From: xury@pacbell.net
Subject: (urth) Lucius' language
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 20:23:48 


[Posted from URTH, a mailing list about Gene Wolfe's New Sun and other works]

        The introduction to "Soldier of the Mist" says that archaic Latin is
the written language of Lucius, and Greek is used is some places where
others have written in the journal (ie Eurykles and Pindaros). However this
brings up the subject of how Lucius reads these entries when he cannot read
Greek, he barely  speaks it, accordingly to himself. The way Wolfe has set
up this whole language conception is interesting because in "Soldier of
Arete" Lucius meets someone who comments that the Roman writes his letter A
like " A ox's head." Which, in fact, was how the Egyptians and Semites wrote
their A. But, Wolfe does say to us that Lucius uses Archaic Latin and not
Latin as we know it now (Which developed around 114 AD). Oh, and Lucius'
friend who took him home were Crimson Men, of whom Lucius was not of
nationality, he just knew their language.
                                                                            
    Xury

PS Why is Severian called the red-clawed master by Hethor? (One example is
at The Claw of the Conciliator, ch 8, p288 of The Shadow & The Claw.)