I'm starting a short story about gladiators and I wanted to mention someone using two gladius swords. The problem I'm running across though is that the plural of the word is gladii, which is Latin. So should the being in italics or plain text? Or is it more of a preference?
Posted by Inkwell (Member # 1944) on :
IMO, it depends on the context. If your setting is a 21st-century laboratory where two scientests are studying the metallurgical composition of a 1st-century gladius (and actually speaking in English), I would use italics.
If, however, your setting is the 1st-century and the two characters are Roman legionnaires or gladiators, I would not use italics (since the context is different...local). The two characters are assumed (perhaps subconsciously, on the reader's part) to be speaking in Latin, but their words are instantly and automatically translated to English for the benefit of the audience.
Just my opinion.
Inkwell ----------------- "The difference between a writer and someone who says they want to write is merely the width of a postage stamp." -Anonymous
[This message has been edited by Inkwell (edited May 08, 2006).]
Posted by RCSHIELDS (Member # 3362) on :
Inkwell's suggestion is excellent but you're the writer, you know the story, what feels best to you? What puts across the story best for your audience?
I did, however, learn on another writers' workshop that some editors despise italics. So now the question would be, do you write for the audience, the editor, or yourself?
Posted by Final (Member # 3414) on :
Thank you all for the information. I think I've found how I'm going to go about it. I appreciate the help.
[This message has been edited by Final (edited May 08, 2006).]
Posted by Beth (Member # 2192) on :
I think a first-person narrative in Latin would be tough to sell, yes. On the plus side, you wouldn't need to use italics.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
If you do use gladius, remember that it is generally a noun rather than an adjective.
Posted by Final (Member # 3414) on :
I agree about putting the whole story in the old language, it would definitely be a hard sell. The use of gladius is something else I need to think about a little more. Thank you for all the help.
Posted by arriki (Member # 3079) on :
There is the opposite problem. When the narrator is, in my case, an alien, speaking presumably his language and an English word comes up, I italicized the English word since in the context of the story, it is a foreign term.