Mouseover parsing for Latin

Rev. James Neuendorf
Rev. James Neuendorf Member Posts: 27
edited November 21 in English Forum

I have hardly any ability with latin, but I know enough to be dangerous. I also own several dictionaries with extensive Latin entries, including Lewis and Short. However in Latin texts, when I mouseover, I only get the root form and a parsing list, everything but the definition. I can click on the word and look it up, but for quickly getting the gist of a text it seems I should be able to have a definition pop up, especially since Logos appears to know the word well enough to have parsed it from my materials. 

Am I missing something? 

Also is there a way to run a "Word by Word" function on latin text like we can do with Bible texts in Greek and Hebrew? 

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Comments

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 3,087

    I assume you're looking at a Vulgate Latin-English?

    If so, you're not missing anything. All of Lexham's OL interlinears are that way ... NT greek, OT LXX, hebrew, etc. I think only the SESB ones had (german) glosses.

    Absent what you're already doing, you could also position a small Information panel nearby, for a single click and your LS entries,

    Regarding WBW, that was always a bit bizarre ... a latin right-click delivered a greek WBW. Others can speak up, but I don't think they ever did latin, even for BWS?

  • MJ. Smith
    MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 53,142

    everything but the definition. I can click on the word and look it up, but for quickly getting the gist of a text it seems I should be able to have a definition pop up,
    Also is there a way to run a "Word by Word" function on latin text like we can do with Bible texts in Greek and Hebrew? 

    These are the type of requests/suggestions that should be entered in Roadmap | Faithlife (feedback.faithlife.com) so that Faithlife can judge the interest in the feature. Faithlife tends to think in an evangelical/reformed framework unless we remind them of the needs of other blocks of users.

    Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 3,087

    Faithlife tends to think in an evangelical/reformed framework unless we remind them of the needs of other blocks of users.

    Agree.

    But even absent that, 'translation' is instant commentary. Anyone that is daily challenged by dual languages and the task to try to 'find' a close match in meaning, sees the probabalistic frailty. Sense is not a gloss.

    Latin is a great commentary on greek. They're not far apart (certainly not like syriac, aramaic or hebrew). And latin forces 'downsizing' the semantic range ... you don't get to play so many games, as greek allows. Moreover, latin was likely the first major 'mission' language for Christianity ... it HAD to work. And it offers a considerable library for which BWS's would be theologically productive (and remain free from non-evangel cooties ... yes, joking).

  • Actually I am less interested in the Vulgate which I can read without much difficulty, its the immense pre and post-reformation libraries of all denominations that are almost entirely in Latin and german which were never translated into English. There are piles of commentaries and scholarly resources that are still locked away in latin. Same goes for Syriac to a lesser degree. I’m not Roman Catholic, but Lutheran, and we have mountains of gold that never made it out of latin. The reason is that a mere two generations ago, any educated person could read latin without much difficulty.

    If this isnt a feature yet, then I would suggest a translator tool to go a step further, a way to pull a sentence into a tool and look up all the words, provide likely parsing, and then let you play around with alternative translation lines, then give a button that lets you create a resource out of your working translation. Ie; I decide to do my own translation of philippians, so line by line I write my own translation with the tool helping with the stufy of the words as normal, but then when I am looking finished I have my own editable translation tagged to the underlying text like a reverse interlinear. This would be a great exercise. 

    For a second example, a public domain latin text from johann gerhard which is lexically “dead“ in logos, but a paragraph at a time I put it into the tool and translate using the aids, producing a translation layer for the text. Maybe that could even be a “community layer” and others could submit translations of the same. Introduce the tool along with the 100,000 theological books no one has mined for insights but that some german librarian has digitized, and logos becomes far more valuable.

  • BTW I dont mean the tool would actually translate, just look up the word in its current form and give results, so the word habemus (although its easy) has been parsed and translated a bajillion times, Logos just needs to give the examples of it being translated in other works, and try to pull the dictionary root. It doesn’t need to render a sentence (very hard for a machine) just put all the pieces on the table. Maybe even put sticky lines between accusatives and nominitives etc.

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 3,087

    Actually I am less interested in the Vulgate which I can read without much difficulty, its the immense pre and post-reformation libraries of all denominations that are almost entirely in Latin and german which were never translated into English.

    Ok, that narrows it down. Absent your suggestion (Logos tool), I always use the Latin Dictionary of Latin Forms (analytical lexicon in Logos). I group it with my other 7 analyticals, as I bounce around in early church writings. Again, using an Info-panel.

    For anyone interested (free):

    https://www.logos.com/product/15716/dictionary-of-latin-forms 

    Unrelated, but I didn't know Logos also carried:

    https://www.logos.com/product/179876/consecrated-phrases-a-latin-theological-dictionary 

  • SineNomine
    SineNomine Member Posts: 7,043

    Unrelated, but I didn't know Logos also carried:

    https://www.logos.com/product/179876/consecrated-phrases-a-latin-theological-dictionary 

    It's certainly useful, albeit lacking the (attempted) objectivity of most academic dictionaries/glossaries. In general, the shorter the entry, the less likely it is to express personal theological opinion(s) of the author.

    “The trouble is that everyone talks about reforming others and no one thinks about reforming himself.” St. Peter of Alcántara

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 3,087

    It's certainly useful, albeit lacking the (attempted) objectivity of most academic dictionaries/glossaries.

    Thank you! Good thing I wish'd it. I already have the other one (latin/greek ecclesiastical).