=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
  EDline Vol. 8, no. 43   (24 April 2003)

  Editorial mailing list (digest version)
  Published by the Electric Editors
  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

  Contents:

         Q & A
  [2xw]  Quoting single words taken from original phrasal context

  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


---[2]-- Q & A --------------------------------------------------

         Date: Mon, 21 April 2003
         From: Viviane Lowe, vivilowe@bluewin.ch

A recent article in the Economist subtitled 'The conflict is
over. Now for the casus belli' concluded with the sentence:

  'George Bush and Tony Blair will no doubt be hoping that the
  /casus/ for their victorious /belli/ turns up soon.'

Question: is there a rule on quoting single words taken from
their original phrasal context in languages with cases, like
Latin or German? I assume they should revert to nominative, hence
bellum not belli. I don't find anything in the Chicago Manual -
this is probably because a good editor would frown on the
practice, and translate to English!


         ------------------------
         Date: Mon, 21 April 2003
         From: Simon Cauchi, simon.cauchi@paradise.net.nz

I don't know of any statement of a rule, but the practice I've
seen in modern English is that set phrases like this retain their
usual inflections no matter how they may be fitted into an
English sentence and even where (as here) the author plays with
words a bit and distorts or fragments a set phrase. Similarly
_anno domini_ meaning "years" retains its oblique cases, e.g.

  1900 Daily News 3 Feb. 2/5, I suffer from an incurable
  complaint---the complaint of Anno Domini.

  1906 E. V. Lucas Fireside & Sunshine 186 When the time came
  for A. to take the bat he was unable to do so. Anno Domini
  asserted itself.

(Quotations from the OED.)

In older (17th cent.) English, however, Latin phrases were
sometimes made to take the case appropriate to their context,
e.g. "he writes of it [Elysium] as if he were but in _Campo
Martio_ to see men in pastimes there".


         ------------------------
         Date: Mon, 21 April 2003
         From: David Ibbetson, isserlis@rogers.com

Too many of the Economist's readers wouldn't understand you if
you said that belli was the genitive of bellum. I think, as you
say, that the best solution is to use English in an English
publication.


         --------------------------
         Date: Thurs, 24 April 2003
         From: Mark Hendy, markhendy1@compuserve.com

Viviane Lowe wrote:

> Question: is there a rule on quoting single words taken from
> their original phrasal context in languages with cases, like
> Latin or German? I assume they should revert to nominative,
> hence bellum not belli.

I don't know about any rule, but bellum is correct.

> I don't find anything in the Chicago Manual - this is probably
> because a good editor would frown on the practice, and
> translate to English!

Indeed - The Economist Style Manual, Introduction, p. 5, itself
advises:

  "Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word
  if you can think of an everyday English equivalent."!


  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
  END OF EDline 8.43

  Admin page: < http://www.electriceditors.net/edline/admin.htm >

  ** The views expressed in this mailing list are strictly those
  of the individual contributors, and do not necessarily reflect
  the views of the moderators or of the Electric Editors. **

  Articles (c) 2002--2003, by individual contributors
  Design (c) 1996--2003 Iain Brown
  Compilation (c) 2003 Iain Brown / The Electric Editors
  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=