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Some Notes on First Declension Generic
Names Ending in -e, and, Declining America |
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Some Notes on First Declension Generic
Names Ending in -e, P. M. Eckel The following notes concern a relatively unfamiliar paradigm for
first declension Latin nouns that end in -e.
The main intent here is to provide assistance in treating generic
names in the Latin prose of diagnoses and descriptions. Generic and some other nouns in Latin, ending in -e are almost
exclusively feminine nouns. They represent first declension Greek nouns
ending in eta. Normally the standard endings of the Latin first declension
present little problem (Rosa, Rosae, Rosae, Rosam, Rosa, etc.) and it is one
of the first and hence most familiar of the Latin paradigms presented to the
beginning student. William Stearn (1983), however, in his classic treatise on
Botanical Latin, included the following paradigm (p. 70) in his treatment of
the first declension: Stearn's
Alternative Paradigm Singular [endings]
[Galianthe,-es,
s.f.I] [Plural endings are the same
as in the standard paradigm (see discussion
below)] Nom. Galianthe
-e Gen. Galianthes
-es Dat. Galianthae
-ae Acc. Galianthen
-en Abl. Galianthe
-e NOTE: The ablative singular ending is the same as the nominative
singular (whereas in Greek it would be the same as the genitive singular, the
genitive case and the endings associated with it having taken over the
function of the ablative in that language). To remind the reader, the Standard Paradigm for
first declension nouns is as follows: [Rosa,-ae, s.f.I] Singular
Plural Nom. Rosa -a Rosae -ae Gen. Rosae -ae Rosarum -arum Dat. Rosae -ae Rosis -is Acc. Rosam -am Rosas -as Abl. Rosa -a Rosis -is The singular endings in the first paradigm example are atypical
in both Greek and Latin. When composing new generic names from Greek words ending in eta,
the student has the option of declining such words with a terminal -a, and
using the standard Latin first declension paradigm. For example the Greek
word 'thece,' meaning a case or capsule, is usually rendered theca,-ae
(s.f.I), and the generic names Cleistotheca,-ae (s.f.I), Tetragonotheca,-ae
(s.f.I) are declined like Rosa and other typical words of the First
Declension. Generic names such as Aphanothece, Chroothece and Cyanothece , however, are declined as in the alternative
paradigm. Stearn also indicated that certain technical words used in
botany are declined this alternative way, using the word raphe (or rhaphe) as
an example. Raphe,-es (s.f.I) is used to describe the cord of vascular tissue
connecting the base of the nucellus with the placenta in an anatropous ovule.
It is also used of the median rib of a valve in diatoms, and also the suture
between carpels in species of the Apiaceae (Jackson 1928). In the glossary that is the triumphant ending to his treatise,
however, Stearn indicated raphe (and also pseudoraphe) as a Third Declension
noun, yet suggested it also be declined according to the alternative paradigm
for the first declension presented above. The unfortunate consequence of this
information is the student appears to be
given the option: 1) of using either a strange first
declension paradigm to formulate endings of Greek words ending in eta (mostly
generic names), or 2) use of the Latin third declension (-e
in the nominative singular, -es in the nominative plural), or 3) to transliterate
Greek words ending in eta into the standard first declension paradigm with -a
in the nominative singular. Stearn does not give a solution to this dilemma. Why rhaphe
should be in the third declension in Latin is also problematic as, in Greek,
the word seems to be a standard first declension noun (not the third). The
suggested declensional treatment of raphe in Stearn's glossary is "raphe
(s.f.III), abl. sing.
raphe, nom. pl. raphes, abl. pl. raphibus ...".
The accusative singular is rendered "raphem" among the examples
given. One assumes the genitive plural is raphum, and not -ium, as a Latin
I-stem noun (i.e. parisyllabics or with a base or stem in two consonants in
the nominative plural) would be. The problem with this word is what the singular
might be, other than the nominative or ablative, which are the same (raphe),
and the accusative (raphem). The genitive singular must be raphis, the dative
raphi, to be consistent with standard Latin third declension case endings. Greenough et al. (1903) in their treatment of First Declension
(a-stem) nouns, give numerous variations in the case forms of this declension
during various phases of the classical period, including borrowed Greek
words. They cite a variety of Greek proper names, familiar to those having
read the Aeneid, where a constellation of case endings is possible. In
addition to these are nouns, around 35 of them, that have case forms as in
Stearn's alternative endings cited above. These alternative endings affect
only the singular, not the plural. Plural endings follow the standard case
endings for the first declension: that is -ae, -arum, -is, -as,-is, as
presented in the standard paradigm above. Presumably, some of the generic
names listed below are compounds of two Greek nouns, the second of which is
one of these 35 nouns that take the alternative Latin endings in the
singular. Greenough et al., unfortunately, go on to say that "Many
Greek nouns vary between the first, the second, and the third
declensions" and
give certain proper nouns as examples without further details.
