transliterated into the alphabet that English speakers use:

‘had͡ħd͡ħāb͡hā́r hazzḗh;’

‘had͡ħ-d͡ħāb͡hā́r haz-zḗh;’

to mean:

‘this thing.’

The phrase suprā—when its phonemes be transcribed, employing, in so doing, the International Phonetic Alphabet—appear thus:

/had.daː.ˈvaːr haz.ˈzeː/

The phrase, suprā, when spelled using Hebrew letters appears thus:

‘hey, pathach; daleth, dagesh forte, qamats; veith, qamats; reish. hey, pathach; zayin, segol; hey.’

Feminine Singular Form:

The Hebrew word, infrā:

זֺאת

is a determiner which means:

 ‘this (feminine, singular).’

The Hebrew word, suprā, when transliterated into the letters of the alphabet used by English speakers, appears thus:

‘zōʔt͡h.’

. The Hebrew word, suprā, when the phonemes, which comprise it, are transcribed into the International Phonetic alphabet, appears thus:

/zoˑʔθ/

/ˈzoˑʔ.θə/

. The word, suprā, when spelled using Hebrew letters, appears thus:

‘zayin, defective cholam; aleph; tau.’

.

Conclusion:

Having examined these Modern-Hebrew determiners—encountered by means of the Duolingo app—and thereupon examining the Classical-Hebrew equivalents of these two determiners, we can now confidently proceed in our studies of Modern Hebrew, employing Duolingo as an instrument in this endeavor.

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[1] That is to say that there are many more post-graduates who wish to lecture biblical studies than there exist accredited universities, colleges, and seminaries with lecturing positions available.

[2] I prefer to call this field: “Philosophy of Religion” rather than to call it: “Theology.” Philosophy of Religion does not assume the existence of God, whereas Theology does. ‘Philosophy of Religion’ is a more neutral term for this field that both theists and atheists can accept.

The Classical Latin Alphabet:

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You may view the SVG vector code for the Latin portico image at my Codepen account

Here is a Microsoft Word version of this blogpost:

the_latin_alphabet_my

Here is a pdf version of this blogpost:

the_latin_alphabet_my

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Figure 1: The Latin Alphabet. The word ‘abecedarium,’ in English, can mean ‘an alphabet inscribed into stone.’ Hence, this portico, with the Latin alphabet inscribed onto its frieze, is a diagram of an ‘abecedarium,’ in the English sense of the word, as well.

Introduction:

In beginning our study of the Classical Latin language, we shall begin with its alphabet. We shall learn the Latin name of its letters, and how these letters ought to be pronounced.

The Latin word for ‘alphabet’ is ‘abecedārium.’^[i]

Body:

Classical Latin possesses an alphabet that contains twenty-three letters. These letters are as follows:

Table 1: The Classical Latin Alphabet. The diligent student will pronounce the letters of this alphabet, aloud, over and over again; and shall write them out, over and over again; until he/she will have committed this alphabet, and the names of its letters, to memory.

The Classical Latin Alphabet:
Latin Lowercase Letter:	Latin Uppercase Letter:	Letter Name in Latin:	How to Pronounce the Letter’s Name in Phonemic Transcription:
a	A	ā	/aː/
b	B	bē	/beː/
c	C	cē	/keː/
d	D	dē	/deː/
f	F	ef	/ɛf/
g	G	gē	/geː/
h	H	hā	/haː/
i[ii]	I	ī	/iː/
k	K	kā	/kaː/
l	L	el	/ɛl/
m	M	em	/ɛm/
n	N	en	/ɛn/
o	O	ō	/oː/
p	P	pē	/peː/
q	Q	qū	/kuː/
r	R	er	/ɛr/
s	S	es	/ɛs/
t	T	tē	/teː/
u[iii]	V	ū	/uː/
x	X	ix	/ɪx/ /ix/
y[iiii]	Y	ī Graeca	/iː ˈgra͡ɪ.ka/, /iː ˈgra͡ɪ.kɑ/
z	Z	zēta	/ˈsdeː.ta/, /ˈzdeː.ta/, /ˈsdeː.tɑ/, /ˈzdeː.tɑ/

Conclusion:

In this chapter have examined the alphabet of the classical Latin language. We have committed the knowledge:

• that the Latin word for ‘alphabet’ is ‘abecedārium;’
• that the Latin Alphabet comprises twenty-three letters;
• which letters comprise the Latin Alphabet;
• the names of the Latin letters;
• how the names of the Latin Letters are pronounced in Latin.

to memory. Our now having acquired the above-listed knowledge, we can now move forth to following chapters that will treat of the pronunciation of Latin in greater detail.

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[1] ‘The Classical Latin Alphabet’ can also be referred to as ‘the Classical Roman Alphabet.’

Endnotes for the Chapter, ‘The Classical Latin Alphabet:’

^[i] The Latin, ‘abecedārium,’ genitive singular: ‘abecedāriī,’ is a 2^nd-declension neuter noun. The first four letters of the Latin alphabet are:

‘ā,’ ‘bē,’ ‘cē,’ ‘dē

.

