# O Doperi qui Latinitatem regunt! Adjuvate me! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 18, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-doperi-qui-latinitatem-regunt-adjuvate-me/550674 "2010-08-18T22:12:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-doperi-qui-latinitatem-regunt-adjuvate-me/550674/1 "2010-08-18T22:12:29Z")
I’m putting together an art project in which I translate the Montreal metro map into numerous different languages and graphic styles, one of which is to be a Renaissance mappa mundi with all the labels in Latin. To that end, I’ve made a list of the phrases I’d like to include. Naturally, the proper names are translated rather fancifully, but I’d like to make sure they’re grammatically consistent as to case, etc. Would one of you be good enough to [go here](http://montrealais.livejournal.com/464733.html) and let me know of any corrections that have to be made? ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-doperi-qui-latinitatem-regunt-adjuvate-me/550674/2 "2010-08-19T00:48:29Z")
Matthaeus Norvegicus? So your name means Matthew the Norwegian? I can’t help you, but I guess this will bump the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-doperi-qui-latinitatem-regunt-adjuvate-me/550674/3 "2010-08-19T01:28:22Z")
My dictionary shows _iter_ as neuter, but you seem to have it paired with masculine adjectives and pronouns. \> Statio Cutis Skin Station? \> Insulae Jesus pars Okay, I assume that Jesus is 4th declension (I’m a heathen, what can I tell you?). Is there a place called Part of the Island of Jesus? \> Hic sunt tavernae cinaedorum Does the official map point out gay bars? Otherwise, it looks fine except that none of the place names are familiar to me in English. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-doperi-qui-latinitatem-regunt-adjuvate-me/550674/4 "2010-08-19T01:52:32Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > My dictionary shows _iter_ as neuter, but you seem to have it paired with masculine adjectives and pronouns. Right you are. I’ve corrected it. > [@](#): > > \> Statio Cutis > Skin Station? Peel, apparently. 😃 > [@](#): > > \> Insulae Jesus pars > Okay, I assume that Jesus is 4th declension (I’m a heathen, what can I tell you?). Having looked it up, I find the genitive is _Iesu_. Thanks. > [@](#): > > Is there a place called Part of the Island of Jesus? Yep, it’s Île Jésus. (These old maps usually said “Americae pars,” “Africae pars” or whatever instead of just America or Africa when just a part of the landmass was shown.) > [@](#): > > Does the official map point out gay bars? No, but mine does. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-doperi-qui-latinitatem-regunt-adjuvate-me/550674/5 "2010-08-19T03:41:01Z")
I don’t know anything about Latin grammar, but I read your station names to see how you’d translated them. You got a few laughs and a few groans from me. 😉 I do have a few questions. You have a “Statio Sancti Bonaventurae” on the map, but apparently the name of the station is simply Bonaventure, not Saint-Bonaventure. Is that a willful choice on your part? Also, you translate Place-d’Armes with Principiae. What’s the reasoning here? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-doperi-qui-latinitatem-regunt-adjuvate-me/550674/6 "2010-08-19T04:08:26Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > You have a “Statio Sancti Bonaventurae” on the map, but apparently the name of the station is simply Bonaventure, not Saint-Bonaventure. Is that a willful choice on your part? Yeah, I figured I’d make all the saints consistent. > [@](#): > > Also, you translate Place-d’Armes with Principiae. What’s the reasoning here? “Principia” was the term I’d found for a parade ground (place d’armes), but I’m open to correction on that score. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-doperi-qui-latinitatem-regunt-adjuvate-me/550674/7 "2010-08-19T04:17:40Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > > [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > > > \> Statio Cutis > > Skin Station? > > Peel, apparently. 😃 I don’t think this works. Sir Robert Peel was not named for his skin, but for his father, and the ultimate origins of the name are still not epidermal in any way. Statio Peelis or Statio Roberti Peelis, I’d say (or maybe Peeli). Or Pilis or Pili, depending on how you want to Latinize the name. ETA: The Latin Wikipedia has [Robertus Peel](http://la.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robertus_Peel). No hint of a declensional class for the surname. I’d pick third, masc. or neuter, by analogy with other nouns in -L in the nominative. ---
**Author:** ![Waffle\_Decider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Waffle\_Decider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waffle_Decider)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-doperi-qui-latinitatem-regunt-adjuvate-me/550674/8 "2010-08-19T04:22:52Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > “Principia” was the term I’d found for a parade ground (place d’armes), but I’m open to correction on that score. According to my dictionary, principia is actually a neuter plural, so it probably should be Statio Principiorum. I’m not a Latin expert by any means though… ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-doperi-qui-latinitatem-regunt-adjuvate-me/550674/9 "2010-08-19T04:32:38Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > > [@matt\_mcl](#): > > > > Peel, apparently. 😃 > > I don’t think this works. Sir Robert Peel was not named for his skin, but for his father, and the ultimate origins of the name are still not epidermal in any way. Statio Peelis or Statio Roberti Peelis, I’d say (or maybe Peeli). Or Pilis or Pili, depending on how you want to Latinize the name. That’s what the smiley was for 😃 Likewise, avenue Atwater isn’t actually the street that goes to the water; it’s named after a dude called Edwin Atwater. But Statio Atwaterii\* = dorky; Statio ad Aquam = cool. > [@](#): > > According to my dictionary, principia is actually a neuter plural, so it probably should be Statio Principiorum. I’m not a Latin expert by any means though… Interesting, thanks! (\*It seems that in biology, non-Latin family names (of men) are most frequently made into second-declension nouns by adding -ius, making -ii in the genitive; e.g. _Gavia adamsii_ and so forth.) ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-doperi-qui-latinitatem-regunt-adjuvate-me/550674/10 "2010-08-20T15:15:56Z")
Bump for additional Latineers!