Somewhere among those words must occur the noun "raphe" as a third
declension noun - hopefully this is the only such noun that must be contended
with in the Botanical Latin context. Since Stearn suggests raphe may be declined in the alternative
first declension, it is suggested here, following Greenough et al., that an
acceptable paradigm might be: raphe,-es
(s.f.III): raphe (seam or suture): Singular Plural Nom. rhaphe rhaphae Gen. rhaphes
rhapharum Dat. rhaphae rhaphis Acc. rhaphem rhaphas Abl. rhaphe rhaphis This paradigm effectively eliminates the problems in declining
this noun in the Latin third declension The number of generic names ending in -e is quite lengthy as the
following short list indicates: Aeschynomene, Agarocybe, Agastache, Agave, Alsine, Andrachne,
Androsace, Anemone, Argemone, Astilbe, Atragene, Buchloe, Cakile, Callirhoe,
Callitriche, Calycotome, Campe, Cardamine, Carsiope, Chamaedaphne,
Chamaesyce, Chelone, Cleome, Clitocybe, Coryne, Cyclocybe, Daphne, Dicymbe,
Diplachne, Elatine, Eleusine, Endogone, Glycine, Helleborine, Hierochloe,
Hydrocotyle, Iresine, Jasione, Leucothoe, Orobanche, Othake, Phyllodoce,
Pleurogyne, Poecilanthe, Schizachne, Silene, Xenolachne, Xenostele,
Xenostigme. Three names used in bryology include Camptochaete, Gymnocybe and
Pleurochaete. Some Greek first declension nouns that comprise the terminal
portion of these compound names include achne (chaff), anche (from the verb
anchein, to strangle), chaete (long,
flowing hair = coma,-ae in Latin), chloe (grass), cotyle (a flat cup), cybe
(the head of a mushroom), cymbe (hollow vessel); daphne (the laurel),
Eleusine (derived from the town Eleusis) gone (see, offspring, the womb);
gyne (a woman), stache (from stachys, an ear of wheat). NOTE: Secale L. is a neuter genus, although the word in Greek,
both ancient and modern, is feminine - an error on Linnaeus' part but
retained in botanical usage. As some students of genera that have names ending in -e may feel
hesitant to attempt to render such a name in a Latin diagnosis or description
without a guide, the following examples are provided. The declensional
treatment in the examples follow Stearn's alternative paradigm, as it is
assumed here that this is the standard that has been established in botanical
usage. Note that when formulating a subgeneric epithet, one option
sanctioned by the Code of Nomenclature is that the noun be in the genitive
plural. The gentivie plural of names such as those used in the generic names
cited above would end in -arum: hypothetically Chamaedaphnarum,
Camptochaetarum, Agastacharum, Agavarum. This would also be true if the word
used belonged to the standard paradigm (Leptochloa,-ae, but also Buchloe,-es,
from Greek chloe (grass), both -chloarum). Oresitrophe,-es (s.f.I) Nominative: Oresitrophe cymosa 1 m altitudine
attingens, Oresitrophe cymosa attaining 1 mm in height. Galianthe boliviana ad subg. Ebelia pertinens,
Galianthae cymosae affinis, Galianthe boliviana belongs to subgenus Ebelia,
related to Galianthe cymosa. Elatine latiglumis ad subg. Elatinem
pertinet, Elatine latiglumis belongs to subgenus Elatine. Genitive: Species Oresitrophes usque ad 5, species
of Oresitrophe to 5. Astilbe orizabensis subgeneris Astilbes
antheris poris dehiscentibus distinguenda, Astilbe orizabensis of the
subgenus Astilbe is to be distinguished by the anthers dehiscing by pores. Dative, adjectives such as affinis,-e (adj.B), similis,-e
(adj.B),dissimilis,-e (adj.B), simillimus,-a,-um (adj.A) take the dative case
without a preposition: Species nova Oresitrophae cymosae
similis, new species similar to
Oresitrophe cymosa. Orobanche carnosa Orobanchae filiformi
arcte affinis, Orobanche carnosa is
closely related to Orobanche filiformis. Accusative, direct object of a verb form: Species nova Oresitrophae cymosae
similis, new species similar to Oresitrophe cymosa. Galianthe chiquitana ad subg. Galianthen
pertinens, Galianthae verbenoidi affinis, Galianthe chiquitana, belonging to
subgenus Galianthe, related to Galianthe verbenoides. Buchloe foliis lanceolatis Schizachnem
contingens, Buchloe by its lanceolate leaves touches Schizachne. Ablative, usually objects of the proposition 'ab' (generally
before vowels, l and r), or 'a' (generally before consonants). This
preposition is regularly associated with verb forms expressing difference
from. The organs or conditions by which something differs from another thing
is also rendered in the ablative case: Genus ab Oresitrophe cymosa differt
imprimis inflorescentia nodoso-, a Glycine filiforme calyce, ab utraque
habitu, the genus differs from Orestrophe primarily by the nodose-racemose
inflorescence, from Glycine by the calyx, from both by the habit. Species ab Clitocybe microcarpa sporis
alantoideis imprimis distinguitur, the species from Clitocybe microcarpa by
the sausage- spores chiefly is to be distinguished. America Stearn also mentioned that America "often has the genitive
singular Americes instead of Americae" without further elaboration. The
name America derives from Americus Vespucius, according to one dictionary, or
Amerigo Vespucci, 1454-1512, an Italian navigator of Florence. It is obscure
how "America" can be construed as having Greek roots such that the