Hence from the first four letters of the Latin alphabet we derive the word:

‘“ā,”-“bē,”-“cē,”-“d’”-“-ārium.”’

The 2^nd-declension neuter nominal suffix: ‘-ārium,’ genitive singular: ‘-āriī,’ denotes ‘a place where things are kept.’ Where do we keep our letters? We keep our letters in an ‘alphabet,’ or, in Latin, in an ‘abecedārium.’

Hence, etymologically, in Latin, an ‘abecedārium,’ can be defined as: ‘a place where we keep the Latin letters, “ā,” “bē,” “cē,” “dē,” etc.’

^[ii]Properly speaking, there is no ‘j’ or ‘J’ in Latin. However, one will often see this character’s being employed—usually in Church texts and other works composed later than the Classical epoch—to denote a consonantal ‘i,’ or ‘I.’ In Latin, ‘i,’ as a vowel, is pronounced, when short, as /ɪ/ or /i/; and when long as /iː/.

In Latin, consonantal ‘i’ can be represented by the IPA symbol, /j/. The consonantal ‘i,’—or ‘j,’ as one sometimes sees (in Church texts)—represents this very /j/ sound. The consonantal ‘i’ in the Latin word, ‘iugum,’ or ‘jugum,’ /ˈjʊ.ɡʊm/ that means ‘yoke,’ is pronounced as the ‘y’ in the English word, ‘yurt,’ i.e. as: /jεːt/.

^[iii]In Classical Latin, properly, ‘u,’ and ‘v’ are the same letter. Properly, a ‘V’ is nothing more than the capital form of the lowercase ‘u.’ Therefore, strictly speaking, the presence of a lowercase ‘v,’ in a classical Latin text, is an aberration. Oxford University Press wishes, eventually, to strike this aberration from all of its Latin publications, and I wish them well with this endeavour. Hence, the word ‘verbum,’ that one may observe in present O.U.P. Latin texts will eventually become ‘uerbum.’ However, this practice, today, is far from standard. I prefer this practice, and this is the practice that is employed by Peter V. Jones and Keith C. Sidwell’s Reading Latin: Text Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1986. However, these texts—although I deem them more correct—are still in the minority. At present, in most Latin texts, a ‘u,’ or a ‘U,’ is employed to represent the letter ‘u,’ as a vowel; and a ‘v’ or a ‘V’ is employed to represent the letter ‘u,’ as a consonant. Hence, the letter ‘u,’ or ‘U,’ when short, can be said to represent the phonemes: /ʊ/ or /u/ and, when long it can be said to represent the phoneme /uː/. The letter ‘v’ or ‘V’ can be said to represent the phoneme /w/. This will be the practice employed in this present work. Although not our focus, in Church texts, the letter ‘v,’ or ‘V’ can be said to represent the phoneme /v/.

The technical name for the phoneme, /v/, is ‘voiced labiodental fricative.’

The Phonetics term, ‘voiced,’ informs us that vibrating air from the vocal chords is involved in the pronunciation of /v/.

The Phonetics term, ‘labiodental,’ informs us that both the lips and the teeth are involved in the pronunciation of /v/.

The English adjective, ‘labiodental’ is derived from the New Latin 3^rd-declension adjective, ‘labiōdentālis, labiōdentāle,’ genitive singular: ‘labiōdentālis,’ genitive plural: ‘labiōdentālium,’ base: ‘labiōdentāl-.’ This New Latin word is derived from the Classical Latin 2^nd-declension neuter noun, ‘labium,’ genitive singular: ‘labiī,’ which means ‘lip;’ and from the Classical Latin 3^rd-declension masculine noun, ‘dēns,’ genitive singular: ‘dentis,’ genitive plural: ‘dentium,’ which means ‘tooth;’ and from the 3^rd-declension adjectival suffix, ‘-ālis, -āle.’

Hence, etymologically, in this instance, the English adjective, ‘labiodental’ denotes ‘the use of the lips and the teeth in the articulation of a phoneme.’

The Phonetics term, ‘fricative,’ informs us that turbulence, caused by the air escaping from a narrow channel—in this instance, the mouth and lips—is involved in the pronunciation of /v/.

^[iiii]As with ‘i,’ the Latin letter, ‘y,’ can function as a vowel or as a consonant. Its name in Latin is ‘ī Graeca’ which means ‘Greek “i.”’ When the character, ‘y,’ functions as a consonant, it is said to represent the phoneme, /j/, and on the occasions that ‘y’ functions as a vowel, when short it can be said to represent the phonemes: /ɪ/ or /i/ and when long—i.e. when a macron should appear above it, as: ‘ȳ’—it can be said to represent the phoneme: /iː/.

The Elements of Euclid in Greek and Latin

I was trying to parse my way through an edition of The Elements in Greek and Latin:

https://archive.org/details/euclidisoperaomn01eucluoft/page/x

The name of The Elements in Ancient Greek is:

Στοιχει̃a

or, when transliterated:

Stoicheĩa

.

