Re: MR: Latin pigs

[HsDarkRose@aol.com]

Poster: HsDarkRose@aol.com

In a message dated 96-10-04 04:07:22 EDT, you write:

>Poster: Stephanie Malone Thorson <smt2@st-andrews.ac.uk>
>
>Quoth Evan:
>
>> While much discussion has been made of the last little piggie and how its
>> name should go in Latin, no one has noted the glaring inconsistency in the
>> attribution. Shouldn't it be "Mater Alba" or some such, instead of that
>> "Goose" on the end?
>
>In a word, no.  The Latin word for goose is anser, which is a masculine 
>noun (those silly Romans) and thus rather hard to make fit with the 
>feminine noun mater.  (Gyrth could probably do it, but he's 
>exceptional).  "Mater Alba" would mean "Mother White" or some such thing, 
>and would be a shade meaningless.  Corun decided also that Mater Goose 
>would give the _illiterati_ a clue as to the meaning of the rest.
>
>(I use _illiterati_ in the medieval sense of someone who is unlettered in 
>Latin)
>
>--Alianora
>(facing more time in the Patrologia and not pleased about it)

  My apologies for continuing this discussion, but I have a question:

Being a first year student of the Medievalists most important language, I
find that there may be an inconsistency in the above response.  Is not anser,
or goose, a masculine word?  it has the characteristic -er ending of all
masculine words.  Or is this one of those wierd words that is an exception to
the rule (I think the proper term is idiosyncrasy).

Thank you in advance!!

Richard Mitchell
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