Benedict Cumberbatch News

[Arcadia]

People are universally stupid .

Channeling Sherlock today, are we? I'm afraid I'm right there with you.....

[by the sea]

 

People are universally stupid .

Channeling Sherlock today, are we? I'm afraid I'm right there with you.....

 

 

Well, some people can be a bit insensitive, tend not to think before they speak, want everybody to subscribe to their personal philosophies and work hard at putting down those who don't and the least tolerant often seem to have the largest ... or maybe loudest ... platform.   STUPID is a good word, though.   BTW, how can Julius Caesar be performed now that that there aren't any ancient Romans left ?   

 

Debbie

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

As for performing good ol' Julius not sure why not but there are plenty of Celts about and they had no love of him and their descendents have very long memories. 

[Carol the Dabbler]

At least our American and British actors are still actors. I really don't want to see doctors playing actors who play doctors!

I agree -- though in the commentary of the Leverage episode we watched last night, they mentioned that the reporters are played by actual reporters borrowed from CNN -- because actors playing reporters "just never sound right." And I must admit that the real reporters were very convincing! But then again, television reporters are performers, if not actors as such, so I guess that's no big surprise. 

 

In German, which unfortunately doesn't really have a gender-neutral mode, the question came up several times, according to our Latin professor at Uni. But apparently the folks in charge weren't happy when he explained to them that, yes, there is a female form of Doctor, and it's been used since BC times - and it's Doctrix .

Um, sure, for all you native Latin speakers out there. 

 

[Caya]

Yeah, well, they wanted him to okay the Uni handing out the title Doctora, and that ain't gonna fly with anyone who's got even a basic grasp of Latin (doctora would be a group of castrated teachers in Latin). Magister and Magistra works just fine, but that's a different declension, and wishing won't make Doctor part of that one .

[by the sea]

I thought German had a neuter gender for words ... what about Das Auto ??  I'm impressed by this Latin knowledge.  I studied Latin in high school and my home room in Grade 13 (we had Grade 13 in Ontario back then) was for the Latin scholars.  I think I don't remember much of it but it can pop up to haunt me from time to time.  So, if we have people who know Latin, maybe we can perform Julius Caesar, because the Latin speakers can imitate ancient Romans.  But I guess that still wouldn't pass muster with the purists, would it ?  Oh well,  fac fortia et patere !

 

Debbie

[Caya]

fac fortia et patere !

 

 

German does have a neuter form - there are three grammatical genders, male/female/neutral, with each having their own declension. Unfortunately, that form is for things and small children. You never talk about an adult in the neutral form unless it's meant as an insult or the speaker is from the Saarland, whose dialect curiously enough dropped the female gender and only knows male and neutral.

[Arcadia]

I'm getting dizzy, and also a bit grateful that I only had to learn Amurrican!

[jesskayding]

 

People are universally stupid .

Channeling Sherlock today, are we? I'm afraid I'm right there with you.....

 

Although in saying that, we too are people.

 

Insane in the membrane... Insane in the brain! Insane in the membrane... Insane! Got no brains!! (From a 90's Rock/ Rap song)

[Bendydoodle Cantaloupe]

Bluh. I feel frustrated enough today about not being able to spell "occasion" in all forms correctly on the first go. I don't need any reports of creepy reporters going at poor Benedict. 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Yeah, well, they wanted him to okay the Uni handing out the title Doctora, and that ain't gonna fly with anyone who's got even a basic grasp of Latin (doctora would be a group of castrated teachers in Latin). Magister and Magistra works just fine, but that's a different declension, and wishing won't make Doctor part of that one .

 

Are Austrian diplomas still written in Latin?  Or were they wanting to stick with Latin terminology, rather than using ordinary German?

 

Is the German word for doctor actually Doktor, or have I been watching too many movies?  In any case, let me guess -- the German word for doctor is always masculine, regardless of the actual gender of the person?  I guess that's a bit like English words ending in -man (e.g., chairman, postman).

 

 

fac fortia et patere !

 

 

German does have a neuter form - there are three grammatical genders, male/female/neutral, with each having their own declension. Unfortunately, that form is for things and small children. You never talk about an adult in the neutral form unless it's meant as an insult or the speaker is from the Saarland, whose dialect curiously enough dropped the female gender and only knows male and neutral.

 

 

OK, you show-offs -- translation?  (Ordering someone to "make" something, and perhaps something about "strong," and then you've lost me.)

 

English can also use neuter for babies, especially ones still in utero (and there's my Latin for the day!), but not generally for toddlers.  As soon as the natural gender of the child is apparent, we tend to use that.

[Caya]

 

Are Austrian diplomas still written in Latin?  Or were they wanting to stick with Latin terminology, rather than using ordinary German?

 

Depends on the uni. The Medical Faculty of Vienna (last time I attended a doctorate ceremony, which was ten years ago, I think) actually does, in fact the whole ceremony was held in Latin . Not that anybody understood a thing - the dean clearly wanted to get this over with, so he rattled the speech out so quickly that he lost even those of us who knew Latin. Most universities round here, fortunately, have arrived in the 21st century, though.

