Wednesday 13 January 2010

What's in a name?

If there's one thing Englishmen can't do with, it's Latin. Call a church Corpus Christi, and there will be hackles raised ... it's those left-footers again! Half a century ago, when there was a theological college in a little village outside Oxford, some of the students tried to make the psalms more approachable. You may recall that the psalms had Latin names attached to them in the old BCP. So there were many helpful suggestions - from Psalm 119, for instance: "Lucerna Pedibus Meis" became "The kids have gone to Switzerland" and "Adhaesit Pavimento" was "Keep to the footpath". It whiled away many a tedious moment in the time given us for meditation. It is good that the Dominicans have done something similar by rendering their name 'Godzdogz' (for Domini Cani).

Now (pace Fr Hunwicke) I wonder if someone could come up with more English names for such things as 'Anglicanorum Coetibus' or 'Ordinariate' or 'Dicastery'? Good not to frighten the natives unneccessarily... all (clean) suggestions will be posted; no prizes, though.

4 comments:

  1. "Anglicanorum coetibus" goes to "Anglicanorum coitibus" [sic] = "English bonking-bus?"

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  2. Let's not forget that "coetus" ("getting together") is only a posh version of "coitus". Coitus does not seem to frighten the natives!

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  3. What one-track minds my readers seem to have.. come on, chaps, a bit of tone please. +E

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  4. I think "English Bonking-Bus" sounds rather good. It might encourage others to come aboard!

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