The Ancient-Greek word, τὰ στοιχει̃α or, when transliterated ‘tà stoicheĩa,’ is a plural form of the 2nd-declension neuter verb, τὸ στοιχει̃ον genitive: του̃ στοιχείου or, when transliterated: ‘tò stoicheĩon,’ genitive: ‘toũ stoicheíou.’

The Ancient-Greek word, ‘tò stoicheĩon,’ can mean ‘an element in a set.’

Figure 1: The elements of this set are alpha, beta, gamma and delta.

The Ancient-Greek word, ‘tò stoicheĩon,’ is formed from the Ancient-Greek masculine noun, ὁ στοι̃χος genitive: του̃ στοίχου or, when transliterated, ‘ho stoĩchos,’ genitive: ‘toũ stoíchou,’ which means ‘steps,’ or ‘a flight of stairs;’ and the Ancient-Greek 2nd-declension neuter nominal suffix, ‘-eĩon,’ genitive: ‘-eíou’ which denotes ‘a means (of),’ ‘an instrument of;’ etc.

Figure 2: a ‘stoĩchos’ or ‘series of steps.’

The term, ‘stoĩchos,’ according to Wiktionary, may be traced back to the indo-european word:

*steigʰ

, which means:

‘climb.’

Hence, etymologically, the Ancient-Greek term, ‘stoicheĩa,’ can be said to mean: ‘the means of climbing up;’ ‘the means of stepping up;’ ‘the means of ascent;’ etc.

This is highly instructive, as, in truth, Elements is a book that is a Jacob’s ladder, of sorts, by which one can ascend, element by element, into the heavens of mathematical knowledge.

Figure 3: With The Elements of Euclid, we advance in our mathematical knowledge element by element. Each element is, conceptually, like a rung, heaving us upwards to Mathematical prowess; to an implicit knowledge of Euclidean Geometry.

Integer Multiplication in Python.

(Click the below link for a Microsoft Word version of this blog-post)

integer_multiplication_python

(Click the below link for a pdf version of this blog-post)

integer_multiplication_python

Figure 1:  The Multiplication symbol.  This symbol is used as a Multiplication Operator in Mathematics, but not as a Multiplication Operator in programming languages such as Python.

Figure 2:  Instead of an ‘X’ symbol, we employ the asterisk symbol as a multiplication operator in Python.  Press the keyboard key with this symbol depicted on it so as to effect multiplication.

Figure 3:  What the asterisk symbol looks like rendered in Python’s default font.

What goes on, Arithmetically, in Multiplication?

In Arithmetic, Multiplication, is one of the four elementary operations.  We ought to examine what occurs, arithmetically, in integer multiplication.

 

Let us take the equation:

2 × 4 = 8

.  We pronounce the above equation, in English, as:

Two multiplied by four is equal to eight.

In the above equation, the integer, 2, is the multiplicand[1].  The integer, 2, is what is being multiplied by 4.  I looked up the word ‘multiplication’ in a Latin dictionary[2], and its transliterated equivalent gave:

‘to make many,’

as a definition.

In the above equation, the:

×

symbol is termed ‘the multiplication operator.’  To restate: ‘operator’ is Latin for ‘worker.’  It is the multiplication operator that facilitates the ‘operation’ or ‘work’ of multiplication.  In Python, we use the:

*

, or asterisk symbol, as a multiplication operator.  In Python, the multiplication operator is known as a ‘binary operator[3]’ as it takes two operands.  The operands, in question, are:

2

, the multiplicand, and:

4

, the multiplier.

In the Python equation:

>>> 2 * 4

8.0

>>>

The multiplicand, 2, and the multiplier, 4, are the two operands that the binary operator:

*

takes.

Figure 4:  In Python, we use the * symbol as a multiplication operator.  This is common to most programming languages.  In the above example, we have multiplied 2 by 4, and have got the product, 8.

Let us return to the equation:

2 × 4 = 8

In the above equation,

4

is termed ‘the multiplier.’  In English, the ‘-er’ suffix denotes the agent, or doer of an action.  It is the:

4

that is doing the dividing.  2 is being multiplied by 4.

In the equation:

2 × 4 = 8

the:

=

, or “equals sign,” is termed ‘the sign of equality.’  The sign of equality or equality operator tells us that 2 multiplied by 4 is equal to 8.

In the equation:

2 × 4 = 8

, 8 is termed ‘the product.’  The product is simply the result of multiplication.

The term, ‘product,’ comes from the Latin, ‘to lead forth.’[4]

The result of 2 being multiplied by 4 is 8, so, therefore, 8 is the product.

If we were doing ‘Sums’ in primary school, then:

8

, the product, would be our answer.

Integer Multiplication in Python

In this section, we shall program a simple Integer-Multiplication Calculator in Python.