 

Is the German word for doctor actually Doktor, or have I been watching too many movies?  In any case, let me guess -- the German word for doctor is always masculine, regardless of the actual gender of the person?  I guess that's a bit like English words ending in -man (e.g., chairman, postman).

 

Correct . It's "der Doktor" (der denoting a male noun). You can bend this to female by either saying "die Doktorin" or "die Frau Doktor" but both is awkward.

 

 

fac fortia et patere !

 

OK, you show-offs -- translation?  (Ordering someone to "make" something, and perhaps something about "strong," and then you've lost me.)

 

It's "Do brave things and hold out!". The latter one is a rather tricky imperative which is what I found so impressive about Debbie's Latin .

 

 

English can also use neuter for babies, especially ones still in utero (and there's my Latin for the day!), but not generally for toddlers.  As soon as the natural gender of the child is apparent, we tend to use that.

 

In German, das Kind (child) is neutral, and so is das Mädchen (girl) - there exists a parallel form, das Bübchen (boy) but that one is no longer in use. -chen is diminuitive (and/or an endearment) most of the time, and always denotes a neutral noun. Das Hündchen, for instance, is a little Hund (dog).

[Carol the Dabbler]

Little neutered dog! 

[T.o.b.y]

Is the German word for doctor actually Doktor, or have I been watching too many movies?  In any case, let me guess -- the German word for doctor is always masculine, regardless of the actual gender of the person?  I guess that's a bit like English words ending in -man (e.g., chairman, postman).

 

Correct . It's "der Doktor" (der denoting a male noun). You can bend this to female by either saying "die Doktorin" or "die Frau Doktor" but both is awkward.

 

Well, if you are referring to the profession of the medical doctor, the word is actually "Arzt" and the female version of that is "Ärztin".  Nobody would address their physician that way, though, it's usually "Herr Doktor" (man) or "Frau Doktor" (woman). Strictly speaking, though, that address is only correct if the doctor is question has the academic degree "Dr.", which not all doctors do.

[Carol the Dabbler]

So Germany is like the UK in the respect that you don't have to be a doctor in order to be a doctor?  That is so counter-intuitive to me!

 

[jesskayding]

Carol, we give out honorary doctorates to people, who deliver speeches to graduates across the US.  Usually celebrities and athletes.

[Carol the Dabbler]

True.  But what I'm talking about is that in some countries, a person doesn't need to have a Doctor of Medicine degree in order to be a practicing medical doctor.  Not saying that they're unqualified, just that the degree system works differently over there.  I've read that in the UK, for example, many physicians have just a Bachelor of Medicine, a degree which does not even exist in the US.  This is apparently why John calls himself "Dr. John H. Watson" on his blog, rather than "John H. Watson, M.D."  He is a doctor (as he often points out), but he doesn't have a doctorate.

 

[Alex the Dabbler]

Radio Times has some out-takes from one of BC's earlier series, The Last Enemy:

 

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-09-12/5-of-the-best-benedict-cumberbatch-and-martin-freeman-outtake-clips

 

[sfmpco]

Neverwhere available...

 

http://www.audible.com/pd/Radio-TV/Neverwhere-Adaptation-Audiobook/B00ELIREBK?source_code=FB2GB0054WS111513

[jesskayding]

True. But what I'm talking about is that in some countries, a person doesn't need to have a Doctor of Medicine degree in order to be a practicing medical doctor. Not saying that they're unqualified, just that the degree system works differently over there. I've read that in the UK, for example, many physicians have just a Bachelor of Medicine, a degree which does not even exist in the US. This is apparently why John calls himself "Dr. John H. Watson" on his blog, rather than "John H. Watson, M.D." He is a doctor (as he often points out), but he doesn't have a doctorate.

 

That's scary.

[sfmpco]

THE IMITATION GAME has won the Peoples Choice award at the TIFF - so the likelyhood, based on past winners, is that the film and Ben are headed for Oscar nods and probable wins, which means that Ben will get his wish to take his mum to the Oscars...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7oqMiIxSKQ#t=27

[Carol the Dabbler]

Oh, Lordy -- now I'm gonna have to watch the stupid Oscars too? 

 

[Bendydoodle Cantaloupe]

And you're going to not see Leonardo DiCaprio win one.

[Arcadia]

Neverwhere available...

 

http://www.audible.com/pd/Radio-TV/Neverwhere-Adaptation-Audiobook/B00ELIREBK?source_code=FB2GB0054WS111513

Wow, that is some cast (if that's the right term.) Might have to check that out.

[Convict13]

THE IMITATION GAME has won the Peoples Choice award at the TIFF - so the likelyhood, based on past winners, is that the film and Ben are headed for Oscar nods and probable wins, which means that Ben will get his wish to take his mum to the Oscars...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7oqMiIxSKQ#t=27

 

 

Just read this article about the very same thing, and I threw in the pic because I love it.

 

 

http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2014/09/benedict-cumberbatch-oscar-nomination-toronto-film-festival-peoples-choice