Disputatio:De Nemine Inveniendo

E Vicipaedia

I don't think we should decline Nemo...unless, and I haven't seen the film, his name really does mean "no one". Also, change investigat to inveniens. Right now it says "He investigates no one."--Ioshus Rocchio 20:16, 11 Augusti 2006 (UTC)

Okay, I'll change it myself them. Alexanderr 20:17, 11 Augusti 2006 (UTC)

If we're using Inveniens Nemonem" in the article, why is the title still "Inveniens Nemo"? - 24.144.246.17 04:12, 9 Februarii 2007 (UTC)

Dammit, I once had an excelent discussion with KT about how to say Finding Nemo in Latin, but I can't seem to find it now :( --Iustinus 04:18, 9 Februarii 2007 (UTC)

I don't know who KT is, but there was a discusion here: Disputatio:Iohannes_Depp. - Secundus Zephyrus 05:06, 9 Februarii 2007 (UTC)

Yes, I remember that, but I think the old non-wiki conversation was longer and more detailed ;) --Iustinus 05:12, 9 Februarii 2007 (UTC)

BTW, is there any reason we need the (pellicula) in the title? Is there something else by the same name we need to distinguish it from Surely any storybook adaptations, video games, etc. that hypothetically could get their own articles, should be subordinate to this article, not vice versa. --Iustinus 16:29, 9 Februarii 2007 (UTC)

[recensere] De Nemine Inveniendo

I contacted the aforementioned KT, and he was nice enough to provide a log of our conversation (which, it turns out, occured over IRC):

<Justin> hi rakko

<Rakko> justin!

* KinkyTurtle heh & wonders what the title character'd be called in a Latin translation of "Finding Nemo".

<Rakko> Heh!!

<Justin> Nemo is a tricky word!

<Justin> but nisi fallor the accusative is regular- Neminem... no cycloptic barbarisms there

<KinkyTurtle> Finding Neminem?

<KinkyTurtle> 8 Mile From Shore?

<Justin> but then you have that problem with titles- a literal translation would be inveniens Neminem, or inveniendo Neminem (since you cant have a nominative gerund)... ooh, that gives me an idea: De Nemine Inveniendo

<Justin> That's nice on a number of levels- first of all it makes it clear that Nemo is a name, and not the word for nobody, second of all it lets you start with de and avoid an awkward participial tidal- er, title. So there you go.

<Rakko> I thought neminem was the accusative of of nobody.

<Justin> neminem is

<Rakko> oh, you said nemine

<Justin> but the ablative is regularly Nullo

<Justin> er, nullo

<Justin> or nulla

<Justin> likewise the genitive is nullius

My point about distinguishing the name Nemo from the word nemo "nobody" is that the latter is suppletive. In the ablative and dative, there is no form of nemo "nobody" in proper Latin, and you have to substitute nullo or nullius. So if we say De Nemine Inveniendo it is clear that we mean "On Finding Nemo" rather than De Nullo Inveniendo "On finding Nobody."
The allusion to cyclopes refers the scene in the Odyssey where Odysseus tells Polyphemus that his name is Nobody: Οὖτις ἐμοί γ’ ὄνομα· Οὖτιν δέ με κικλήσκουσι / μήτηρ ἠδὲ πατὴρ ἠδ’ ἄλλοι πάντες ἑταῖροι "Outis is my name, my mother and father and all my friends have always called me Outin" Notice that he does not quite say nobody, the nominative of which is οὔτις and the accusative of which is οὔτινα: Odysseus; pseudonym is rather nom. Οὖτις, acc. Οὖτιν. The cyclopes, being barbarians, are too stupid to tell the difference.
--Iustinus 16:27, 9 Februarii 2007 (UTC)

"De Nemine Inveniendo" sounds good to me- Secundus Zephyrus 16:07, 10 Februarii 2007 (UTC)