Figure 5:  In the above-depicted program, we have programmed a simple Integer-Multiplication Calculator that requests the user to input a Multiplicand and a Multiplier, which are the two binary operands of the Multiplication Operator.  The Integer-Multiplication Calculator then returns a product.

Figure 6:  What the Integer-Multiplication Calculator, as depicted in Figure 5, outputs when we, the user, input the Multiplicand, 2, and the Multiplier, 4.  As we can see, the program outputs the product, 8.

Glossary:

-er

• suffix
  1. denoting a person or thing that performs a specified action or activity: farmer | sprinkler
  2. denoting a person or thing that has a specified attribute or form: foreigner | two-wheeler.
  3. denoting a person concerned with a specified thing or subject: milliner | philosopher.
  4. denoting a person belonging to a specified place or group: city-dweller | New Yorker.

<ORIGIN> Old English -ere, of Germanic origin.

 

-ion

• suffix forming nouns denoting verbal action: communion.
  • denoting an instance of this: a rebellion.
  • denoting a resulting state or product: oblivion | opinion.

<ORIGIN>  via French from Latin -ion-.

<USAGE> The suffix -ion is usually found preceded by s (-sion), t (-tion), or x (-xion).[5]

<ETYMOLOGY> From the Latin 3^rd-declension nominal suffix, ‘-iō, -ōnis’.

 

-ious

• suffix (forming adjectives) characterized by; full of: cautious | vivacious.

<ORIGIN> from French -ieux, from Latin -iosus.[6]

<ETYMOLOGY> From the Latin 1^st-and-2^nd-declension adjectival suffix, ‘-iōsa, -iōsus, -iōsum.’

 

-ity

• suffix forming nouns denoting quality or condition: humility | probity.
  • denoting an instance or degree of this: a profanity.

<ORIGIN> from French -ité, from Latin -itas, -itatis.

<ETYMOLOGY> From the Latin 3^rd-declension nominal suffix ‘-itās, itātis.’

 

equation

• 1. [MATHEMATICS] a statement that the values of two mathematical expressions are equal (indicated by the sign =)
  2. [mass noun] the process of equating one thing with another: the equation of science with objectivity.
     • (the equation) a situation in which several factors must be taken into account: money also came into the equation.
  3. [CHEMISTRY] a symbolic representation of the changes which occur in a chemical reaction, expressed in terms of the formulae of the molecules or other species involved.

<PHRASES>

• equation of the first (or second etc.) order [MATHEMATICS] an equation involving only the first derivative, second derivative, etc.

<ORIGIN> late Middle English: from Latin aequatio-(n-), from aequare ‘make equal’ (see EQUATE).[7]

<ETYMOLOGY> from the Latin 1^st-and-2^nd-declension adjective, ‘æqua, æquus, æquum,’ which means ‘equal;’ and the 3^rd-declension nominal suffix, ‘-tiō, (-tiōnis),’ which denotes a state of being.  Therefore, etymologically, an ‘equation’ is ‘a state of being equal.’  Etymologically, therefore, an ‘equation’ is a mathematical statement that declares terms to be equal.

 

multiple

• adjective.

having or involving several parts, elements, or members: multiple occupancy | a multiple pile-up | a multiple birth.

• numerous and often varied: words with multiple meanings.
• (of a disease, injury, etc.) complex in its nature or effects; affecting several parts of the body: a multiple fracture of the femur.
• noun.
  1. a number that may be divided by another a certain number of times without a remainder: 15, 20, or any multiple of five.
  2. (also multiple shop or store)

BRITISH a shop with branches in many places, especially one selling a specific type of product.

<ORIGIN> mid 17^th century: from French, from late Latin multiplus, alteration of Latin multiplex (see MULTIPLEX).[8]

<ETYMOLOGY> From the Latin 3^rd-declension adjective, ‘multiplex, multiplicis’ which means ‘manifold.’  From the Latin 1^st-and-2^nd-declension adjective ‘multa, multus, multum,’ which means ‘many;’ and the Latin 3^rd-conjugation verb, ‘plectō, plectere, plexī, plexum,’ which means ‘to plait,’ ‘to interweave.’

 

 

multiplex

• 1. involving or consisting of many elements in a complex relationship: multiplex ties of work and friendship.
     • involving simultaneous transmission of several messages along a single channel of communication.
  2. (of a cinema) having several separate screens within one building.
• verb. [with object] incorporate into multiplex signal or system.

<DERIVATIVES> multiplexer (also multiplexor) noun.

<ORIGIN> late Middle English in the mathematical sense ‘multiple’: from Latin.[9]

<ETYMOLOGY> From the Latin 3^rd-declension adjective, ‘multiplex, multiplicis’ which means ‘manifold.’  From the Latin 1^st-and-2^nd-declension adjective ‘multa, multus, multum,’ which means ‘many;’ and the Latin 3^rd-conjugation verb, ‘plectō, plectere, plexī, plexum,’ which means ‘to plait,’ ‘to interweave.’

