Picardian Humanism.

     I am not one to advocate identity as a concern to which we should devote much attention, and I see relatively little concern with it in texts before the last two hundred years, at least so far as cultural and ethnic identity are concerned.  Far greater was the concern with the nature of truth and goodness, or of God.  "Who am I?" was far less a concern, and was, I believe, largely subordinated to the concern with those larger, and I suppose worthier, concerns.  (Tangentially, I suppose "Who am I?" is a subsidiary question, seeing as it presupposed "I am."  I take comfort in that at least.  I am.  What matters it who I am, so long as I know the way to be good and right?)  I am wary of labels and group identities.  Let us interpret by the criterion of our reason, all the while recognizing that no one possesses absolute or infallible Reason.  Let us strive to find what is right and good, and recognize the right and good by their marker–beauty.
     But I will apply one label to myself proudly.  I will make it my project henceforward to elaborate this train of thought with references to the man himself as I rewatch TNG.  Sooner or later, though, the schools must recognize this as a potent and well-formed system of belief, articulated over seven years by the archrepresentative of the human race, that compassionate intellectual, that tried and true paragon of humanity, Captain Jean-Luc Picard.  In his honor, I shall call my own meager strivings at systematic belief "Picardian Humanism" (copyright 2016 Marshall C. Buchanan).  Let's see if I can add quotations and episode references later. Picardian humanism, in brief, though, is surely the belief in the fundamental, universal value of human life and betterment, and elaborated by the good captain of three centuries hence.

Stylistic Principles in Writing

     As I proceed with my thesis, it may be helpful, mainly for myself, to put into writing, the principles that I follow in developing my formal style.  Use of language is highly personal, I know, and so, while I find these principles reasonable, I should not

1.  Use all grammatical tools that English has to offer: Subordination.
• Subordinate clauses should be balanced.
• Periodic sentences should be reserved for emphasis.
2. Prefer Anglo-Saxon words to foreign.
3. Prefer shorter words.  Polysyllaby is a defect. 
4. Fewer words is preferable to more to express the same idea (this will often conflict with '3' and '4', especially with words of Greek origin). 
5. Avoid symbols.  Hyphens, slashes, dashes,
6. 1
7. 1
8. 1
9. 1
10.  

De Naturis Animantium

     A friend and I recently came upon a fragment of Suetonius (fr. 161), called the De Naturis Animantium, which gives in Latin the sounds of many different animals. I do not know whether others have done this already for an Anglophone audience, but I give a list below with the animals' names translated. I suspect, albeit waveringly, that a Latin ear would hear the root word as the imitative portion, the remainder as suffix. So if rugire is of lions, then I suppose the lion's sound is 'rugi'. For those without Latin, the various X-re endings indicate an infinitive (e.g., to roar, to chirp). Hence a lion trained in grammar would, I speculate, conjugate in the first person singular present, saying 'fremo' or 'rugio'. Surely this would be more an urbane declaration than a bestial exclamation.

     I believe that I am further supported in this proposition by Aristophanes's The Frogs, in which the eponymous animals do not conjugate their cry, βρεκεκεκὲξ κοὰξ κοάξ; thus, for those writing comics in Latin, the root should suffice for onomatopoeia.



Lion: fremere or rugire [the O.L.D. does not give the former as onomatopoeic]

Tiger: rancare

Leopard: felire

Panther: caurire

Bear: uncare or saevire

Wild boar: frendere

Lynx: urcare

Wolf: ululare

Snake: sibilare

Wild ass: mugilare

Stag: rugire

Cow: mugire

Horse: hinnire

Donkey: rudere or oncare

Swine: grunnire

Boar, uncastrated pig: quiritare

Ram: blatterare

Ewe: balare

Goat: miccire

Kid: bebare

Dog: latrare or baubari

Fox: gannire

Puppy: glattire

Hare: vagire

Weasels: drindrare

Mouse: mintrire or pipitare

Shrew-mouse: desticare

Elephant: barrire

Frog: coaxare [brekekex co-ax co-ax]

Crow: crocitare

Eagle: clangere

Hawk: plipiare

Vulture: pulpare

Kite: lupire or lugere

Swan: drensare

Crane: gruere

Stork: crotolare

Goose: gliccire or sclingere

Duck: tetrissitare

Peacock: paupulare

Rooster: cucurrire or cantare [latter simply means 'to sing']

Jackdaw: fringulire

Night bird, owl: cuccubire

Cuckoo: cuculare

Blackbird: frendere or zinziare

Thrush: trucilare or soccitare

Starling: passitare

Swallow: finitinnire or minurrire

("However, they say that minurrire applies to all of the smallest little birds")

Hen: crispire

Sparrow: titiare

Bee: bombire or bombilare

Cicada: fritinnire

The Egyptian dog licks and runs.








Suet. fr. 161

De Naturis Animantium

Leonum est fremere uel rugire, tigridum rancare, pardorum felire, pantherarum caurire, ursorum uncare uel saeuire, aprorum frendere, lyncum urcare, luporum ululare, serpentium sibilare, onagrorum mugilare, ceruorum rugire, boum mugire, equorum hinnire, asinorum rudere uel oncare, porcorum grunnire, uerrium quiritare, arietum blatterare, ouium balare, hircorum miccire, haedorum bebare, canum latrare seu baubari, uulpium gannire, catulorum glattire, leporum uagire, mustelarum drindrare, murium mintrire uel pipitare, soricum desticare, elephantum barrire, ranarum coaxare, coruorum crocitare, aquilarum clangere, accipitrum plipiare, uulturum pulpare, miluorum lupire uel lugere, olorum drensare, gruum gruere, ciconiarum crotolare, anserum gliccire uel sclingere, anatum tetrissitare, pauonum paupulare, gallorum cucurrire uel cantare, graculorum fringulire, noctuarum cuccubire, cuculorum cuculare, merulorum frendere uel zinziare, turdorum trucilare uel soccitare, sturnorum passitare, hirundinum fintinnire uel minurrire - dicunt tamen quod minurrire est omnium minutissimarum auicularum - gallinae crispire, passerum titiare, apum bombire uel bombilare, cicadarum fritinnire. Canis Aegyptius lambit et fugit.