Light-heartedly, is there anyone out there qualified in ancient languages?
On the basis that Concours Judges can get very excited about originality -
what about original language for the products we love?
Without wanting to upset Amici Triumphi (whose badge I proudly display on
my car and whom I feel priviledged to be a member) and the generally
pluralist term for Triumph enthusiasts as Triumphisti - I pose the
question, are we making a mistake?
Mr. Randle, my erstwhile Latin Master (former Monk who knew all the Psalms
by heart) and who I think came into the world about the same time as the
Romans were colonising Britain, had very hard knuckles. I can feel them
even now on my head as I declined Latin nouns and conjugated similar verbs.
In the case of Amici Triumphi (and the last thing I want to do is to throw
a spanner in the works of their excellent heraldic device) is to lay a
gentle query.
As I recall, the nominative plural of friends in Latin, is AmicAE. However,
as Latin gave birth to Italian (which language I cannot speak) it may be
AmicI is plural for friends in Italian and similarly, TriumphI is the
genitive singular as well, in Italian.
Then we come to the Triumph bit.
Friends OF Triumph, suggests that Triumph takes the Genitive Singular case.
If we assume Triumph is singular (even though we know they exist thankfully
in a plural context) then should we not say TriumphAE as well?
If Triumph is plural (and why shouldn't it be) the genitive plural should
surely become TriumphORUM. It might even be TriumphARUM - if there happens
to be a Gerund floating around in the dark recesses of somewhere.
Thus, in the final analysis there exists two new (?) options:
AMICAE TRIUMPHAE or AMICAE TRIUMPHORUM (ARUM)
I entirely agree that Amici Triumphi is a little easier to say, but has
anyone considered a Concours Judge might one day appear who has a Double
First in Ancient Classics, gets bitter and twisted about the device and
awards first prize to a Sprite displaying a badge of an 'A' series engine
on Bug Eyes Rampant with the motto AMICAE HEALEYORUM !
Finally, are we correct in addressing one another as TriumphistI?. This has
strong Italian overtones and if nothing else other than for the sake of
Signor Michelotti, the least we can do is to get it right. Does anyone have
a divergent view or should we do a 'volte-face' and write it in Ancient
Greek instead?
John Macartney
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