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vallis, vallis (Latin)... is this masculine or feminine?


mazakaal
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I'm in Lively Latin 2, chapter 6 vocabulary. The list says that the word is feminine, but the on-line pronunciation said masculine. I tried googling, but couldn't find an answer. Anyone know?

 

According to this site, it is a 3rd declension noun meaning valley. (But, I don't use Lively Latin, so I don't know if that fits where you are.)

 

According to the lancet rule, it would be neuter. But, it looks like it may be an exception and be feminine. (I guess that would make sense since the words for mountain and hill are masculine.)

 

(Sorry I can't link directly to "vallis", but you just have to enter into the search engine at the link.)

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Yes, it is the word for valley. What is the lancet rule? I can't see on the site where it says that the word is feminine. Still confused.
My Latin dictionary is upstairs next to a sleeping child, but a cursory search of Google Books for "vallis, vallis" latin produced several entries which say feminine.

 

l-a-n-c-e-t rule: 3rd declension nouns ending in l, a, n, c, e, and t are generally neuter

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I'm in Lively Latin 2, chapter 6 vocabulary. The list says that the word is feminine, but the on-line pronunciation said masculine. I tried googling, but couldn't find an answer. Anyone know?

 

Traupman's New College Latin Dictionary, Third Edition, Revised, indicates that it is feminine. The nominative can be either "valles" or "vallis" (the spelling may have changed over time and we see both forms in Classical Latin, apparently.)

 

Lewis and Short's Latin Dictionary (which is pretty authoritative) also gives the feminine gender.

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According to the lancet rule, it would be neuter. But, it looks like it may be an exception and be feminine. (I guess that would make sense since the words for mountain and hill are masculine.)

 

But wouldn't it be feminine, according to the S-O-X rule? It ends with S.

 

Oh, and that's an interesting point, about it being the opposite of mountain and hill! Learn something new every day about the Roman culture, by studying Latin!

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But wouldn't it be feminine, according to the S-O-X rule? It ends with S.

 

Oh, and that's an interesting point, about it being the opposite of mountain and hill! Learn something new every day about the Roman culture, by studying Latin!

 

:tongue_smilie:

 

Sorry! I do that all the time....my 6th grader had to get on to me today about it. (I always want to drop the -is, and then look at the stem instead of looking at the nominative.)

 

going back to "surfing only" mode now!

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Traupman's New College Latin Dictionary, Third Edition, Revised, indicates that it is feminine. The nominative can be either "valles" or "vallis" (the spelling may have changed over time and we see both forms in Classical Latin, apparently.)

 

Lewis and Short's Latin Dictionary (which is pretty authoritative) also gives the feminine gender.

 

Both the OLD and Cassell's also use "valles" with alternate nom. form "vallis," feminine.

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:tongue_smilie:

 

Sorry! I do that all the time....my 6th grader had to get on to me today about it. (I always want to drop the -is, and then look at the stem instead of looking at the nominative.)

 

going back to "surfing only" mode now!

 

No, come back! :D I just had to ask, because I feel sometimes like I finally get something in Latin figured out, and then some other exception or new, complicated concept comes up that I have to mull over - I thought maybe this was one of those times!

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  • 2 years later...
Guest fcamagistra

The -s-o-x mantra isn't horribly accurate. I tell my Latin students that they are more like "guidelines" (a la Geoffry Rush in Pirates of the Caribbean). Really, those guidelines and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee. There is really no sure way to tell.

 

vallis (valles), vallis is feminine.

 

(Am teaching out of the Lingua Latina series, btw)

 

Cheers, Linda

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