 

 

multipliable

• adjective. able to be multiplied.[10]

multiplicable

• adjective. able to be multiplied

<ORIGIN> late 15^th century: from Old French, from medieval Latin multiplicabilis, from Latin, from multiplex, multilplic- (see MULTIPLEX).

<ETYMOLOGY> From the Latin 3^rd-declension adjective, ‘multiplicābilis, multiplicābile,’ which means ‘manifold.’  From the Latin 1^st-and-2^nd-declension adjective ‘multa, multus, multum,’ which means ‘many;’ and the Latin 3^rd-conjugation verb, ‘plectō, plectere, plexī, plexum,’ which means ‘to plait,’ ‘to interweave;’ and the Latin 3^rd-declension adjective, ‘habilis, habile,’ which means ‘having.’  The Latin 3^rd-declension adjective, ‘habilis, habile,’ is the adjectival form of the Latin 2^nd-declension verb, ‘habeō, habēre, habuī, habitum,’ which means ‘to have.’  The etymological meaning of the term, ‘multipliable,’ therefore, is ‘having the ability to be multiplied;’ ‘having the ability to be made many;’ ‘having the ability to be made manifold.’

multiplicand

• noun. a quantity which is to be multiplied by another (the multiplier).

<ORIGIN> late 16^th century: from medieval Latin multiplicandus ‘to be multiplied’, gerundive of Latin multiplicare (see multiply¹).[11]

<ETYMOLOGY>  From the Latin 1^st-declension verb, ‘multiplicō, multiplicāre, multiplicāvī, multiplicātum,’ which means ‘to multiply, increase, augment.’  ‘Multiplicandum est’ is the neuter gerundive form.  It means ‘that which must be multiplied;’ ‘that which must be made many.’

 

 

 

multiplication

• noun. [mass noun] the process or skill of multiplying.
  • [MATHEMATICS] the process of combining matrices, vectors, or other quantities under specific rules to obtain their product.

<ORIGIN> late Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin: multiplication(n-), from multiplicare (see multiply¹)[12]

<ETYMOLOGY>  From the Latin 3^rd-declension feminine noun, ‘multĭpĭcātĭo, multĭpĭcātĭōnis,’ which means ‘a making manifold,’ ‘increasing,’ ‘multiplying.’  From the Latin 1^st-and-2^nd-declension adjective ‘multa, multus, multum,’ which means ‘many;’ and the Latin 3^rd-conjugation verb, ‘plectō, plectere, plexī, plexum,’ which means ‘to plait,’ ‘to interweave;’ and the Latin 3^rd-declension nominal suffix, ‘-iō, -ōnis’, which signifies a noun denoting a verbal action.  Therefore, the etymological definition of ‘multiplication’ is: ‘the action of multiplying;’ ‘the action of making many;’ ‘the action of making manifold;’ etc.

multiplication sign

• noun. the sign , used indicate that one quantity is to be multiplied by another, as in .[13]

multiplication table

• noun. a list of multiples of a particular number, typically from 1 to 12.[14]

 

multiplicative

• adjective. subject to or of the nature of multiplication: coronary risk factors are multiplicative.[15]

<ETYMOLOGY>  From the Latin 1^st-and-2^nd-declension adjective, ‘multiplicātiva, multiplicātivus, multiplicātivum,’ which means ‘of multiplication;’ ‘of the action of making many;’ etc.  From the Latin 1^st-and-2^nd-declension adjective ‘multa, multus, multum,’ which means ‘many;’ and the Latin 3^rd-conjugation verb, ‘plectō, plectere, plexī, plexum,’ which means ‘to plait,’ ‘to interweave;’ and the Latin 1^st-and-2^nd-declension nominal suffix, ‘-īva, – īvus, -īvum’, which signifies ‘of,’ ‘concerning’.  Therefore, the etymological definition of the English adjective, ‘multiplicative,’ is ‘concerning multiplication;’ ‘concerning the action of making many;’ ‘denoting multiplication;’ ‘denoting the action of making many;’ ‘of multiplication;’ ‘of the action of making many;’ etc.

multiplicity

• noun. (plural. multiplicities) a large number or variety: the demand for higher education depends on a multiplity of

<ORIGIN> late Middle English: from late Latin multiplicitas, from Latin multiplex (see MULTIPLEX).[16]

<ETYMOLOGY> From the Late Latin 3^rd-declension feminine noun, ‘multĭplĭcĭtas, multĭplĭcĭtātis,’ which means ‘multiplicity, manifoldness.’  From the Latin 1^st-and-2^nd-declension adjective ‘multa, multus, multum,’ which means ‘many;’ and the Latin 3^rd-conjugation verb, ‘plectō, plectere, plexī, plexum,’ which means ‘to plait,’ ‘to interweave;’ and the Latin 3rd-declension nominal suffix, ‘-itās, itātis,’ which signifies a state of being.  Therefore, the etymological meaning of the English term, multiplicity, is ‘the state of being many;’ ‘the condition of being many;’ etc.

