Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2024 August 5

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August 5

Latin inscription

Could I have a translation for this inscription please:

QUISQUIS ADES QUI MORTE CADES, STA, PERLEGE, PLORA. SUM QUOD ERIS, FUERAM QUOD ES. PRO ME PREDOR, ORA.

Machine translations are a bit garbled. It's from a 14th century coffin lid in St Mary's Church, Sturminster Marshall in Dorset. Alansplodge (talk) 13:16, 5 August 2024 (UTC)

The second sentence at least is a rather well known epitaph from some tombs of roman military, followed by a plea to pray for the deceased :"I once was what you are, you will be what I am." As for the first sentence: I don't what know to make of Cades, but the last 3 words would be: pause (here), (and) by law, lament (my passing). But it#s not really easy to translate. Lectonar (talk) 14:22, 5 August 2024 (UTC)

Wouldn't "perlege" be "read", and "cades" the future tense of cado 'fall'? I'd go for:

Bystander, whoever you are, who will fall to death: pause, read, and weep. I am what you will be; I used to be what you are now; please pray for me. (I'm assuming that predor is a typo for precor, right?) Fut.Perf. ☼ 14:35, 5 August 2024 (UTC)

Literally, "Anyone, you who are present, who will fall to death, stand, read through, weep. I am what you will be, I had been what you are. Pray for me, I pray." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.234.214.10 (talk) 18:06, 5 August 2024 (UTC)

It should indeed be precor; moreover, fueram should be fueramque – "I am what you will be and had been what you are".^[1] The inscription has no phrasal punctuation. If a comma is inserted after the interjection precor, there should also be one before it: Pro me, precor, ora.  --Lambiam 00:11, 6 August 2024 (UTC)

Thank you all most kindly. Alansplodge (talk) 08:54, 6 August 2024 (UTC)

Resolved

BOTs in singular

Is it correct to say that the Falkland Islands are a "British Overseas Territory", in singular? Or should I always say "British Overseas Territories", in plural? Cambalachero (talk) 19:37, 5 August 2024 (UTC)

They are a British Overseas Territory. DuncanHill (talk) 20:06, 5 August 2024 (UTC)

I'd even accept "The Falkland Islands is a British Overseas Territory". -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 21:44, 5 August 2024 (UTC)

So do the Beeb^[2] and His Majesty's Government.^[3]  --Lambiam 23:46, 5 August 2024 (UTC)