hortatory subjunctives

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Thu Sep 30 16:04:50 EDT 1999


At 2:35 PM -0400 9/30/99, Bart Ehrman wrote:
>   What do you (y'all) think of translating hortatory subjunctives as "we
>should" instead of "let us"?  I don't think we use the latter any more in
>normal speech, do we?  (For what I have in mind -- a formal translation --
>I don't think "let's" will work; too colloquial.)  But I'm not sure if the
>former really catches the flavor.

I've used "we should" for 1 pl. hortatory subjunctives in the right
context. I think context is the key to what works best for them. I've
always thought that "Let's have fun then" was about right for "Gaudeamus
igitur." It really depends on who is speaking and to what group. It may not
sound like the KJV, but I rather think that the shepherds in Luke 2:15, if
they really were shepherds rather than courtiers of King James, most likely
said, "Let's go over to Bethelehem and see this thing the Lord has let us
know about" (DIELQWMEN DH hEWS BHQLEEM KAI IDWMEN TO hRHMA TOUTO TO GEGONOS
hO hO KURIOS EGNWRISEN hHMIN).


Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu 



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