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Did the Roman legionary standards say LEC or LEG? I've seen a few different cases where mods will put LEG V etc, or LEC V etc. Which is correct?
From my quite basic knowledge on Latin, i believe C is a G, just like V is U and I is J. I think thats right about the C, because many romans on EB are called Caius Ivlivs or similar. Does this help?
Philippus Flavius Homovallumus
04-19-2008, 19:39
It would depend on the period. G was around before EB's start date but in inscriptions it's usually replaced with C. Having said that hand written Latin and Latin on monuments don't look the same to begin with.
Hmm, this is a question I don't actually know the answer to off hand but I'm pretty sure I've seen it written LEGIO.
It's not the same as I or V though, because Goldern Latin doesn't have V, it's between W and U, just written V, I is Y as well, not J.
I think this confusion could come for the confusion between "C" and "G" in old english abecedary , when englands do not had the "C" and replace it for "G" (which is been transfered into spanish).
For example, in english you say "Gaius Julius Cesar", but it actually was "Caius Iulius Caesar"
Philippus Flavius Homovallumus
04-20-2008, 03:26
No, it doesn't. The Romans adapted their alphabet from the Etruscans, who had no use for the Greek Gamma and thus dropped it, or at least did not distinguish between it and the hard C. However, the Romans do have the G, as in Gladius. So at some point the Censor added a line to the C to create the G.
It has nothing to do with English.
Edit: Etruscan and latin alphabets:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Italic_alphabet#The_Etruscan_alphabet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_alphabet
The General
04-20-2008, 09:13
I is Y as well, not J.
Do you mean the english 'j' or the IPA 'j'? The [first] letter in 'jay' or 'you'?
Imho, I=J, as it is used in, for example, IVLIVS=Iulius=Julius Caesar, despite the sillyness of the English language/pronunciation.
I and Y do not have the same sound *at all* in latin. "I" thus can't replace "Y" . (Y sounds roughly like the french U).
Copperknickers
04-20-2008, 11:53
In Latin, Iu=y sound, in Latin-English, Iu=J sound, happy?
Philippus Flavius Homovallumus
04-20-2008, 13:19
I was reffering to the post above mine, hence English Y. The English Y and Latin I are pretty much the same. Y in Latin is borrowed from Greek though, it's a different sound. It's days like these I with Claudius' extra letters had taken root.
So whats the definite opinion? C or G, or what time did the G become more prominent than the C?
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