word might apply to the alternative paradigm, as a genitive singular in -es
would suggest. Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin published in 1760 a text in which
the genitive singular "Americes" appeared in the title: Enumeratio Systematica Plantarum quas in insulis Caribaeis
vicinaque Americes continente detexit novas, a systematic enumeration of the
plants which he discovered as new on the Caribbean Islands and the adjacent
vicinity of America. The following, however, is a treatment of the noun
America,-ae (s.f.I), treated as a standard Latin first declension noun
throughout Bentham and Hooker's Genera Plantarum. It is provided here since
the Americas are often referred to in distributional contexts in Latin prose
sentences, but there are few references to the noun in major Latin manuals: America,-ae
(s.f.I) Singular Plural: Nom. America
-a Americae -ae Gen. Americae
-ae Americarum -arum Dat. Americae
-ae America -is Acc. Americam
-am Americas -as Abl. America
-a Americis -is The following examples are from Bentham and Hooker's Genera
Plantarum. Genitive singular/plural: Per tractus montium et fluviorum
Americae aequinoctialis, through the region of mountains and rivers of
equatorial America. Species 1, Americae tropicae incola,
species 1, native of tropical America. Species ad 13, Americae tropicae
incolae, species to 13, natives of tropical America. Species ad 7, Americae borealis incolae,
species to 7, natives of North America. Species ad 26, Americae australis
centralisve incolae, quarum una etiam in America boreali late dispersa,
species to 26, natives of South or Central America, of which one is also
broadly dispersed in North America. Species 1, civitatum australiorum
Americae borealis nec non regni chilensis incola, species one, an inhabitant
of the southern states of North America and also of the kingdom of Chile. Accusative: Per totum Americam septentrionalem
temperatam tenus Canada boreali habitat, it grows throughout temperate North
America as far as (to) boreal Canada. Per omnem Americam, meridionalem,
australem, through all South America. Caeterae omnes a Patagonia usque ad
Americam borealem dispersae, all of the remaining dispersed from Patagonia to
boreal America. Species unica in Americam maxime
boreali-orientalem vagans, a single species ranging into America, mostly
northeastern. Ablative: Species 4 inter tropicos vigentes, 2 in
America, 2 in Asia, 1 etiam in Africa, species 4 flourishing amid tropical
regions, 2 in America, 2 in Asia, 1 also in Africa. The
United States of America To render the "United States of America" it is first
necessary to remember that a "state", in the United States, is a
'republic'. Republic is actually a conflation of two words: res (s.f.V), a
feminine noun of the fifth Latin declension, and the modifying feminine
singular form of the adjective 'publicus': res publica. Sometimes the two
Latin words are run together, but, regardless, each one is declined
separately. The declension of 'res' is like that of 'species': Res
publica (literally the public business or public affair): Singular Plural: Nom. Res
-es Res -es Gen. Rei
-ei Rerum -erum Dat. Rei
-ei Rebus -ebus Acc. Rem
-em Res -es Abl. Re
-e Rebus -ebus Res Publicae Foederatae Americae, the
federated states of America (United States of America): the states, or
republics, are written in the plural as they are in English. Specimina Exsiccata Muscorum in Americae
Rebuspublicis Foederatis Detectorum, Dried Specimens of Mosses found in the
United States of America (the title of an exsiccat). NOTE: the above examples derive from the
exsiccata of American botanists. Bentham and Hooker use civitas,-atis
(s.f.III) for state: Species 1, civitatis Ohio Americae borealis
incola, one species, native of the state of Ohio (note no attempt to Latinize
'Ohio'. the genitive singular of which is usually rendered 'Ohionis' by
American authors), of North America. Species 1, civitatum australiorum
Americae borealis nec non regni chilensis incola, species one, an inhabitant
of the southern states of North America and also of the Kingdom of Chile. Acknowledgements I thank Dan Nicolson for assuring me that this alternative first
declension is a valid Latin form and Tom Zanoni, editor of Brittonia, for
providing me with unpublished manuscripts to analyze, one of which included
new combinations or taxa in the genus Galianthe. Bill Buck kindly provided
bryological generic names ending in -e. I am very grateful to Mark A. Garland
of Gainesville, Florida, for providing the information regarding N. J.
Joachim and for providing key grammatical references. I am grateful for
comments by made various readers on the first version of this essay. Literature Cited Greenough,
J. B., G. L. Kittredge, A. A. Howard and Benjamin L. D'Ooge, eds. 1903. Allen
and Greenough's New Latin Grammar for Schools and Colleges. Ginn and Company.
New York, section 40 and following: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0001&query=head%3D%2326 Jackson,
B. D. 1928. A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent. ed.
4. Hafner Publishing Co., Inc., New York Stearn,
William T. 1983. Botanical Latin. ed. 3. David & Charles, London. Keyword:
botanical latin. |
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