 

 

 

multiplier

• noun.
  1. a quantity by which a given number (the multiplicand) is to be multiplied.
     • [ECONOMICS] a factor by which an increment of income exceeds the resulting increment of saving or investment.
  2. a device for increasing by repetition the intensity of an electric current, force, etc. to a measurable level.[17]

<ETYMOLOGY> From the English verb ‘to multiply,’ which means ‘to make manifold,’ and the English nominal suffix ‘-er,’ which denotes the performer of an action.  From the Latin 1^st-and-2^nd-declension adjective ‘multa, multus, multum,’ which means ‘many;’ and the Latin 3^rd-conjugation verb, ‘plectō, plectere, plexī, plexum,’ which means ‘to plait,’ ‘to interweave;’ and the English suffix ‘-er,’ which denotes the performer of an action.  Therefore, the etymological definition of ‘multiplier’ is ‘the number that multiplies.’

 

 

multiply¹

• verb. (multiplies, multiplying, multiplied) [with object.]
  1. obtain from (a number) another which contains the first number a specified number of times: multiply fourteen by nineteen | [no object] we all know how to multiply by ten.
  2. increase or cause to increase greatly in number or quantity: [no object] ever since I became a landlord my troubles have multiplied tenfold | cigarette smoking combines with other factors to multiply the risks of atherosclerosis.
     • [no object] (of an animal or other organism) increase in number by reproducing.
     • [with object.] propagate (plants).

<ORIGIN>  Middle English: from Old French multiplier, from Latin multiplicare.[18]

<ETYMOLOGY>  From the Latin 1^st-conjugation verb, ‘multiplicō, multiplicāre, multiplicāvī, multiplicātum,’ which means ‘to multipliy,’ ‘to increase,’ ‘to augment.’  From the Latin 1^st-and-2^nd-declension adjective, ‘multa, multus, multum,’ which means ‘many;’ and the Latin 3^rd-conjugation verb, ‘plectō, plectere, plexī, plexum,’ which means ‘to plait,’ ‘to interweave.’  Therefore, the etymological definition of the English verb, ‘to multiply,’ is ‘to make manifold;’ ‘to make many;’ etc.

 

 

 

operator

4. [MATHEMATICS] a symbol or function denoting an operation (e.g. ).[19]

<ETYMOLOGY>  From the 3^rd-declension masculine Latin noun, ‘ŏpĕrātor, ŏpĕrātōris,’ which means ‘operator,’ ‘worker.’  The Latin 3^rd-declension noun, ‘opus, operis,’ which means ‘work,’ ‘labour.’  From the Latin 1^st-conjugation verb, ‘operō, operāre, operāvī, operātor;’ and the 3^rd-declension nominal suffix, ‘-or,       (-ōris)’ which denotes a performer of an action.  Etymologically, as regards Mathematics, it is the operator that is said to perform the work of the operation.

 

operation

• noun.

[mass noun] the action of functioning or the fact of being active or in effect: restrictions on the operation of market forces | the company’s first hotel is now in operation.

4. [MATHEMATICS] a process in which a number, quantity, expression, etc., is altered or manipulated according to set formal rules, such as those of addition, multiplication, and differentiation.

<ORIGIN> late Middle English: via Old French from Latin operatio(n-), from the verb operari ‘expend labour on’ (see Operate)[20]

 

<ETYMOLOGY>  From the Latin 3^rd-declension feminine noun, ‘ŏpĕrātĭo, ŏpĕrātĭōnis,’ which means ‘a working,’ ‘a work,’ ‘a labour,’ ‘operation.’  From the Latin 1^st-declension deponent verb ‘operor, operāre, operātus sum,’ which means ‘to work,’ ‘to labour,’ ‘to expend labour on;’ and the Latin 3^rd-declension nominal suffix, ‘-iō, (-iōnis),’ which denotes a state of being.  Etymologically, therefore, as regards Mathematics, an ‘operation’ is a ‘mathematical work;’ ‘mathematical working;’ a ‘mathematical labour.’  The mathematical work that would be carried out depends on the operator.  For instance, if the operator be a plus sign, then the mathematical work to be carried out would be addition.  Addition is a type of operation.

produce

5. [GEOMETRY], DATED extend or continue (a line).

…

<ORIGIN> late Middle English (in sense 3 of the verb) from Latin producere, from pro- ‘forward’ + ducere ‘to lead’.  Current noun senses date from the late 17^th century.[21]

<ETYMOLOGY> From the Latin 3^rd-conjugation verb, ‘prōdūcō, prōdūcere, prōdūxī, prōductum’ which means ‘to lead forth;’ ‘to bring forth;’ From the Latin preposition, ‘prō,’ which means ‘forth,’ ‘forward;’ and the Latin 3^rd-conjugation verb, ‘dūcō, dūcere, dūxī, ductum,’ meaning ‘to lead.’  Therefore the etymological definition of the English verb, ‘to produce,’ is ‘to lead forth;’ ‘to bring forth;’ etc.

 

product

• noun.

