Society

Pope's Twitter Twitter revives dead language

Twitter of Pope Francis in Latin is gaining more and more popularity: more than 211 thousand people read the Pope’s wise sayings in the so-called “dead language” of the Ancient Roman Empire. His main followers are students.

Dead language

"This is the beginning of a new life for a dead language," says the British magazine Times. And all thanks to Pope Francis, who tweeted “ad infinitum” “ad infinitum” - lat .. Perhaps for many “est incomprehensibilis” “it’s not clear” - lat. Nevertheless, the Pope’s twitter in Latin has twice as many followers as his Twitter in Arabic, he even overtook similar pages in Polish and German.

“Such success is certainly pleasant, albeit unexpected,” the Vatican’s official website noted a year after the pope’s first Latin post on Twitter.

Of course, @Pontifex_ln cannot compete in popularity either with the Pope’s twitter in Italian, which has 4.68 million subscribers, or with its English version with 3.62 million readers. But Bishop Daniel Gallaghan, an American priest who supports the Latin version of Twitter on behalf of the Holy See, argues that Cicero’s language is not limited by time or place: “He communicates with every person at any given time. Latin conveys the story itself "

Latin is perfect for Pope Francis's messages because of its brevity and conciseness. However, Pontiff's messages in a "very informal" style are quite difficult to translate. Bishop Gallaghan and his team of Latinists say they are very interested in finding new methods for translating modern jargon.

But who are all the same subscribers?

Bishop Gallaghan argues: "We have reason to believe that many subscribers are university students, high school students, or even younger students." One is given a translation of Twitter articles as homework. Others just have fun translating Francis’s sayings, and someone is truly drawn into discussions in Latin quotes from the Pope.

"Some people follow latin twitter because it’s a kind of way to create their own group. Such people like to belong to the chosen community with their own unique cipher. If you are able to translate a tweet, you are allowed to join the club."

Pope Francis is an active supporter of social media. And as the Times notes: “Even if he only subscribed to his own nine pages on Twitter, this is already a significant improvement over the Dalai Lama, which has 8.4 million subscribers, but he himself does not follow anyone and writes only in English language. "

Popular Posts

Category Society, Next Article

Sirmione baths - which are better?
Italian lakes

Sirmione baths - which are better?

The Italian town of Sirmione, located on the southern shore of Lake Garda (Lago di Garda), is a favorite vacation spot for many travelers who come here not only to enjoy the breathtaking beauties of the Mediterranean nature, to plunge into the national color, and see centuries-old monuments of architecture, but also get a quality improvement.
Read More
Iseo Lake
Italian lakes

Iseo Lake

In the frame of Italian sights along with large "stones" like Lake Maggiore, Garda and Como, another emerald shines - Lago di Iseo (Italian: Lago d'Iseo). Fans of the Italian mountains greatly appreciate high-altitude resorts, alluring with white snow caps and extreme types of recreation. However, even the most active tourist will not resist the beauty and crystal clearness of mountain lakes.
Read More
Lake Como: attractions, villas, hotels, how to get
Italian lakes

Lake Como: attractions, villas, hotels, how to get

In the north of Lombardy, very close to the Swiss border, lies Lake Como (Italian: Lago di Como). Like a gem, the waters of Como glisten in the rim of the Alpine mountains. The extremely deep and fabulously beautiful lake is loved by the original Italians and numerous guests of the country. Mountain landscapes framed by fluffy clouds serve as a source of inspiration for writers, artists and film industry workers.
Read More
Holidays on Lake Maggiore: Attractions and Villas
Italian lakes

Holidays on Lake Maggiore: Attractions and Villas

Lago Maggiore (Italian: Lago Maggiore) is one of the four great Italian lakes. The literal translation of the name of the reservoir sounds like a "big lake". And that is the true truth. Located at the very top of the “boot”, Lago Maggiore washes its waters with Italian and Swiss lands. Sheltered by the mountain range of the Alps from the sharp influence of the outside world, Maggiore is famous for its excellent mild climate, clear waters and breathtaking views.
Read More