Wednesday 13th July. One of the shorter walks of the summer season. Only 5.7 kms, 277 metres of ascent, moving time just 1.30hrs – breakfast very much on the agenda. This mini-Blog written about one week later, just as the memory is fading.
But to start at the beginning, it was not a very good day for our very own in-house philosopher. First, he had to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous teasing over France´s defeat by the wonderful Portuguese soccer team- as if it was anything to do with him; he doesn´t even like soccer and is a rugby fan. Second, he had to shield his eyes from a gratuitous display of feminine leggery during the Starter photo.
Thirdly, all his attempts at philosophising on the hoof, as we struggled up the first and only hill of the day, fell on deaf ears. Fourthly, he had to steel himself to do a walk–past of two rows of beehives. And, finally, his wonderful, recently acquired, free straw titfer got swept away unnoticed by the strong ridge-top winds and was lost for ever.
But, for the rest of us, it was a very pleasant morning as we set off through the cool and calm surroundings of the Isabel Soares Memorial Gardens in Encherim.
As for the walk itself, really not much to report. We climbed up a hill, marched down a second hill, viewed Silves Castle from afar, and inspected a dry river bed, and that was it.
Climbing hard
On the way down
Aristotle´s mood improved towards the end when a gracious gentleman of Encherim agreed to pose for a photograph.
and by the time we had driven to Pedreiras and were sitting down to breakfast, Aristotle was his usual good-humoured self again.
Maria helped the ladies of Pescadores with her customary efficiency
“What do you mean “We don´t have Belgian chocolates” ?”
Ingrid´s breakfast was as usual the principal focus of attention
and it is pleasing to report that, after the previous week´s complaints by your Blogger about the disturbing lack of mobile phone etiquette during the meal, behaviour this week was greatly improved. The conversational tone was greatly improved. Well done, class!
I seem to recall that there was even some desultory discussion arising from the recent referendum. No, we weren´t talking politics – Heaven forfend- but grammar. Should the plural form be Referenda or Referendums ? I don´t think we reached any firm conclusion. But, coincidentally, a recent edition of The Spectator did discuss the same topic and did reach a conclusion, which was that Referendum is a gerund meaning “a ballot on one issue”. In Latin, a gerund has no plural, at least so the Spectator tells us. Now, also in Latin, a gerundive can have a plural, e.g. Referenda; but that means “things to be referred” which is not the same thing as a ballot. So the word we are interested in is a gerund, and as one can also have a gerund in English, and as an English gerund can have a plural, and as the English way to show a plural is to add an “s”, so it must follow as the night the day that the English plural of Referendum is Referendums.
I´m sure that our Aristotle will be greatly relieved that that´s all clarified.
And the reason for this week´s caption? Can´t remember – it just seemed apposite at the time.
4 comments:
Myriam23 July 2016 at 09:26
Algebra well applied!
A = B
B = C
So
A = C
Simple, isn't it??
Yves23 July 2016 at 09:37
A referendum is indeed an action to be taken or obeyed, ergo it is a gerund; however, a gerund is not quite the sama as a gerundive and as is their wont, the British have (again)made a goulash of things linguistic, adopting as they would the word as a substantive noun but keeping its Latin roots! And so it came to pass that the plural form evolved from the basic word+s (as in child >> children)and finished up as word-suffixed-in-'um: referendum >> referenda...
Never known such syntaxic liberties in millennia, or in many years anyway, not that old yet...
PS: 'twas a nice walk, though.
Yves23 July 2016 at 09:40
Shorree for the shpelling mishtatooks and other: the beer at the Alcantawotsit Bier-Garten is shtronger than it looksh...
Arishtotule
JohnH23 July 2016 at 11:00
Oh dearie me and I had thought that I had calmed Aristotle down. But the reverse seems to have taken place. Of course a gerund is not the same as a gerundive. If they had been, the English language would have consigned one of them to the dustbin. Gerund = a verbal noun: Gerundive = a verbal adjective: clear as mud, n´est-ce-pas?
Goulash, on the other hand comes from Hungary, a member of the EU even although no-one else uses their language except for some Koreans and Finnish.And the whole point about Brexit or Bringusbackinagain is that the English DO pick and choose. The English not only believe in liberties,but they are convinced that they have the right to TAKE them.
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