3. [MATHEMATICS] a quantity obtained by multiplying quantities together, or from analogous algebraic operation.

<ORIGIN> late Middle English (as a mathematical term): from Latin productum ‘something produced’, neuter past participle (used as a noun) of producer ‘bring forth’ (see PRODUCE).[22]

<ETYMOLOGY> From the Latin participle ‘prōductum,’ which means ‘a leading forth;’ ‘a bringing forth;’ etc.  From the Latin 3^rd-conjugation verb, ‘prōdūcō, prōdūcere, prōdūxī, prōductum’ which means ‘to lead forth;’ ‘to bring forth;’ From the Latin preposition, ‘prō,’ which means ‘forth,’ ‘forward;’ and the Latin 3^rd-conjugation verb, ‘dūcō, dūcere, dūxī, ductum,’ meaning ‘to lead.’  Therefore the etymological definition of the English verb, ‘to produce,’ is ‘to lead forth;’ ‘to bring forth;’ etc.  Hence the etymological definition of the English noun, ‘product’ is ‘[the result that is] brought forth [from the operation of multiplication];’ etc.

 

 

 

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[1]  There seems to be some debate as to whether it be the first term – in this instance 2 – that is the multiplicand, or the second term – in this instance 4.  However, the way that I worded it: “two multiplied by four” leaves us in no doubt that it is the first term – in this instance 2 – that is the multiplicand.

[2]  multiplex icis, adj

[multus + PARC-], with many folds, much-winding: alvus…

Latin English Lexicon: Optimized for the Kindle, Thomas McCarthy, (Perilingua Language Tools: 2013) Version 2.1  Loc 62571.

Hence ‘multiplication,’ etymologically, means ‘to make manifold.’

See GLOSSARY

[3]  See the chapter on UNARY AND BINARY OPERATORS

[4]  The Latin 3^rd-conjugation verb, ‘prōdūcō, prōdūcere, prōdūxī, prōdūctum.’  From the Latin preposition, ‘prō,’ meaning ‘forth,’ ‘forward;’ and the Latin 3^rd-conjugation verb, ‘dūcō, dūcere, dūxī, ductum,’ meaning ‘to lead.’  The etymological meaning of ‘product,’ therefore, seems to be: ‘[the result,] that which is lead forth [from the process of multiplication].’

[5]  Oxford University Press.  Oxford Dictionary of English (Electronic Edition). Oxford. 2010.  Loc 362341.

[6]  ibid.  Loc 362542.

[7]  ibid.  Loc 234861

[8]  ibid.  Loc 461693.

[9]  ibid.  Loc 461727.

[10]  ibid.  Loc 461740.

[11]  ibid.  Loc 461758.

[12]  ibid.  Loc 461781.

[13]  ibid.  Loc 461787.

[14]  ibid.  Loc 461790.

[15]  ibid.  Loc 461792.

[16]  ibid.  Loc 461805.

[17]  ibid.  Loc 461810.

[18]  ibid.  Loc 461817.

[19]  ibid.  Loc 493860.

[20]  ibid.  Loc 493797.

[21]  ibid.  Loc 560683.

[22]  ibid.  Loc 560753.

The Spirit of the Staircase

Figure 1:  I shall be learning videogame development, next September.  I am trying to get my head around simple graphics-creation.  This is how staircases were rendered in 8-bit action-adventure games such as the original The Legend of Zelda (1986).  I drew the above staircase in Microsoft Paint.

“Never use a Romance Word, when a Saxon word will do.”

George Orwell.

One of the Rules of English Style formulated by George Orwell.  Orwell also condemns sesquipedalianism, or the use of big words when small words will do.  Ironically, ‘sesquipedalianism’ is quite a sesquipedalian[1] word!

I generally try to keep to Orwell’s rules of English style.  That said, though, a good writer knows when the rules can and ought to be broken.

One practice that I despise is the casual dropping of French words into writing or conversation.  One might say:

“We need to give this the coup de grâce.”

instead of saying:

“We need to give this the death-blow.”

Dropping French words into English writing and conversation is pure show-offery; pure pretension.  I remember that there was an English teacher at school – who also taught French! – who used to do this all the time, and it drove me mad.

To litter one’s speech and writing with foreign words is to impede the comprehension of the listener/reader.  This is why Orwell condemned it.

The only reason that we, as speakers, speak is so that the listener might understand.

The only reason that we, as writers, write is so that the reader might understand.

We do not read and speak so as to intimate unto our hearer thoughts as to how clever we are.

There is one French expression, though, that I absolutely adore, and that is:

“esprit d’escalier”

The term ‘esprit d’escalier,’ literally means: ‘the spirit of the staircase.’

The spirit of the staircase is what occurs when we think of the perfect thing to say, after the  opportunity to say it has passed.

Imagine this scenario: you walk a pretty girl back to her apartment, in total silence, and she closes the door on you without kissing you good night.  Whilst walking down the staircase, you think of the perfect thing to have said that might have made that pretty madamoiselle your girlfriend.  But now it is too late.  You are now alone on the staircase, with nothing but your tardy wit for companionship.  This is ‘esprit d’escalier’ my friend!

