| Literary Latin. | Popular Latin. | French. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| equus | caballus | cheval | horse. |
| pugna | batalia | bataille | battle. |
| os | bucca | bouche | mouth. |
(2) Unaccented syllables are usually dropped.
For example:—
| cérv-um | cerf | stag. |
| bonitátem | bonté | goodness. |
(3) The general tendency of French is towards smoothness and contraction.
For example:—
| L. | F. | |
|---|---|---|
| bestiam | bête | beast. |
| fact-um | fait | deed. |
| spiss-um | épais | thick. |
| coll-um | cou | neck. |
In fact, bearing in mind the caution given you, it is an excellent rule to try to think out the meaning of the Latin by the help of English and French derivatives.
[6.] Compound Words.—When you come to a word which you cannot translate, and in regard to which English and French derivatives do not help you, break up the word, if a compound, into its simple elements of Prefix, Stem, Suffix. Then from the meaning of its root or stem and from the force of the prefix and suffix, and by the help of the context, try to arrive at an English word to suit the sense.
In order to be able to do this you should have some knowledge of—