Figure 2:  I drew the above rough sketch with pencils.  I am haunted by the spirit of the staircase, quite a bit.  Why did I not say that to her?

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[1] The term ‘sesquipedaliānum’ in Latin, means ‘concerning 16 syllables.’  The Latin 3rd-declension masculine noun, ‘pēs, pedis,’ means ‘foot,’ or ‘syllable.’  The etymological sense of ‘sesquipedalianism’ is: ‘the use of a word comprising 16 syllables where the use of a word comprising 1 or 2 syllables would have sufficed.’

The Append Operator in Ruby.

UPDATE:

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Below is a pdf version of the below blog post:

The Append Operator in Ruby for pdf

—

 

In mathematics, an operator is a symbol, such as:

+

or:

–

that performs an arithmetic work such as:

addition

or:

subtraction

respectively.

‘Operator’ is Latin for ‘worker.’

Programming is no different when it comes to its operators.  If you wish for a program to work, you must use operators!

In Ruby:

<<

is the append operator.

In anatomy, appendages, such as arms and legs, are those organs that hang on to the trunk, or core.

The term ‘to append,’ etymologically, means ‘to hang [something] on to [something.]’

pendō ‎(present infinitive pendere, perfect active pependī, supine pensum); third conjugation

is the Latin verb, ‘to hang.’  ‘ad’ is the Latin preposition, ‘to, toward.’

Affix the preposition, ‘ad,’ to the verb, ‘pendō,‘ and we get ‘appendō,’ which is the Latin verb, ‘to hang [something] towards [something else.]’

In Ruby programming, we can assign a string-literal value to a variable like so:

a = “Hello”

Should we wish the variable:

a

to contain the string-literal data:

“Hello, world!”

we could simply reassign the variable:

a

to:

“Hello, World!”

thus:

a = “Hello, world!”

but this is not necessary!  A more efficient way would be to append the string-literal data:

“, world!”

to the string-literal value:

“Hello”

by using the append operator:

<<

The following is how we do it:

a = “Hello” ↵

=> “Hello”

a ↵

=> “Hello”

a << “, world!” ↵

=>”Hello, world!”

a ↵

=>”Hello, world!”

Below is an image of this appending’s being done in an Interactive Ruby Window:

Figure 1:  This is a screenshot that I took with Snipping Tool, a Windows-10 application.  Because “world” is, in this instance, in the vocative case, i.e. the case of direct address – you are saying “hello” to it, remember! – in English punctuation, a comma must, therefore, go before it.

Proximity

Figure 1:  Father Ted explains to Father Dougal the concept of far away.

The noun, ‘proximity’ is derived from the Latin third-declension feminine noun, ‘proximitās, proximitātis,’ meaning ‘closeness.’  Further, the Latin third-declension noun ‘proximitās, proximitātis,’ is formed from the Latin first-and-second-declension adjective, ‘proxima, proximus, proximum,’ which means ‘close,’ and the Latin suffix, ‘-ās,’ which denotes a state of being.  So the term, ‘proximity,’ means ‘how close’ – or, indeed, ‘far away,’ – one object is from another object.

Wisdom From the Mouth of Babes.

Billy Finn. A Family-Guy Character voiced by Ricky Gervaise.

In Monaghan, it is customary for rude children to answer their enquiring parents thus:

Parent: Why did you do that?

Child: Because.

I am reading a book about Ancient-Greek Grammar, at present. It describes conjunctions such as ‘because’ as function words. My book on Ancient-Greek grammar describes function words as words that do not contain any meaning when used on their own, but only provide meaning whilst functioning with other words in a clause or sentence.

And, yet, this child’s answer, ‘because,’ contains tonnes of sense.

What the bold child means by answering

‘Because.’

is:

I have just completed a perfect act; an act whose only jutification/rationale is the act itself¹.

I remember that as very young children – from four to seven – my friends and I used to discuss some very deep, philosophical topics, when at school. Once, we were even discussing solipsism². We did not know that what we were discussing was called solipsism, but we were discussing its concept, and in great depth too, I might add.

Very young children are a lot more self-aware than we give them credit for. If anything, very often we lose that awareness of the wonderful world about us as we grow older.

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¹ An axiomatically just act. An act whose justice is self-evident from the act itself.

² Solipsism, coming from the Latin reflexive pronoun ‘ipse’ meaning ‘himself’ and the Latin adjective ‘solus’ meaning ‘alone’ hence ‘oneself alone.’

The famous Latin phrase ‘Cogito ergo sum,’ ‘I think therefore I am,’ is a solipsistic phrase: I can assure myself of my own existence as I am aware of my own thoughts. René Descartes (1596 – 1650) came up with it. It was not a philosopher who explained to me what ‘Cogito ergo sum’ meant, but Comedian, Ricky Gervais.